Project Summary/Abstract Immunoengineering is a vibrant, emerging field that improves human health by enabling the analysis, manipulation, and engineering of the immune system. Grounded in fundamental immunology discoveries, the integration of principles from engineering and the physical sciences into immunological research has accelerated in the last decade. However, the immunoengineering community until recently did not have a flagship conference that brings together all of its constituencies. Workshops held at individual universities and symposia within larger conferences have been well attended, but an internationally accessible conference that supports networking between generations of researchers and across fields has been missing. Such a conference is needed to bring together leaders, new investigators, and trainees from different disciplines for the first time, to advance both translational and fundamental science and to provide a focal point for collaborative relationships, career guidance, and mentoring of trainees in this field. Therefore, this proposal requests partial support for the second international meeting on Immunoengineering as part of the Gordon Research Conference (GRC) and Gordon Research Seminar (GRS) series, to be held in Lucca, Italy February 10-11 (GRS) & 11 – 16 (GRC), 2024. The specific aims of the conference are (i) to increase knowledge in immunoengineering at two levels – basic as well as translational immunotherapy and immunology – by promoting engagement between investigators from different disciplines, (ii) to advance the careers of new investigators and trainees in field of Immunoengineering by showcasing their work and facilitating networking with senior investigators and peer mentors, and (iii) to enhance diversity, equity, and inclusion among new investigators and trainees in Immunoengineering via strong representation at the meeting. The GRC program will have a keynote address and nine sessions that broadly address pressing health challenges where immunoengineering is making substantial headway in or already has had translational impact, including cancer, pathogens, aging, neuroimmunology and autoimmunity, and regenerative medicine. It will also highlight engineered immune cell therapies, molecularly engineered immunotherapies, biomaterials for vaccines and immunomodulation, systems and computational immunology, in vitro models of immunity, and micro-technologies to assess immune cell function. Each session will feature 1- 2 Short Talks selected from abstracts to highlight work by early stage investigators, as well as poster sessions and an innovative lunch-based networking strategy. The Chairs of the GRC will implement strategies to increase participation of woman and historically underrepresented minorities by setting aside specific funding for such individuals, targeted advertising, and ensuring that they are well represented in the Short Talks. Thus, the 2024 Immunoengineering GRC and GRS will set the ...