My name is Pranay Agarwal, and I am a final-year PhD researcher in fungal genetics at Maynooth University, Ireland. I am a grateful recipient of the IFS Ken Haynes Travel Award 2026, which enabled me to attend the 33rd Fungal Genetics Conference in California, USA.

This conference is one of the largest in my field, bringing together nearly 800 participants, including principal investigators, postdoctoral researchers, and graduate students from over 30 countries. It was an excellent platform to listen to very interesting and insightful talks, particularly in areas closely aligned with my interests, such as the genetic control of development and secondary metabolism in fungi. I had the opportunity to attend several insightful plenary lectures, including those by Oier Etxebeste on the role of the brlA gene in fungal asexual development, Johanna Syrjänen on the structural characterization of the Pra1 zincophore protein in Candida albicans, and Nancy Keller’s Perkins Lecture. I also found Gerhard Braus’s presentation on his career and contributions to fungal genetics particularly inspiring, especially as it highlighted the work of his trainees, including my current supervisor, Dr. Özlem Bayram.

During the conference, I delivered an oral presentation in the session titled “Secondary Metabolites and Volatile Compounds in Fungal Communications.” This session focused on strategies to unlock the biosynthetic potential of fungi, particularly through the activation of silent gene clusters. My presentation addressed the identification of a key regulatory pathway linking development and secondary metabolism in plant-pathogenic Aspergillus species. In addition, I presented a poster in the “Gene Regulation” category. The poster session was well attended, providing valuable opportunities to discuss my work with researchers in the field and receive constructive feedback to further strengthen my study.

The conference also offered significant networking opportunities. I engaged with several principal investigators and postdoctoral researchers to discuss their work and explore potential future career directions. Finally, the setting of Monterey, with its scenic coastal environment, added to the overall experience and made the event particularly memorable. This opportunity would not have been possible without the support of the IFS Ken Haynes Travel Award.