The OU Health Campus Graduate College is proud to announce that Dr. Oliver Bogler, CEO of the Night Science Institute, will serve as keynote speaker for the 2026 GREAT Symposium, April 6–8, 2026. His keynote address, “Night Science: Creativity & Joy of Discovery,” will invite graduate students, postdoctoral scholars and faculty to rethink how discovery really happens — and why that matters now more than ever.

Dr. Bogler’s career spans the full spectrum of academic science, from laboratory research to national leadership in training and education. Educated in England, he came to the United States for postdoctoral training and later joined the faculty at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, where his research focused on EGFR signaling and novel platinum compounds in glioblastoma.

At MD Anderson, he went on to serve as Vice President for Global Academic Programs and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, stewarding the institution’s education mission for 1,700 faculty and more than 2,000 fellows and students. His leadership extended nationally when he became Director of the Center for Cancer Training at the National Cancer Institute in 2020, overseeing more than $200 million in fellowships, career development and cancer research education and training grants while supporting approximately 1,000 scholars in NCI’s intramural research program.

In June 2025, Dr. Bogler transitioned from federal service to lead the Night Science Institute, a nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering a cultural shift in science. The institute trains researchers to embrace “Night Science” — the creative, exploratory and intuitive side of the scientific process — as an essential complement to rigorous hypothesis testing. He also coaches scientists and consults on grants, helping investigators strengthen both their ideas and their impact.

At the 2026 GREAT Symposium, Dr. Bogler will challenge attendees to reconsider the myth of science as purely logical and linear. Instead, he will highlight the role of curiosity, imagination and intellectual risk-taking in advancing meaningful discovery. His message is particularly resonant for graduate students and postdoctoral scholars navigating the uncertainties of research, as well as for faculty mentors guiding the next generation of scientists.

The GREAT Symposium is the Graduate College’s signature professional development event, designed to support research excellence, career preparation and scholarly community. Through keynote presentations, workshops and networking opportunities, the symposium equips trainees and faculty with tools to thrive in today’s evolving research landscape.

Join us April 6–8, 2026, to explore the creativity behind discovery — and to reconnect with the joy that first drew you to research.