Tag: conference

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

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

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

This is the first edition of GRaviCon, a gravity conference held in Pisa, organized by early-career scientists from University of Pisa, University of Florence, University of Trento, and Scuola Normale Superiore.

Gravitational waves have revolutionized our understanding of the universe since their first detection ten years ago. Step by step, we are advancing in characterizing gravitational wave sources, refining our knowledge of compact objects, their histories and population models.
At the same time, new experiments aim to push the frontiers of gravitational-wave astronomy, investigating a variety of still unobserved sources. These developments inevitably introduce new scientific and technical challenges.

The conference aims to strengthen the connection between data analysis, instrument science, and observations, fostering collaboration across these areas to tackle the challenges of gravitational-wave research. We will also highlight different experiments and missions – such as LVK, Einstein Telescope, LISA, PTA, and LiteBIRD – and explore how their findings can complement one another.

Organized by early-career scientists, this conference provides a platform to deepen discussions on the current state and future directions of gravitational-wave science.

No FEE is required.

This conference has received financial support from the Scuola Normale Superiore through PNRR project MERITA, the network for talent project * and INFN Pisa.

Conference Website

The main objective of the conference "PAFT26 - Quantum Frontiers in Gravity" is to bring together theoretical physicists and phenomenologists who are experts in the complementary fields of classical and quantum gravity, modified gravity, and experimental aspects of gravity in quantum systems. The conference will give space to a constructive exchange of ideas and encourage new collaborations.

All conference participants will be accommodated at the Lloyd’s Baia Hotel (see Accommodation for details). The conference fee is 120 euros. Students can apply for a fee waiver during registration.

A Gala dinner is included in the social program at a cost of 70 euros, to be paid at the venue.
Important Dates

The conference starts on Sunday, March 29, at 2pm (after lunch) and it ends on Wednesday, April 1st, at 1pm (before lunch).
Deadline for Talk submission on February 23
Confirmation of acceptance will be given on February 28

Deadline for registration on March 13

Deadline for reservation at Lloyd’sBaia on March 2nd

Invited Speakers
A preliminary list of invited speakers includes:

G. Barnich (ULB), L.-Q. Chen (IQOQI), C. Curceanu (INFN), L. Diosi (Budapest, RMKI), J. Kowalski-Glikman (NCBJ & UWr), R. Loll (Nijmegen U & IMAPP), N. Mavromatos (Natl. Tech. U. Athens and King’s Coll. London), A. Pachol (USN), T. Sotiriou (U Nottingham)

Organising Committee
Michele Arzano (Napoli Federico II & INFN Napoli), Massimo Blasone (Salerno & INFN Napoli/Salerno), Goffredo Chirco (Napoli Federico II & INFN Napoli), Gaetano Fiore (Napoli Federico II & INFN. Napoli), Giulia Gubitosi (Napoli Federico II & INFN Napoli), Gaetano Lambiase (Salerno & INFN Napoli/Salerno), Fedele Lizzi (Napoli Federico II & INFN Napoli), Tanmay Kumar Poddar (IPPP, Durham), Luca Visinelli (Salerno & INFN Napoli/Salerno), Patrizia Vitale (Napoli Federico II & INFN Napoli)

Conference Website

The 2026 edition of the Iberian Cosmology Meetings (IberiCos 2026) will be held in Granada, Spain, from April 22 to 24, 2026, organized by the Theoretical Physics and Cosmos Department of the University of Granada (UGR).

The IberiCos meetings aim to promote exchange and collaboration among researchers working in Cosmology and related fields in Portugal and Spain, while also welcoming participants from all over the world.

The spirit of the meetings is to provide an open and inclusive forum for sharing ongoing research. Accordingly, IberiCOS 2026 will cover a wide range of topics, including primordial black holes, dark energy and dark matter, theoretical and observational cosmology, and gravitational waves. A key goal of the meeting is to foster dynamic interactions between theorists and observers.

All participants interested in presenting their work are invited to register and submit their title and abstract. We particularly encourage early-career researchers to contribute and share their results with the community.

Conference Website

The purpose of the international conference series Black Holes & Cosmology is to bring together world-renowned experts as well as junior researchers working on theoretical and observational aspects of black holes, particularly (but not limited to) their role in cosmology.

Topics include:

• Dark Matter
• Structure Formation
• Primordial Black Holes
• Gravitational-Wave Astronomy
• Quantum Aspects of Black Holes

This event will take place in Granada, Spain, at ‘Carmen de la Victoria’ — an historic 19th-century estate with an unobstructed view onto the Alhambra — between the 15th and the 19th of June 2026. We look forward to meet you!

The opening talk will be held by Professor Alan Guth (MIT).

Invited Speakers (* = TBC):

• Alessandra Buonanno* (MPI for Gravitational Physics)
• Roger Blandford (Stanford)
• Andreas Burkert (LMU)
• Diego Blas (IFAE)
• Volker Bromm* (UT)
• Nico Cappelluti (UF)
• Bernard Carr (QMUL)
• Sébastien Clesse (ULB)
• Tamara Davis (UQ)
• Gia Dvali (LMU & MPI for Physics)
• Netta Engelhardt (MIT)
• Glennys Farrar (NYU)
• Wendy Freedman (Chicago)
• Katherine Freese (UT)
• Jaume Garriga (ICCUB)
• Sarah Geller (UCSC)
• Alan Guth (MIT)
• Günther Hasinger* (DZA)
• Michael Hawkins (ROE)
• Vicky Kalogera (NW)
• Alexander Kusenko (UCLA)
• Julien Lavalle (UoM)
• Deyan Mihaylov (CWRU)
• Priyamvada Natarajan (Yale)
• Lisa Randall (Harvard)
• Mairi Sakellariadou (KCL)
• Pearl Sandick (UU)
• Ravi Sheth (UPenn)
• Adam Riess* (JHU)
• Joe Silk (IAP & JHU & Oxford)
• Glenn Starkman (CWRU)
• Lárus Thorlacius (UI)
• Vincent Vennin (ENS Paris)
• Tanmay Vachaspati (ASU)
• Alexander Vikman (CEICO)
• David Wands (UoP)

Organisational Committee:

• Florian Kühnel (LMU & TU Dortmund) [Chair]
• Juan García-Bellido (UAM)
• Mar Bastero-Gil (UGR)
• David Kaiser (MIT)

Conference Website

The 5th GRAvitational-wave Science&technology Symposium (GRASS 2026) will be held in Padova (Italy) on 22 - 24 June 2026.

The GRAvitational – wave Science&technology Symposia (GRASS) are a series of meetings aimed at exploring the panorama of gravitational-wave related experimental science beyond the next decade; special emphasis is given to open issues and key enabling technologies at the forefront of the most advanced detection techniques. It represents an informal and unique meeting occasion for experts from different fields involved in experimental aspects of future gravitational-wave science and technology.

The GRASS 2026 edition will include topical sessions on advanced optical coatings and material development, modelling and mitigation of stray light noise, reduction of quantum noise and artificial intelligence applications to gravitational waves detectors.
A general session to discuss any other open issue is foreseen as well.

The Symposium is organized by the INFN Padova Unit, with the support of INFN and under the patronage of the Physics and Astronomic dpt. of Padova University.

Symposium Website