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Category: Conferences

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Summer School on String Theory and Summer School on Gravitational Waves, July 31 – August 10, 2025

On the theory and phenomenology tracks of PSI, we are organizing two schools in parallel—one on String Theory and the other on Gravitational Waves.

The aim: The schools aim to provide intensive and thorough courses on a broad range of topics in the fields of string theory and gravitational waves. The schools will not be limited to lectures but will also include daily discussion sessions, problem-solving, and independent work.

For whom: The school is intended for early graduate (MSc / junior PhD) students from all around the world. We will also consider motivated applications from senior undergraduates, as well as more senior PhD students. Students from the Balkans region/Southeast Europe are especially encouraged to apply.

By whom: Lectures will be given by postdocs and senior researchers, while problem-solving sessions and project work will be tutored by senior PhD students. The lecturers will come from various European institutions.

String Theory

Topics

  • Why String Theory?
  • Bosonic Strings
  • Conformal Field Theory
  • String Interactions
  • D-branes and Dualities
  • AdS/CFT
  • Black Holes in String Theory

Lecturers

  • Jose Calderon-Infante (CERN)
  • Mihailo Čubrović (IPB, Belgrade)
  • Vladan Đukić (IPB, Belgrade)
  • Maurizio Firrotta (University of Crete)
  • Alessandra Gnecchi (INFN, Padua)
  • Ruben Monten (CERN)
  • Danijel Obrić (IPB, Belgrade)
  • Matthew Roberts (University of Iceland)
  • Marko Simonović (University of Florence)
  • Marija Tomašević (University of Amsterdam)

Gravitational Waves

Topics

  • Review of General Relativity
  • Black Holes
  • Compact Objects
  • GW Detection, Data Analysis and Astrophysics
  • Cosmological Sources of GWs
  • BH Perturbation Theory
  • Effective Field Theory Methods in GW Physics

Lecturers

  • Enrico Barausse (SISSA, Trieste)
  • Mateja Bošković (DESY, Hamburg)
  • Branislav Cvetković (IPB, Belgrade)
  • Daniel Figueroa (IFIC, Valencia)
  • Rafael Porto (DESY, Hamburg)
  • Borna Salehian (ETH, Zürich)
  • Nikola Savić (IPhT, Saclay)

School Website

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First International Latin American Conference on Gravitational Waves: 10 years since first detectionSeptember 15–19 2025 at INPE Sao Paulo

A decade ago, science witnessed an extraordinary milestone: the first direct detection of gravitational waves, predicted by Albert Einstein in his Theory of General Relativity in 1915. These ripples in spacetime, generated by extreme cosmic events such as black hole mergers, remained merely a theoretical prediction until September 14, 2015, when the LIGO (Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory) experiment captured this historic signal.

This achievement revolutionized astrophysics and earned the 2017 Nobel Prize in Physics for Rainer Weiss, Barry C. Barish, and Kip S. Thorne, recognizing their essential contributions to the design and implementation of LIGO, as well as the data analysis that confirmed the phenomenon.

The First International Latin American Conference on Gravitational Waves celebrates this milestone by bringing together researchers from across Latin America to discuss advancements in detection, theory, and instrumentation in the field of gravitational waves. Moreover, the event serves as a unique opportunity to unify and strengthen the Latin American scientific community, fostering institutional partnerships and collaborations that solidify the region’s presence in this cutting-edge field of science.

With a comprehensive program, the conference will feature lectures by renowned experts, technical sessions, discussion panels, and presentations of recent research. The primary goal is to foster the growth of the Latin American scientific community and encourage international cooperation, promoting regional leadership in a field that shapes our understanding of the universe.
Scientific Committee:

  • Dr. Odylio Denys Aguiar (Brasil, INPE)
  • Dr. Riccardo Sturani (Brasil, UNESP)
  • Dr. Henrique Pereira de Oliveira (Brasil, UERJ)
  • Dr. Márcio Eduardo da Silva Alves (Brasil, UNESP)
  • Dr. Antonio Enea Romano (Colombia, UNIANDES)
  • Dra. Claudia Moreno (México, UNAM)
  • Dra. Iara Tosta e Melo (UNICT- Itália e UNIFAL)
  • Dr. Florian Pretorius (África do Sul, UP)

Speakers:

  • Dr. David Shoemaker (EUA, MIT-LIGO)
  • Dra. Bangalore Sathyaprakash (Índia, Eberly College of Science-LIGO India)
  • Dr. Peter Saulson (EUA, Syracuse University-LIGO)
  • Dr. Barry Barish (EUA, Caltech-LIGO)
  • Dr. Matthew Evans (EUA, MIT-LIGO)
  • Dra. Gabriela González (Argentina, Louisiana State University-LIGO)
  • Dr. Michele Punturo (Itália, INFN-Virgo)
  • Dr. Sendhil Raja (Índia, Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology (RRCAT)-LIGO India)

Conference Website

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10 Years of Gravitational Wave Discovery: Advancing the Frontiers of Gravitational Physics, October 6-10, 2025 at IIT Gandhinagar

The detection of gravitational waves in 2015 marked a groundbreaking milestone in science, not only confirming a key prediction of Einstein's General Theory of Relativity but also opening the door to an entirely new era of astrophysical exploration. India is contributing significantly to this global endeavor through the LIGO-India initiative - a mega science project on Indian soil, which aims to establish a gravitational wave observatory as part of the international network dedicated to detecting and studying these ripples in spacetime.

To commemorate the 10th anniversary of this historic scientific achievement, a dedicated discussion meeting is planned at IIT Gandhinagar. The event will serve as a
platform to reflect on past achievements, and explore future prospects in gravitational wave research.

Conference Website

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Dark Side of the Universe 2025, July 7-11, Toronto

The 19th International Workshop on the Dark Side of the Universe (DSU2025) will be held from July 7 - 12 2025 at the new science campus of the Université de Montreal and is co-organized by McGill University and the Université de Montreal.

DSU is a series of international workshops bringing together a wide range of theorists and experimentalists to discuss current ideas on models of the dark side and relate them to current and future experiments. Webpages for previous workshops in the series are linked at https://cse.umn.edu/ftpi/DSU.

Specific topics for the 2025 edition will include:

  • BSM models of dark matter (DM)
  • Axions and ultralight DM
  • DM formation
  • Astrophysical signatures of DM
  • New DM detection techniques
  • New ideas and observations on dark energy
  • Dark energy (DE) and dark matter from string theory
  • Neutrino cosmology and its interplay with DM and DE
  • Gravitational wave signatures of DM
  • Dark ages cosmology

You are encouraged to reserve lodging well in advance of the conference. A list of suggested hotels is given below, but it is not exhaustive. Please do not respond to solicitations for lodging pretending to be connected to the conference, since this is a frequently occuring scam with indico events.
Information about arrival and public transportation is also given in the link below.

Registration is open. The registration fee will be requested at a later time. You are invited to submit your abstract for contributed or invited plenary talks. Abstract submission for contributed talks is open until April 6.

Workshop Website

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Making Neutron Stars a Laboratory for New Physics, June 9-13, 2025 at CERN

This one-week TH-Institute (June 9-13, 2025) aims to bring together leading experts in nuclear physics, astrophysics, and particle physics to address the key questions surrounding the equation of state (EOS) of neutron star (NS) matter and its impact on multi messenger astronomy and new physics searches.

The EOS of neutron stars is crucial to understanding several astrophysical phenomena, from supernova explosions and neutrino emissions to gravitational wave signals from NS mergers. By examining the EOS and its interplay with standard model (SM) and beyond-standard model (BSM) physics, this event seeks to address questions like: What are the uncertainties in EOS modeling, and how can they be minimized to yield robust predictions? How do different EOSs affect GW signals and NS cooling mechanisms? How much different EOS impact constraints on new motivated particles, such as the QCD axion? What role does QCD EOS play in the formation of primordial black holes, and how can observations of NS mergers constrain new physics?

The TH-Institute will thus cover a range of topics, including:

Theoretical modeling of the EOS of NS matter and its observational implications
Neutrino emissions from young and old neutron stars, and their role in SN explosions
Gravitational wave signals from NS mergers and their sensitivity to the EOS
New physics searches in astrophysical environments, with a focus on axions, neutrinos, and gravitational waves

Registration: We welcome everyone interested in these topics to join us in-person or online. In-person participation will be moderated. Upon in-person registration confirmation we recommend arranging accomodation as soon as possible. The accomodation tab gives further information. Deadline for registration is April 30.

Workshop Website

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12th LISA CosWG Workshop, June 2-6, 2025 in Tallinn

The 12th LISA Cosmology Working Group Workshop will take place in Tallinn on June 2-6, 2025.

The workshop's objective is to convene the LISA Cosmology Working Group community to examine recent advancements in cosmology pertinent to LISA. Its purpose is to kickstart collaborative projects and tackle unresolved issues in LISA cosmology.

The topics of discussion include:

  • Predictions for SGWBs from the early universe
  • Detection of stochastic backgrounds and foregrounds
  • Characterization of isotropic and anisotropic SGWB components
  • Standard sirens and cosmological tests of the late universe
  • Cosmological probes of general relativity and non-standard paradigms
  • Primordial black holes and dark matter
  • Gravitational-wave lensing
  • Structure formation

About half of the workshop will be devoted to CosWG collaborative projects.

The workshop is restricted to LISA CosWG members. Non-members interested in participating must write to membership(at)lisamission.org (with chairscoswg(at)gmail.com in cc).

This workshop is supported by the Estonian Research Council grant RVTT7.

Please beware of fake e-mails attempting to offer you to book accommodation. The only reliable communications are those that come directly from the organisers.

Workshop Website

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Gravitational Wave Probes of Physics Beyond Standard Model 4, June 23-27, 2025 at University of Warsaw

The purpose of this workshop is to discuss how gravitational waves may serve as tools to explore possible fundamental physics beyond the Standard Model, such as first-order phase transitions in the early Universe, cosmic strings, primordial black holes and scenarios for cosmological inflation. In addition, it will explore how gravitational wave signals may reveal possible modifications of general relativity. With these aims in mind, the workshop will bring together experts in particle physics, cosmology and the gravitational wave community.

Confirmed speakers:

  • Lara Sousa (Porto U) [cosmic defects]
  • Fabrizio Rompineve (UA Barcelona) [cosmic defects]
  • Alberto Roper Pol (U Geneva) [phase transition]
  • Oliver Gould (Nottingham U) [phase transition]
  • David Mateos (ICREA and U Barcelona) [phase transition]
  • Simone Blasi (DESY) [phase transition]
  • Nicola Bartolo (U Padua) [inflation]
  • Marek Szczepańczyk (U Warsaw) [astrophysics]
  • Alexander Jenkins (Cambridge U) [phase transition]
  • Christoph Ringeval (CP3, Louvain) [cosmic defects]

Workshop Website

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10th Physics and Astrophysics at the eXtreme Workshop and 3rd Cosmic Explorer Symposium in Urbana, Illinois on June 30 – July 3, 2025

The 10th Physics and Astrophysics at the eXtreme (PAX) Workshop and the 3rd Cosmic Explorer Symposium are events sponsored by the Physics Department of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and taking place in Urbana, Illinois on June 30 – July 3, 2025 at the Beckman Institute Auditorium (Room 1025) and Room 1005.

The meeting aims to explore how gravitational and electromagnetic wave observations can help us understand extreme physics, including strong gravitational fields, dark matter, nuclear physics, cosmology, and multimessenger astrophysics. The Cosmic Explorer Symposium will bring together the community to discuss important aspects of the design and operations of the Cosmic Explorer gravitational-wave observatories, covering both observational and instrument science. Together, PAX-X and the Cosmic Explorer Symposium will explore the science opportunities that come with the next-generation gravitational-wave detectors.

Workshop Website

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2025 GW Open Data Workshop, May 12-14

Open Data Workshops provide participants with a hands-on introduction to working with data from LIGO, Virgo, and KAGRA. The workshops include lectures, software tutorials, and a data challenge that asks participants to find binary black hole merger signals in real observatory data.

This year’s workshop will use a hybrid format, where participants may join virtually through the online course or may join an in-person Study Hub. Participants are also encouraged to start their own Study Hubs if one in their area is not available. Workshop registration is free and enrollment is now open. We are also looking for mentors to update the tutorials and host Study Hubs – please contact Jonah Kanner if you are interested in helping.

Workshop details and enrollment are now available at https://learn.gwosc.org/

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2025 North American Einstein Toolkit Workshop, June, 9-13 at University of Texas at Austin

The 2025 edition of the North American Einstein Toolkit Workshop will be held at the University of Texas at Austin. This is an opportunity for researchers and students to learn about the Einstein Toolkit (https://einsteintoolkit.org/), a community-driven software platform of core computational tools to advance and support research in relativistic astrophysics and gravitational physics.

The workshop will offer a mixture of talks and tutorials. The tutorials provide an opportunity for new users to become familiar with the Einstein Toolkit cyberinfrastructure. The talks are aimed at highlighting exciting science using the tools of numerical relativity, in particular, the Einstein Toolkit. At the end of the workshop, there will be a broad discussion on future directions of the Einstein Toolkit.

Workshop Website