scverse · muskanhashim · Jul 24, 2026 · Jul 24, 2026 · Jul 24, 2026 · Jul 24, 2026
diff --git a/assets/conference2026.scss b/assets/conference2026.scss
@@ -303,6 +303,73 @@ $conf-muted: $greydesc; // #777
         border-top: 4px solid $conf-accent;
     }
 
+    // Speakers
+    .speaker-grid {
+        display: grid;
+        grid-template-columns: repeat(auto-fit, minmax(260px, 1fr));
+        gap: 1.5rem;
+        margin: 1.5rem 0 2rem;
+    }
+
+    .speaker-card {
+        display: flex;
+        flex-direction: column;
+        background: #fff;
+        border: 1px solid $overline;
+        border-radius: 12px;
+        padding: 1.75rem 1.5rem;
+        text-align: center;
+
+        .speaker-photo {
+            width: 132px;
+            height: 132px;
+            border-radius: 50%;
+            object-fit: cover;
+            margin: 0 auto 1.1rem;
+            border: 3px solid $conf-accent;
+        }
+
+        h3 {
+            margin: 0 0 0.2rem;
+            color: $conf-ink;
+        }
+
+        .speaker-affiliation {
+            margin: 0 0 0.9rem;
+            font-size: 0.9rem;
+            font-weight: 600;
+            color: $conf-accent-dark;
+        }
+
+        .speaker-bio {
+            margin: 0 0 1.1rem;
+            font-size: 0.92rem;
+            line-height: 1.55;
+            text-align: left;
+            color: $conf-ink;
+        }
+
+        .speaker-socials {
+            margin: auto 0 0;
+            display: flex;
+            flex-wrap: wrap;
+            justify-content: center;
+            gap: 0.4rem 0.9rem;
+            font-size: 0.85rem;
+            font-weight: 600;
+
+            a {
+                color: $conf-muted;
+                text-decoration: none;
+
+                &:hover {
+                    color: $conf-accent-dark;
+                    text-decoration: underline;
+                }
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
     // Sponsor tiers
     .tier-grid {
         display: grid;

diff --git a/content/conference2026/_index.md b/content/conference2026/_index.md
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ type = "conference2026"
 weight = 1
 
 # Hero
-label = "Save the date"
+label = "Registration open"
 conferenceDates = "October 12 – 14, 2026"
 conferenceLocation = "DTU, Copenhagen, Denmark"
 backgroundImage = "/img/events/2026_10_conference_bg.jpg"
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ event = "Abstract & travel-grant application deadline"
 date = "Summer 2026"
 event = "Notification of abstract & travel-grant decisions"
 [[keyDates]]
-date = "Early autumn 2026"
+date = "September 12, 2026"
 event = "Early-bird registration ends"
 [[keyDates]]
 date = "October 12 – 14, 2026"
@@ -45,6 +45,6 @@ After Munich (2024) and Stanford (2025), the **third scverse conference** comes
 
 Expect keynote talks, contributed talks and posters, hands-on workshops and tutorials, and plenty of time to connect with the people building and using the scverse ecosystem.
 
-> **Details for 2026 are still being finalised.** Speakers, the full program, registration, and deadlines will be announced in the coming months. Follow us on [Zulip](https://scverse.zulipchat.com/), [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/profile/scverse.bsky.social), [LinkedIn](https://linkedin.com/company/scverse), or [X](https://x.com/scverse_team) to stay up to date.
+> **Registration and the call for proposals are now open, and our first speakers have been announced.** The full program and remaining details will be posted here as they are confirmed. Follow us on [Zulip](https://scverse.zulipchat.com/), [Bluesky](https://bsky.app/profile/scverse.bsky.social), [LinkedIn](https://linkedin.com/company/scverse), or [X](https://x.com/scverse_team) to stay up to date.
 
 Questions? Email us at [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]).
diff --git a/content/conference2026/call-for-proposals.md b/content/conference2026/call-for-proposals.md
@@ -26,8 +26,6 @@ The scverse conference program is built with the community. We welcome submissio
 
 ## How to submit
 
-The submission portal and guidelines will open with registration. Abstracts will be reviewed by the program committee, and submitting an abstract also makes you eligible to apply for a [travel grant](/conference2026/registration/#travel-grants).
-
-<div class="placeholder-note">Submission portal and deadlines to be announced.</div>
+Submit your abstract through the [scverse 2026 submission portal](https://dtu.events/scverse2026/signup.html?step=participants). Abstracts will be reviewed by the program committee, and submitting an abstract also makes you eligible to apply for a [travel grant](/conference2026/registration/#travel-grants).
 
 Questions about submissions? Email [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected]).
diff --git a/content/conference2026/registration.md b/content/conference2026/registration.md
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ Sign up for announcements via [Zulip](https://scverse.zulipchat.com/) or follow
 
 We are committed to making the conference accessible to as many people as possible. As in previous years, we plan to offer **travel grants** to help cover registration, accommodation, and travel.
 
-Priority is given to applicants who have submitted an abstract and are in financial need — particularly those from underrepresented backgrounds, underresourced institutions, or low- and middle-income countries. Application details and deadlines will be announced together with registration.
+Priority is given to applicants who have submitted an abstract and are in financial need — particularly those from underrepresented backgrounds, underresourced institutions, or low- and middle-income countries. Application details and deadlines will be announced soon.
 
 ## Childcare & accessibility
 

diff --git a/content/conference2026/speakers.md b/content/conference2026/speakers.md
@@ -7,9 +7,43 @@ weight = 2
 
 ## Keynote speakers
 
-Our keynote line-up for scverse conference 2026 will be announced soon. Past conferences have featured leading voices from across single-cell and spatial biology, machine learning, and open-source scientific software.
+We are delighted to announce the following speakers for scverse conference 2026, with more to be confirmed.
 
-<div class="placeholder-note">Speakers to be announced — check back soon.</div>
+<div class="speaker-grid">
+  <div class="speaker-card">
+    <img class="speaker-photo" src="/img/events/conference2026/speakers/phil-ewels.jpg" alt="Phil Ewels" />
+    <h3>Phil Ewels</h3>
+    <p class="speaker-affiliation">Seqera</p>
+    <p class="speaker-bio">Product Manager for Open Source at Seqera, with a PhD in Molecular Biology from the University of Cambridge. He previously worked at the National Genomics Infrastructure (SciLifeLab, Stockholm) and the Babraham Institute in Cambridge. Phil co-founded the nf-core community and authored MultiQC, RustQC, and SRA-Explorer, and is a passionate advocate for user-friendly open-source software.</p>
+    <p class="speaker-socials">
+      <a href="https://github.com/ewels/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">GitHub</a>
+      <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/philewels/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">LinkedIn</a>
+      <a href="https://bsky.app/profile/ewels.bsky.social" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bluesky</a>
+      <a href="https://genomic.social/@ewels" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mastodon</a>
+      <a href="https://x.com/tallphil" target="_blank" rel="noopener">X</a>
+    </p>
+  </div>
+  <div class="speaker-card">
+    <img class="speaker-photo" src="/img/events/conference2026/speakers/tingying-peng.jpg" alt="Tingying Peng" />
+    <h3>Tingying Peng</h3>
+    <p class="speaker-affiliation">Helmholtz Munich</p>
+    <p class="speaker-bio">Group leader at Helmholtz Munich and a TUM Junior Fellow at the Technical University of Munich. Her research develops artificial-intelligence methods for quantitative biological image analysis across modalities including cryo-electron tomography, light-sheet microscopy, and digital pathology. Her group builds open-source tools for the bioimaging community and collaborates closely with experimental labs to enable data-driven discovery.</p>
+    <p class="speaker-socials">
+      <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/tingying-peng-84a67652/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">LinkedIn</a>
+      <a href="https://x.com/p_tingying" target="_blank" rel="noopener">X</a>
+    </p>
+  </div>
+  <div class="speaker-card">
+    <img class="speaker-photo" src="/img/events/conference2026/speakers/erwin-schoof.jpg" alt="Erwin Schoof" />
+    <h3>Erwin Schoof</h3>
+    <p class="speaker-affiliation">Technical University of Denmark (DTU)</p>
+    <p class="speaker-bio">Professor at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU), where he leads the Cell Diversity Lab. After an MSc from Utrecht University and a PhD from DTU, he carried out postdoctoral work on normal and malignant hematopoiesis as an EMBO Fellow with John Dick (Toronto) and a Lundbeck Fellow with Bo Porse (Copenhagen). His lab develops high-sensitivity single-cell and spatial proteomics to study how cellular heterogeneity drives cell fate and therapy response in cancer.</p>
+    <p class="speaker-socials">
+      <a href="https://github.com/Schoof-Lab" target="_blank" rel="noopener">GitHub</a>
+      <a href="https://x.com/erwinschoof" target="_blank" rel="noopener">X</a>
+    </p>
+  </div>
+</div>
 
 ## Contributed talks & posters
 

diff --git a/content/conference2026/travel.md b/content/conference2026/travel.md
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ The conference is hosted at the **Technical University of Denmark (DTU)**, just
 
 ## Accommodation
 
-A list of recommended hotels and student-friendly options near the venue and city centre will be published ahead of registration.
+A list of recommended hotels and student-friendly options near the venue and city centre will be published here soon.
 
 ## Visas
 

diff --git a/layouts/conference2026/list.html b/layouts/conference2026/list.html
@@ -42,7 +42,6 @@ <h2 id="key-dates">Key dates</h2>
           </li>
         {{ end }}
       </ul>
-      <p class="placeholder-note">Dates are indicative and will be confirmed soon.</p>
     {{ end }}
   </article>
 {{ end }}
diff --git a/static/img/events/conference2026/speakers/erwin-schoof.jpg b/static/img/events/conference2026/speakers/erwin-schoof.jpg
diff --git a/static/img/events/conference2026/speakers/phil-ewels.jpg b/static/img/events/conference2026/speakers/phil-ewels.jpg
diff --git a/static/img/events/conference2026/speakers/tingying-peng.jpg b/static/img/events/conference2026/speakers/tingying-peng.jpg