SfNC is the premier academic conference
dedicated to the neuroscience of creativity
Now in its 11th year, SfNC’s annual meeting is the forum for presenting the latest work in creativity neuroscience, broadly defined. It's where researchers and practitioners share new data, methods, and theory on how creativity arises from the human brain, how creativity thinking intersects with cognition, and what we gain from creative experiences emotionally, motivationally, and intellectually. SfNC is attended by research scientists, artists, and practitioners in education, healthcare, technology, and creative industries who are interested in understanding and enhancing human creativity through the lens of neuroscience.
This year, our theme - Liberty to Create - places a deliberate spotlight on creative expression in the arts, directly engaging with the subjective, expressive, and emotionally complex dimensions of creativity involved in both the production and experience of artistic work. We believe that in order to advance our science, we should lean into, not away from, the arts, and balance our need for empirical clarity with desire to be challenged, delighted, and inspired.
This is an invitation to reconnect with expression; to remember that art is not only a means to an end, not only important because it improves health or well-being or contributes to economic growth, but because it is essential to what it means to be human. This isn’t secondary to creativity’s “real” value – this is the real value.
So, in the birthplace of American independence on its 250th anniversary, join us in reaffirming our
liberty to create.
A deliberate return to the creative arts
In service of our theme, this year we invite participation from both researchers and artists. SfNC2026 will be a forum where researchers and practitioners of creativity can learn from and collaborate with one another. This setting will spark conversations that push our field forward.
A meeting place for scientists and artists
Why Philadelphia?
Philadelphia embodies the very tension we’re exploring; a city of high and low culture, of preservation and rupture. The first UNESCO World Heritage City in the US, as famous for its cheesesteaks and DIY music scene as for its world-class art museums. It holds the largest collections of works by Cézanne, Rodin, Renoir, and Duchamp outside of France, but is also home to Gritty, the deranged hockey mascot. Philadelphia is the birthplace of American democracy and the city that killed a hitchhiking robot. It oozes creativity and personality, and is more than a little bit wild. It’s going to be a blast.
We’re putting on a show — literally.
Hosted at the FringeArts Building, Philadelphia’s premier center for alternative performance arts, SfNC2026 will make full use of its dynamic space: a 250-seat theater, a lively restaurant and bar, and an open-air patio along the Philadelphia riverfront.
This immersive venue will allow us to create an environment that embodies our theme. We will explore the humanistic, expressive, and subversive power of art, drawing inspiration from Philadelphia’s revolutionary spirit, past and present. As the city draws international attention during America’s 250th anniversary, SfNC 2026 will offer a timely and memorable reflection on creativity, freedom, and the power of art to challenge convention and energize the human spirit.
Abstract Submissions
Abstract submissions closed on February 15th.
We received an outstanding number of high-quality abstracts this year. Thank you to all who submitted. Acceptance information and instructions for presenters can be found in Information for Presenters.
We are unable to accept any new submissions for this year’s conference, but registration is open to the public and we encourage you to attend to be part of the conversation. Abstract submissions for SfNC2027 will open in December 2026.
Sponsors
We are very grateful to the following sponsors for supporting SfNC2026!
Penn MindCORE
