The packaging of eukaryotic genomes into chromatin is central to cell identity and genome maintenance. Defects in chromatin regulation are strongly linked to human disease, including cancer and neurodegeneration. The 2026 Gordon Conference on Chromatin Structure and Function will cover a broad territory of fundamental questions, ranging from how nucleosomes, the building blocks of chromatin, are assembled, modified and mobilized, to how higher-order chromatin states regulate distinct cellular states across the lifetime of both simple and highly complex organisms. The chromatin field has been advancing rapidly on conceptual and technical fronts due to novel interdisciplinary and orthogonal approaches, ranging from genomics and chemical biology to integrated structural approaches. The talks will thus also highlight the importance of working across disciplines such as biochemistry, chemistry, cell biology and physiology to enable deeper and more comprehensive understanding of how defects in chromatin regulation contribute to disease.