Neuroscience of Democracy Symposium

The Picower Institute's Biennial Spring Symposium, in conjunction with the Freedom Together Foundation

• Date: Tuesday, May 19, 2026
• Time: 9:00am - 5:00pm
• Location: Singleton Auditorium (46-3002), Third Floor of MIT Building 46
• Event is free and open to all but registration is required. Please click here to register.

Lincoln’s famous phrase “of the people, by the people, for the people” prompts us to consider how democratic governments and societies arise from individuals, each with their own thoughts, needs, motivations, values and relationships. The daylong symposium, “The Neuroscience of Democracy,” will bring together neuroscientists, political and social scientists, civil society leaders and other experts for a lively examination of how individual citizens make decisions, evaluate and share information, develop trust and beliefs and then come together to build and participate in institutions and movements. A key guiding question for the day will be how we can use what we know to improve trust and participation in democracy.

Confirmed Speakers

• Stacey Abrams, Author, Entrepreneur, and Voting Rights Activist*
• Adam Berinsky, MIT Political Science
• Deepak Bhargava, Freedom Together Foundation
• Emily Falk, University of Pennsylvania
• Alicia Garza, Freedom Together Foundation*
• Earl K. Miller, MIT Picower Institute for Learning and Memory
• Rebecca Saxe, MIT Brain and Cognitive Sciences
• Tali Sharot, University College London
• Lily Tsai, MIT Political Science
• Sam Wang, Princeton University

*Keynote speaker