I attended the Biophysical Society Meeting for the first time in 2016, then in 2019, and now I am back in 2026. Looking back, I realize that each visit marked a different phase of my journey.

My first time at the meeting in 2016 was also my first trip outside of India, traveling completely on my own. I was excited and nervous at the same time. I had never attended a conference of this scale before. As a PhD student in India, I realized that international travel for conferences can be a significant hurdle depending on where you are starting from. It felt like a big leap and not something I took for granted. Receiving a BPS travel award helped make that leap possible. It allowed me to focus on the science and the people instead of worrying about everything else. I will always be grateful for that support.

I still remember walking into the conference center and being surrounded by so many people and feeling overwhelmed at first. I met fellow scientists and professors that I knew through their research and papers, and created memories that have stayed with me ever since. I also made new friends. That meeting gave me something I did not even realize I was looking for: Confidence. A sense of belonging in science. It helped me see myself as part of the global scientific community.

This trip also gave me a chance to visit some of the labs in the area thanks to the professors I reached out to. Seeing the lab culture in the US firsthand and talking to trainees helped me imagine what it would be like to work in the US. A year later, I moved to the US for my postdoctoral training, and in many ways that decision started at this meeting.

I returned to the annual meeting in 2019 during my second year as a postdoc. This time felt different. I was no longer the nervous PhD student attending her first international meeting. I felt more grounded and more confident. Receiving the Postdoctoral Early Researcher Award was truly an honor, especially because this was the conference that had helped me take off academically. It felt meaningful to be recognized by the same community that had supported me when I was just starting out.

What made it even more special was seeing familiar faces. The people I had met in 2016 were no longer strangers. They were friends and colleagues. That sense of belonging meant more to me than I realized at the time.

Then the years passed. Sometimes I could not attend because it was too far. Other times, even when it was nearby, I chose to go to different conferences. Life and career paths move in their own ways, but I always associated this meeting with an important part of my growth. When I saw that the 2026 meeting was in San Francisco, I was genuinely excited. After seven years, I was finally going back. I wondered if it would feel different after such a long gap.

Within hours of arriving, I started running into familiar faces. Even after such a long gap, conversations picked up as if no time had passed. The warmth was still there. Suddenly, it did not feel like I had been away for seven years. It felt familiar. It felt like home.
It was also amazing to see how much the field has evolved. When I first attended in 2016, intrinsically disordered proteins were just beginning to gain attention. Now the field has grown tremendously, with new technologies and deeper insights transforming how we understand these proteins. Watching this growth felt a little nostalgic, almost like growing up alongside the science.

Looking back, the BPS Annual Meeting has been more than just a conference in my career. It represents my first independent international trip, the friendships I built, the confidence I gained, and the support I received when I was just starting out.

Seven years later, walking through the halls again, I realized something simple: I belong here.

And for that, I am deeply grateful to the biophysics community that welcomed me when I was just beginning and continues to make me feel at home. To anyone attending the BPS Annual Meeting for the first time: it can feel overwhelming, and that is completely normal. But I promise you, the experience will be worth it. I hope this meeting gives you what you are looking for, and that you have a fabulous time at the conference.