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Iberian GW Meeting and International School on GWs 2026, Apr 26 – May 02, Benasque

The Iberian Gravitational Wave Meetings (IGWM) are annual meetings organized by the REDONGRA community which have played a key role in establishing a Spanish GW community, and in integrating new groups.

We organize these meetings with focus on specific joint R&D activities, in particular toward maximizing the Spanish role in the breakthrough discoveries expected in the next few years (the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA detections and the new Pulsar Timing Array data), and in developing the future Einstein Telescope (ET) and LISA (Laser Interferometer Space Antenna) observatories.

In the context of the new REDONGRA funded network, we add the International School on Gravitational Wave Physics (ISGWP), which will consist of a series of lectures and hands-on sessions covering all relevant aspects of GW science (instrumentation, simulations, data analysis algorithms, theory), to be delivered by internationally recognized experts. We profit from the joint organization of the IGWM and ISGWP by the presence of these experts in both events. The ISGWP will be mainly addressed to PhD students and young postdocs, with the aim of training the next generations of GW scientists.
International School of Gravitational Wave Physics (ISGWP)
‘Simulations and Data Exploitation in Gravitational Wave Astronomy’

The School (ISGWP-2026) will take place form April 27 to April 29, 2026.
It is primarily aimed at graduate students and early-career researchers, although participation is open to all interested scientists.

The school will consists of six lecture courses of three hours each, covering the following subjects:

  • Tools of Bayesian Inference in Gravitational Wave Astronomy
  • Simulations and Waveform Models for Compact Binary Coalescences
  • Basics of Searches of Compact Binary Coalescence Events
  • Simulations and Data Analysis for Supernovae and other Burst Events
  • Basic Elements of Data Analysis for LISA
  • Simulation Based Inference in Gravitational Wave Astronomy

Iberian Gravitational Wave Meeting 2026 (IGWM 2026)

The Iberian Gravitational Waves Meeting (IGWM-2026) will take place from April 30 to May 2, 2026.
This annual meeting has been organized since 2011 and brings together researchers interested in all aspects of Gravitational Wave Astronomy.
It plays an important role in consolidating the gravitational-wave community in Spain and Portugal and is supported by the REDONGRA network.

The meeting will feature invited and contributed talks on current developments in gravitational-wave physics, promoting interaction within the Iberian community while strengthening connections with international collaborations.

Meeting Website

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DESY-Fellowships in Experimental Particle Physics

For our location in Hamburg we are seeking: DESY-Fellowships in Experimental Particle Physics
Remuneration Group 13 | Limited: 2+1 years | Starting date: between 01.07.2026 and 01.01.2027 | ID: FHFE001/2026 | Deadline: 31.03.2026 | Full-time/Part-time
DESY, with more than 2900 employees at its two locations in Hamburg and Zeuthen, is one of the world's leading research centres. Its research focuses on decoding the structure and function of matter, from the smallest particles of the universe to the building blocks of life. In this way, DESY contributes to solving the major questions and urgent challenges facing science, society and industry. With its ultramodern research infrastructure, its interdisciplinary research platforms and its international networks, DESY offers a highly attractive working environment in the fields of science, technology and administration as well as for the education of highly qualified young scientists.

We participate in leading roles in particle physics projects on our campus and at international laboratories such as CERN or KEK. We develop technologies for detectors and accelerators, and work on scientific computing. We operate important infrastructures such as a WLCG Tier-2 computing centre or the DESY test beam facility.

Interested applicants for a fellowship in experimental physics are requested to submit their application in English (letter of motivation, research interest, CV, list of publications, copies of university degrees, three letters of reference) via our application portal. The statement about the scientific interest has to include your specific motivation for one of the research projects mentioned below.

The decision on the awarding of a fellowship for the 1/2026 selection round will presumably be made by 31 May 2026. The fellowship at DESY in Hamburg is to be started during the second half of 2026.

About your role:

You are invited to take an active role in one of the following research projects in Hamburg:

  • ATLAS ITk Strip Detector Upgrade, possibly in combination with a physics analysis
  • CMS Outer Tracker Upgrade, possibly in combination with a physics analysis
  • Study of B- or τ-decays at Belle II
  • Current and future on-site experiments

About you:

  • PhD in Physics: Doctorate must be completed before starting the fellowship, but must not be older than 5 years
  • Strong interest in particle physics research, detector development or scientific computing
  • Expert knowledge and experience in the field of the selected project

Good reasons to join:

Look forward to a unique working environment on our international research campus. Respectful cooperation and the well-being of our DESY employees are particularly important to us. Gender equality is an important aspect for us. To support work life balance we offer flexible working hours and variable part-time. You will benefit from our family-friendly and collegial atmosphere, our established health management and occupational pension provision. As a public funded employer, we offer you a secure workplace and facilitate your individual career with our comprehensive training and development opportunities. Remuneration is according to the regulations of the TV-AVH. DESY offers its employees a financial supplement for a German job ticket (Deutschland-Ticket) at both locations.

Further informations about the DESY-Fellowship can be found here: https://www.desy.de/FellowFH

Please arrange for three letters of reference to be uploaded via our online toolby 31 March 2026.

We look forward to receiving your application via our application portal:

 Apply now!

DESY promotes equal opportunities and diversity. The professional development of women is very important to us and therefore we strongly encourage women to apply for the vacant position. Applications from severely disabled persons will be given preference if they are equally qualified (sbv.desy.de).

You can find further information here:

https://www.desy.de/career

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APPEC Town Meeting Geneva 2026, September 2-3

Dedicated to the preparation of the 
European Astroparticle Physics Strategy 2027–2036
The meeting will take place in person in Geneva, Switzerland, on 2–3 September 2026.
**Registrations will open in the coming weeks**

As part of the roadmap development process, a community-wide survey was conducted in 2024 within the astroparticle physics community, followed more recently by a second survey across European astroparticle physics collaborations. Drawing on these valuable inputs, the APPEC Scientific Advisory Committee is preparing a draft Roadmap addressing all strategic themes identified in the surveys, with a preliminary version expected in summer 2026.

This Town Meeting will provide an opportunity to examine each scientific topic in depth, considering both the European and the broader international context. We will discuss recent advances in astroparticle physics and neighbouring disciplines, as well as developments in the research infrastructures landscape — all of which will contribute to shaping the strategic recommendations for the coming decade.

Over the course of two days, the programme will combine plenary presentations with focused round-table discussions. This format is designed to foster broad community engagement and to ensure that participants play a central role in defining the future strategic directions of astroparticle physics in Europe.

The discussions and conclusions from this 2nd Town Meeting will serve as the final community input to the European Astroparticle Physics Strategy 2027–2036.

Meeting Website

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Balzan Conference on Open Issues in Gravitation, March 24-26, 2026 at IHES

The Balzan Conference on Open Issues in Gravitation is part of the research project carried out at IHES with the 2021 Balzan Prize for Gravitation: Physical and Astrophysical Aspects, awarded to T. Damour.

Though gravity is the oldest investigated interaction both observationally and theoretically, it remains mysterious and challenging in many aspects.
This three-day conference will bring together leading experts in a wide range of topics related to gravitation. Besides offering an overview of the status of the field, the talks will address open issues in gravitation that are currently the focus of intense research, such as: gravitational waves, tests of General Relativity, numerical relativity, self-force, new approaches to Black Hole perturbations, extreme black holes, BMS, post-Minkowskian gravity, scattering amplitudes, high-energy scattering, effective field theory, etc.

The talks will be videotaped, thereby completing the collection of Balzan Lectures at IHES (available on carmin.tv)

Organizing Committee:

Thibault Damour (IHES), Alessandro Nagar (INFN, Torino), Julio Parra Martinez (IHES)

Invited speakers:

  • Simone Albanesi (Friedrich-Schiller University Jena)
  • Zvi Bern (UCLA)
  • Donato Bini (IAC, CNR, Rome)
  • Marie-Anne Bizouard (ARTEMIS, Nice)
  • Alessandra Buonanno (Max-Planck Institute, Potsdam)
  • Manuela Campanelli (Rochester Inst. Tech.) – REMOTE
  • Alba Grassi (Université de Genève & CERN)
  • Marc Henneaux (International Solvay Institutes & Collège de France)
  • Gustav U. Jakobsen (Humbolt U., Berlin & Max Planck Inst., Potsdam)
  • Carlos Lousto (Rochester Inst. Tech.)
  • Simon Maenaut (Niels Bohr Institute, Copenhagen)
  • Pierpaolo Mastrolia (INFN Padova)
  • Keefe Mitman (Cornell University)
  • Ugo Moschella (Insubria U., Como & INFN, Milano)
  • Alessandro Nagar (INFN, Torino)
  • Julio Parra-Martinez (IHES)
  • Harvey Reall (University of Cambridge)
  • Jorge Santos (University of Cambridge) – REMOTE
  • Chiara Toldo (Université Libre de Bruxelles)
  • Filippo Vernizzi (IPhT, Saclay)
  • Niels Warburton (University College, Dublin)

Conference Website

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Vacuum Lead, LIGO Hanford Observatory

LIGO Laboratory (the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory) seeks a highly motivated and skilled LHO Vacuum Equipment Group Leader to join its team.  

This position is an in-person role, located in Hanford, Washington.

LIGO Laboratory is a National Science Foundation major facility dedicated to observing the newly discovered gravitational-wave universe. Jointly operated by the California Institute of Technology and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the LIGO Laboratory operates world-leading observatories near Richland, WA and Baton Rouge, LA as well as R&D centers on the Caltech and MIT campuses. The LIGO Laboratory’s mission spans a broad and vibrant array of activities related to gravitational-wave physics and astronomy, including detector operations, R&D toward detector improvements, gravitational-wave astrophysics, observatory operations, and education and public outreach.

For more information, please visit the Laboratory website: www.ligo.caltech.edu

Job Summary

LIGO comprises two widely separated antennae for astrophysical gravitational wave research. Each detector operates within a 10 million-liter ultra-high-vacuum (UHV) system, the largest in existence. These each include 8 km of 1.2m-diameter beam tube, interconnecting thirteen 3m-diameter vessels that house the detector apparatus. LIGO detectors operate in the 1e-9 Torr pressure range, relying on a combination of cryogenic, turbomolecular, ion and getter pump technologies, combined with stringent material and operating protocols. The observatory sites are supported by science and engineering research facilities at MIT in Cambridge, MA and at Caltech in Pasadena, CA.

As a senior member of the core Hanford Observatory Operations staff, the selectee will supervise and lead the group tasked with optimizing, maintaining and improving the site vacuum system and its supporting infrastructure.

This is an Essential Reporting position. In the event of an emergency on campus, an employee designated as essential reporting has essential job skills that are needed for response and recovery and is expected to report to Campus as soon as possible.

Essential Job Duties

  • Maintain the Observatory vacuum system and support facilities; initiate, plan and execute changes to this system; monitor system performance.
  • Plan and oversee equipment procurement and repairs, including budget development, preparing specifications, competitive procurement, contractor selection, contract monitoring, and quality assurance.
  • Collaborate with research scientists and engineers to optimize UHV performance of in-vacuo scientific apparatus, and to minimize risks of contamination.
  • Collaborate in research into UHV techniques, system design, and potential future vacuum upgrades. Contribute to vacuum R&D for next-generation gravitational wave detectors at the Cosmic Explorer Beamtubed Experiment, a new research facility under construction at LIGO Hanford that will test UHV beam tubes and other components for the upcoming Cosmic Explorer gravitational wave detector.
  • Establish and maintain procedures to ensure that vacuum equipment is monitored, protected and maintained.
  • Serve as a standing member of the LIGO Laboratory’s Vacuum Review Board (with periodic rotations as Chair).
  • Serve as a consulting member on Design Review, Technical Review or other Laboratory committees and panels as may be required.
  • Support and/or manage competitive procurements (i.e. materials and equipment, vendor and/or contractor selection, contract development, acquisition planning, etc.)
  • Initiate or collaborate in writing research papers and technical presentations.
  • Develop and oversee UHV material preparation and test facilities, such as cleaning plants, bake ovens and test chambers, which prepare and qualify scientific components for installation in UHV systems.
  • Collaborate with other discipline leads on scheduling.
  • Serve as a line supervisor for members of the Hanford vacuum group and potentially others who work in related functions.
  • Perform other duties as may be required and assigned.

Basic Qualifications

  • BS in Mechanical, Aerospace, Chemical or Systems Engineering; Physics; Material Science; or a related scientific or engineering field, or 10 years of relevant experience in lieu of a degree.
  • 8 or more years of vacuum-related engineering or scientific research work experience.
  • Demonstrated proficiency in operation, analysis, and performance characterization of high- or ultra-high vacuum systems.
  • Knowledge and experience in selection and application of UHV-compatible materials.
  • Hands-on experience in precision leak-hunting.
  • Proficiency in application and interpretation of spectra from residual gas analyzers.
  • Experience in application of helium mass‐spectrometer leak detection (MSLD) apparatus.
  • Demonstrated people-management experience and mentoring skills.
  • Effective English‐language written and verbal communication skills and habits.
  • Level-headed professionalism and excellent interpersonal and team skills.
  • Ability to lift at least 20 pounds.

Preferred Qualifications

  • Experience related to industrial automation as applied to large-scale vacuum systems.
  • Hands-on experience and skill in building, improving and maintaining high- or ultra- high vacuum systems.
  • Experience related to fluid, cryogen, pressure, flow rate, and gas sensors and instrumentation.
  • Experience operating or maintaining large research, university, national laboratory or industrial facilities.
  • Computer-aided design (CAD) proficiency (SolidWorks™ preferred).

Required Documents

  • Cover letter summarizing your interest in LIGO Lab and relevant experience.
  • Resume.

Pease find here full details.

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Gravity & Cosmology: Searching for Concordance – 6th EPS Conference on Gravitation, June 1-3, 2026 in Stavanger

Gravity impacts all stages of the evolution of the universe, but the precise role of fundamental gravity in modeling cosmology remains to be understood. Current cosmological tensions may be related to an incomplete or oversimplified treatment of gravity and spacetime in the ΛCDM model, and highlight the need for quantifying the influence of initial conditions, local effects of gravity and backreaction beyond a perturbative analysis on FLRW backgrounds.

Recent advances in numerical and analytical methods and a wealth of astrophysical precision data allow for new, systematic studies of the interplay of matter, geometry and inflationary expansion, and open new pathways for a model-independent analysis. Research that exploits the interwovenness of gravity and cosmology includes the proposed use of gravitational wave observations to elucidate the extreme physics of the early universe, and of cosmological probes to constrain modified gravity theories. The big underlying challenge – besides unraveling the complexities of the history of our universe and the nature of its initial big-bang singularity – is to come up with clear evidence for new (quantum) physics beyond general relativity and the standard model of particle physics.

Gravity & Cosmology: Searching for Concordance brings together researchers working on different aspects of the cosmology-gravity interface, who may not necessarily meet at more specialized, subcommunity-oriented events, to exchange views on what are the most feasible and promising ways forward and explore how they relate to each other. Our keynote speakers are leading experts on numerical and mathematical relativity, modified gravity, quantum cosmology, cosmography, gravitational wave cosmology, cosmological tensions, backreaction and phase transitions, and on foundational aspects. We aim for an interactive meeting and for constructive and respectful dialogue, including organized discussions on future challenges and opportunities. We invite the submission of abstracts for contributed talks and posters and encourage especially junior researcher to participate.

Confirmed Invited Speakers

  • Martin Bojowald (Penn State)
  • Chris Clarkson (Queen Mary)
  • Ed Copeland (Nottingham)
  • Eleonora Di Valentino (Sheffield)
  • Ruth Durrer (Geneva)
  • Grigorios Fournodavlos (Crete)
  • Mark Hindmarsh (Helsinki)
  • Alexander Kamenshchik (Bologna)
  • Sofie Marie Koksbang (Odense)
  • Marek Lewicki (Warsaw)
  • Eugene Lim (King’s College)
  • David Mota (Oslo)
  • Nataliya Porayko (Bonn) – tbc
  • Zoe Wyatt (Cambridge)

Location and Venue

The location of the conference is in Stavanger, located on the coast in south-western part of Norway. Western part of Norway is famous for its spectacular fjords, and the Stavanger region is particularly known for its Pulpit Rock situated at the Lysefjord, see conference picture.

Stavanger has coastal climate being a result of being by the relatively temperate North Sea. The city typically experience mild winters and cool summers, and the average day temperature in June is around 15ºC.

The venue for the conference is at the University of Stavanger (UiS), campus Ullandhaug, which is just a couple of kilometers from the city centre, and 7km from Stavanger Airport. There are direct flights to Stavanger from several European cities like Amsterdam, Copenhagen, London, Frankfurt and Helsinki.

Conference Website

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CoCoNuT Meeting 2026, September 8-11, at University of Southampton

The CoCoNuT Meeting is a series of workshops aimed at fostering collaboration among relativistic astrophysics groups, especially within Europe. The series has been taking place yearly since 2009, and this edition will be hosted at the University of Southampton (United Kingdom).

This edition will focus on Magnetohydrodynamics, particularly in the context of core-collapse supernovae, neutron star mergers, and magnetars. The different topics will be introduced by the invited speakers, followed by contributed talks.

There will also be a day-0 Workshop on the 8th of September about machine learning applications in numerical relativity, jointly organised with members of the CPP-UKNR community. During registration, please mention if you want to attend only the workshop or the CoCoNuT meeting, or both.

The meeting will take place at the Mathematical Sciences Student Centre (Building 56) of the University of Southampton.

Meeting Website

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TeV Particle Astrophysics 2026, August 30 to September 4, 2026 in Tendo, Japan

We are pleased to invite you to attend the TeV Particle Astrophysics Conference (TeVPA 2026), which will take place from August 30 to September 4, 2026, in Tendo, Yamagata Prefecture, Japan.

The conference will bring together researchers working across astroparticle physics, astrophysics, cosmology, and particle physics. TeVPA 2026 aims to provide a broad forum for discussing recent results, ongoing developments, and future directions in the field.

Important Dates

  • Registration and abstract submission open: February 18 (Wed), 2026
  • Abstract submission deadline: April 20 (Mon), 2026
  • Early-bird and student discount registration deadline: June 15 (Mon), 2026
  • Registration deadline: July 13 (Mon), 2026
  • Pre-conference workshop: August 30 (Sun), 2026
  • Conference: August 31 (Mon) – September 4 (Fri), 2026
    All deadlines are at 14:00 JST (Japan Standard Time, UTC+9; no daylight saving time).

Scientific Topics

  • Cosmic rays
  • Cosmology
  • Dark matter
  • Extragalactic sources
  • Galactic sources
  • Gamma-ray and neutrino astronomy
  • Gravitational waves and multimessenger astrophysics
  • Particle physics

Conference Website

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5th MaNiTou Summer School on Gravitational Waves, June 29 to July 4, 2026, Campus Valrose

The school is collaboratively organized by scientific communities involved in Gravitational Waves, from 3 French locations in Southern France, namely Marseille, Nice and Toulouse, thus the MaNiTou name for the school.

The school will take place in Nice this year, on the beautiful Valrose Campus of Université Côte d'Azur (see here). It will be held in English.

Goals of the school

The school will cover the emerging field of gravitational wave detection and of its scientific exploitation. Following their discovery by the LIGO/Virgo collaboration, many other gravitational wave detections are expected at the existing and future gravitational antennas. They will open up a new window of exploration, sometimes unique and sometimes complementary to what other messengers such as electromagnetic radiation (radio, IR, visible, UV, X-rays, gamma rays) and neutrinos can reveal of the physics at work in our Universe. The objective of the school is to provide the students with a solid introduction to most aspects of this interdisciplinary field in accelerated expansion 🙂

The school is open in priority to Master and PhD students, and also to young or not so young scientists who would like to get better acquainted with Gravitational Waves.

For attendees to fully benefit from the school program, it is highly recommended that they have had at least an introductory exposure to General Relativity before. We also strongly suggest that prior to attending the school, the participants read some of the references that can be found here.
School organization

In order to make the School efficient for the attendees in terms of knowledge transfer and training interaction with the scientists in charge of the different activities of the school, the attendance is limited to about 70 participants, not including organizers and teachers. If more than 70 people apply to the School, a selection will be applied based on the criteria outlined on the registration page.

The School has no online attendance option. All participants are expected to attend in-person.

No fee is required to attend the School.

The School will provide coffee breaks and lunches to all participants. Dinners, travel and accommodation expenses are not covered.

However, accommodation free of charge will be provided by the CROUS at Valrose Campus for up to 50 master and PhD students who request it in the registration form. For more information about this opportunity and the selection, please see the accommodation section on this webpage.

Moreover, since the school is labelled by CNRS as “Ecole Thématique”, the expenses to attend the school for CNRS employees (staff CNRS people and people with a CNRS term contract [PhD student, Postdoc,…]) will also be covered. Please do not forget to mention in the registration form if that case applies to you!
Poster sessions

Posters sessions will be organized during the school so that the attendees can display posters describing their research work and results and discuss them with the other school participants.
Apply to the school

To apply, please go to the Registration (Inscription) tab or directly follow the link here

Pre-registration will be open from February 20th to April 10th.
The pre-registered candidates will be informed of the result of the selection process during the first week of May.

School Website

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The Interplay of Magnetic Fields, Nuclear Physics, and Nucleosynthesis in Neutron-Star Mergers and Supernovae, September 21-25 2026 in Trento

ECT*-EMMI/GSI workshop
Neutron-star mergers and core-collapse supernovae are among the most promising sites for the synthesis of heavy elements in the universe. These astrophysical phenomena bring together a rich interplay of general relativity, neutrino physics, nuclear reactions, and magneto-hydrodynamics. Among these factors, magnetic fields are increasingly recognized as playing a pivotal role in shaping the dynamics and nucleosynthetic outcomes of these events. Recent observational breakthroughs, from the detection of gravitational waves (e.g., GW170817) with EM counterparts and increasingly detailed supernova spectra, demand a deeper theoretical understanding of how magnetic fields interact with nuclear physics and influence heavy-element nucleosynthesis. At the same time, simulations of these events now routinely include magnetic fields and detailed neutrino transport demonstrating the potential of magneto-rotational supernovae and neutron-star mergers to produce rich nucleosynthesis yields including the heaviest elements produced by the r-process and set the stage for GRB jets.

Given all these recent developments we are at a critical moment to advance the field but there is a need for detailed discussions and interactions among nuclear physicists, astrophysicists, and computational modelers to address key open questions and make the most of the available observational datasets and computational resources. This workshop aims to bring these communities together.

Organizers

Philipp Mösta (University of Amsterdam), p.moesta(at)uva.nl
Almudena Arcones (Technische Universität Darmstadt), almudena.arcones(at)physik.tu-darmstadt.de
Evan O’Connor (Stockholm University), evan.oconnor(at)astro.su.se
Sanjana Curtis (University of Oregon), curtsanj(at)oregonstate.edu

Workshop Website