Guided Discussions

Small-group discussion with invited speakers and senior researchers.

The day will close with discussions led by invited speakers and senior researchers participating in Future Pitches, and open to all attendees, especially students.

Speakers will be encouraged to conclude their talks or pitches with a discussion prompt. Attendees will discuss these prompts in groups of about five, making it easy for everyone to contribute.

Session leaders will circulate among the groups, guiding discussion on open problems, possible directions, and opportunities for collaboration. By bringing senior researchers into small, topic-focused conversations, the format lowers the barrier for students and early-career researchers who may otherwise hesitate to approach them directly.

  1. Prompts

    Discussion prompts from speakers

    Speakers conclude their talks or pitches with a prompt that gives everyone a way into the discussion.

  2. Groups

    Small enough to talk

    Groups of about five make it easier to ask questions, share ideas, and take part without needing to already know anyone in the room.

  3. Rotation

    Senior researchers circulate

    Session leaders circulate among groups, guiding discussion on open problems, possible directions, and opportunities for collaboration.

Why attend

  • Discuss open problems and possible directions in a small-group setting with senior researchers.
  • Get direct guidance on research questions, directions, and next steps.
  • Meet potential collaborators, supervisors, mentors, and industry contacts.

Future Pitches

A fast introduction to labs, teams, and opportunities.

Up to eight leaders from academic labs and industry teams attending NeurIPS 2026 will give three-minute pitches on their research vision, current priorities, and the collaborators they seek.

Each pitch will identify a concrete problem or direction, the work underway, and relevant opportunities, including PhD, research assistant, and postdoctoral positions in academia, and internships and full-time roles in industry.

Scheduled immediately before posters and lunch, the session will seed technical conversations, potential collaborations, and longer-term opportunities.

  1. Research Vision

    What teams are building

    Academic labs and industry teams share their research direction, current priorities, and the problems they are most excited to solve.

  2. Opportunities

    Open roles and collaborations

    The session makes PhD, RA, postdoctoral, internship, full-time, and collaboration opportunities easier to find in one place.

  3. Three-Minute Pitches

    Quick, useful introductions

    Each group gets three minutes to explain who they are, what they work on, and where attendees might connect with them.

Why attend

  • Get a quick map of active groups working across formal methods, machine learning, assurance, and certification.
  • See PhD, research assistant, postdoctoral, internship, and full-time opportunities in one place.
  • Seed technical conversations, potential collaborations, and longer-term opportunities before posters and lunch.

Other Interactive Sessions

Collaboration Boards

A simple way to start conversations.

Attendees can pin cards with their names, research interests, open problems, and collaboration requests, helping start relevant conversations throughout the workshop.

At the start of lunch, a moderator will briefly tour the boards to help spark conversations.

Why attend

  • Find people with shared interests without needing to already know who is in the room.
  • Lower the barrier to starting conversations with students, researchers, and industry participants.
  • Help collaborations begin early in the day, while people still have time to follow up.

Interactive Quizzes

Short, light interaction between sessions.

Between sessions, we will run short quizzes using online tools that allow anonymous responses.

These will be light-hearted, help break the ice, gather views on the future of AI, and start conversations.

Why attend

  • Keep the energy up between technical sessions.
  • Offer a low-pressure way to participate.
  • Help the room engage with shared questions about AI, assurance, and the future of the field.