Project Summary/Abstract “fNIRS2024” is an international meeting of researchers, physicians, and engineers in academia and industry who are interested in applying functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) methods to the study of normal brain function and its alteration in disease. This edition is the 8th biennial meeting organized by the Society of functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy, focused on the use of various fNIRS and hybrid imaging techniques to interrogate functional brain activity in neuroscience and clinical applications. This conference, as in the past years, will leverage the breadth of expertise of a truly international and multidisciplinary group of researchers who work in fNIRS and related fields to identify and explore new avenues that advance basic and translational research opportunities, and to establish and foster communication, collaboration, and fellowship among the group. Specifically, the aims of the conference are: 1) To bring together scientists from interdisciplinary backgrounds to advance the development of new imaging tools to enable the detection, characterization, quantification, and treatment monitoring of brain disease processes. 2) To identify new opportunities for fNIRS, to delineate the key challenges facing the field, and to identify strategies to overcome these challenges. 3) To create a platform for open discussion amongst attendees of all levels of experience, and to promote the participation of the next generation of imaging scientists. The meeting topics will cover developmental neuroscience, data analysis and modeling, hardware advances, clinical applications, and cognitive and social neuroscience. The structure of this single-track meeting entails first allowing invited speakers who are leaders in the specific session to introduce it by challenging the audience with their vision of the future. The sessions will be followed by oral and poster presentations selected from submitted abstracts by the program committee. The program will also include a keynote lecture, a presidential lecture, and a session comprised of young investigator award nominees. Poster sessions and networking events at the meeting will provide opportunities for communication and collaboration among attendees of all levels of training. There will be awards to support travel, registration, and recognition for trainees, underrepresented minorities, and early career investigators to ensure that a diverse set of voices is part of the discussions.

Project Narrative “fNIRS2024” is an international meeting of researchers, physicians, and engineers in academia and industry who are interested in applying diffuse optics methods to the study of normal brain function and its alteration in disease. This meeting will leverage the diverse attendee’s expertise to identify opportunities and address challenges for the field in order to develop new tools to enable the detection, characterization, quantification, and treatment monitoring of brain disease processes.