Tag: International Schools

The Nordic Winter School aims to introduce Ph.D. students, advanced Master’s students and Postdocs to current exciting topics in theoretical physics. This year, the school has a particular focus on black holes, gravitational physics, gravitational wave analysis, and astrophysical GW sources.

The school will feature the following invited guest lecturers:

• Elias Most (Caltech)
• Jan Steinhoff (AEI, Potsdam)
• Tom Callister (Williams College)

The attendance will be limited to 40 participants. Please check the registration page (see website link) for detailed information about the necessary registration materials. We encourage participants from all nationalities and backgrounds to apply. Young post-docs are encouraged to participate as well. Exceptionally talented M.Sc. students can apply too. In case the 40 participant limit is reached, students will be selected on the basis of the potential opportunities that this PhD School could have for their careers.
The Winter Nordic School takes place at the beautiful Thon Hotel Skeikampen, approximately 40 kilometers north of Lillehammer (200 km north of Oslo).
Transportation between Oslo Airport and the hotel will be provided without cost. All participants are expected to arrange their own travel to and from Oslo.

Organizers:

• Emil Bjerrum-Bohr
• Vitor Cardoso
• Andrew Chael
• Poul H. Damgaard
• Martin Pessah
• Johan Samsing

School Website

We are pleased to announce that the 2027 session of the MaNiTou summer school on gravitational waves will be at the Les Houches School of Physics (Les Houches, France) in 2027. This will be a month long summer school, from July 5 to July 30. So please mark your schedules.

Application and registration information will be coming soon. The priority for the school will be PhD students, young postdocs, and exceptional masters students. We will also consider participation from researchers/professors/engineers thinking to change their research area to gravitational waves.

The nominal cost for the school will be 2100 €; this will cover accommodation and meals. The organizing committee is actively trying to raise funds to diminish this cost and provide some scholarships. Again, more information will be coming soon.

The confirmed speakers and topics are the following:

• Simone Speziale, gravitational-wave theory
• Frédérique Marion, gravitational-wave data analysis
• Joe Romano, physical conditions to create gravitational waves, and stochastic gravitational-wave backgrounds
• Sylvain Marsat, hands-on sessions on gravitational-wave data analysis
• Walid Chaibi, ground-based gravitational-wave interferometers
• Alessandra Buonanno, gravitational waveform modeling
• Michela Mapelli, the astrophysics of gravitational-wave sources, and gravitational-wave and binary systems: formation and astrophysics
• Samaya Nissanke, lectures on electromagnetic followup of gravitational-wave events: techniques and results
• Neil Cornish, an introduction to Bayesian parameter estimation, and applications to gravitational-wave sources
• Mairi Sakellariadou, early universe cosmology and beyond the standard model particle physics, observational cosmology with gravitational waves, and tests of theories of gravity with gravitational-waves
• Simone Mastrogiovanni, cosmology with gravitational waves, Bayesian methods, technical aspects, and future studies with third generation gravitational-wave detectors.
• Viola Sordini, recent observations by LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA and their implications
• Stefan Hild, advanced quantum techniques and third-generation gravitational-wave interferometers
• Eric Gourgoulhon, black hole physics
• Gudrun Wanner, space based gravitational-wave detectors – LISA and future missions.
• Harald Pfeiffer, numerical relativity: introduction and application to black holes
• Tim Dietritch, numerical relativity: binaries with neutron stars
• Astrid Lamberts, LISA science and sources
• Natalia Korsakova, an introduction to artificial intelligence techniques with applications for gravitational waves – tools for coding and data analysis, including hands-on sessions
• Maria Alessandra Papa, continuous wave gravitational-wave searches
• Michael Kramer, pulsars, pulsar observations, and pulsar timing
• Bruce Allen, pulsar timing arrays: introduction and detection principles, and PTA harmonic analysis.
• Michele Vallisneri, the Bayesian approach for PTA, results

For any immediate questions, please reach out to a member of the Organizing Committee.

We look forward to seeing you in Les Houches!
The Organizing Committee –
Bruce Allen
Marie Anne Bizouard
Nelson Christensen
Sebastien Guillot
Eric Kajfasz
Michele Mancarella
Christian Marinoni
Sylvain Marsat
Raphael Mignon-Risse
Samaya Nissanke
Maria Alessandra Papa
Delphine Porquet
Nicola Tamanini
Gudrun Wanner

Understanding the gravitational interaction is one of the great scientific endeavors of the 21st century. The Nobel Prize-winning discovery of gravitational waves in 2015, and subsequent detections by the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA Collaboration, have marked a revolutionary step forward in physics and astrophysics by opening an entirely new window for exploring the Universe. Future upgrades to these detectors, along with upcoming facilities such as LISA and the Einstein Telescope, promise even more breakthrough discoveries that the next generation of scientists will need to interpret.

The School on Gravity (21–25 June 2027, Copenhagen) will introduce junior scientists—graduate students and advanced undergraduates with a background in general relativity—to a wide range of foundational topics in the exciting new field of gravitational wave physics. Topics will span from the theory of motion, to new challenges introduced by quantum physics, to the astrophysics of black holes and source modeling for gravitational-wave detectors.

The School on Gravity will take place in the legendary Auditorium A of the Niels Bohr Institute, inviting students and lecturers to challenge current paradigms in gravitational physics in the spirit of the quantum revolution that unfolded in this very room.

Nominal workload is around 70 hours, including preparation time. It should be equivalent to 2.5 ECTS.

Scientific Organizing Committee
Vitor Cardoso (Director of CoG), Emil Bjerrum-Bohr, Jose Ezquiaga, Troels Harmark, Niels Obers, Marta Orselli, Alessia Platania, Johan Samsing, Maarten van de Meent, Ziqi Yan.

Local Organizing Committee
Dogan Akpinar, Vitor Cardoso, Bertil Cold, Francesco Del Porro, Jose M. Ezquiaga, Christos Kristaki, Emily Kate Mansfield, Fanny Töpper, Guangzi Xu, Serdar Yildiz.

School Website

We are excited to announce the upcoming school, Theory Meets Experiment 2026 – Gravitational Wave Physics: From Fundamental Principles to Next-Generation Observatories, taking place at the Galileo Galilei Institute in Florence from the 9th of November until the 20th of November 2026.

Designed for early-career researchers and PhD students, this school bridges the gap between fundamental theory, data analysis and advanced experimental techniques in gravitational wave science. Analyzing current detector data and building future observatories requires close synergy between theorists and experimentalists. This program offers a collaborative platform to master both sides of the field, connect with leading experts and build lasting professional networks.

Key Topics Covered:

Theoretical Modeling: Gravitational radiation theory, compact binary source dynamics, cosmological gravitational wave background. Precision Instrumentation: Quantum squeezing, thermal and Newtonian noise mitigation, active control systems in laser interferometers. Next-Gen Observatories: Strategies and signal analysis shaping the future of third-generation and space-borne detectors like the Einstein Telescope and LISA.

Registration & Key Information:

Target Audience: PhD students, postdocs, and early-career researchers in physics and astrophysics. Motivated master students are also welcome.

Location: Galileo Galilei Institute (GGI), Florence (Italy)

Dates: 9-20 November 2026 (2 weeks)

Application Deadline: 29 September 2026

More Information: Visit https://www.ggi.infn.it/single-event.php?id=571 for the full program and application instructions.

How to Apply: Visit https://www.ggi.infn.it/apply-ggi.php to apply.

Contact email: theory-meets-experiment-2026-organizers(at)lists.ggi.infn.it

Taking place at the prestigious Ecole de Physique des Houches near Mont Blanc, on April 11-16, 2027, this doctoral school is dedicated to young researchers in classical and quantum gravity. It covers advanced topics in general relativity -covariant phase space, boundary symmetries, edge modes- and the recent developments they led to in quantum gravity, including algebra of observables, celestial holography and the blooming interface with quantum reference frames. Leading researchers at the forefront of quantum gravity and quantum information, will teach the fundamentals and discuss the current exciting lines of research.

The school is organized by:

Luca Ciambelli – Perimeter Institute, Canada Flaminia Giacomini – University of Rome Tor Vergata, Italy Etera Livine – ENS Lyon, CNRS, France Natalie Paquette – University of Washington, USA

Confirmed lecturers are Glenn BARNICH, Luca CIAMBELLI, Roberto EMPARAN, Flaminia GIACOMINI, Steve GIDDINGS, Etera LIVINE, Monica PATE, Ana-Maria RACLARIU, Jonathan SORCE.

Registration is now open !

School Website

Campagna School of Basic Science 2026
Advanced Methods for the Physics of the Universe 

Joint initiative with Korea Institute for Basic Science (IBS)
Con il patrocinio del Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia "Galileo Galilei", Università di Padova

The first edition of the Campagna School of Basic Science will focus on advanced theoretical methods for studying the physics of the universe. The program will feature four courses covering the following topics: inflationary cosmology; cosmological correlators; amplitude methods for gravitational waves; and topological data analysis techniques applied to cosmology. The aim of the school is to explore interdisciplinary subjects, fostering discussion and collaboration among participants.

In addition to the lectures, two public events will be organized to celebrate important historical characters who lived in Campagna. The first honors Giordano Bruno, often regarded as one of the earliest true cosmologists for his pioneering ideas about cosmic pluralism and the concept of an infinite universe. The second commemorates Juan Caramuel, considered the first mathematician to publish a rigorous study of non-decimal numeral systems, including the binary system, in 1670, during his stay in Campagna.

The School will be held as part of the second edition of “Campagna Science Week,” whose first edition took place in 2025 and included a conference.

Topics and Lecturers

• Inflationary Cosmology – Robert Brandenberger (McGill University, Canada)
• Cosmological Correlators – Paolo Benincasa (Santiago de Compostela, Spain)
• Amplitude Methods for Gravitational Waves – Carlo Heissenberg (IPhT, Saclay, France)
• Topological Data Analysis for Cosmology – Matteo Biagetti (RIT, Area Science Park Trieste, Italy)

Public Lectures

• Giordano Bruno Seminar – Thibault Damour (IHES, Bures-sur-Yvette, France)
• Juan Caramuel Seminars – Donato Bini (IAC – CNR, Italy) and Gabriele Gionti S.J. (Specola Vaticana, Italy)

School Website

The International Gravitational Wave Network (IGWN) School is an intensive one-week program designed for graduate students and early-career researchers seeking to contribute to gravitational wave astronomy through engagement with the global LIGO–Virgo–KAGRA collaboration. 

The school will offer a comprehensive introduction to the science, infrastructure, techniques, and collaborative practices that underpin modern gravitational-wave astronomy given by leading scientists from across this international network of advanced gravitational-wave detectors. Participants will explore the many aspects of gravitational wave observations—from detector operations and characterization to data analysis and astrophysical interpretation—gaining the practical knowledge and methodological tools needed to contribute effectively to this large, worldwide scientific effort. Through lectures, tutorials, and interactive sessions, this program aims to foster a new generation of researchers capable of actively participating in a global collaboration of thousands of scientists working together to make groundbreaking discoveries.

Topics include:

• compact binary coalescence, continuous wave, and dark matter searches; building gravitational wave catalogs
• multi-messenger gravitational wave astronomy
• gravitational wave observatories, instrument science, and detector characterization
• structure and integrating into the collaboration

More information: https://igwn.docs.ligo.org/web/website/

School Website

The IGWN School will be held August 10 - August 14, 2026 at Perimeter Institute. 

The International Gravitational Wave Network (IGWN) School is an intensive one-week program designed for graduate students and early-career researchers seeking to contribute to gravitational wave astronomy through engagement with the global LIGO–Virgo–KAGRA collaboration. The school will offer a comprehensive introduction to the science, infrastructure, techniques, and collaborative practices that underpin modern gravitational-wave astronomy given by leading scientists from across this international network of advanced gravitational-wave detectors. Participants will explore the many aspects of gravitational wave observations—from detector operations and characterization to data analysis and astrophysical interpretation—gaining the practical knowledge and methodological tools needed to contribute effectively to this large, worldwide scientific effort. Through lectures, tutorials, and interactive sessions, this program aims to foster a new generation of researchers capable of actively participating in a global collaboration of thousands of scientists working together to make groundbreaking discoveries.

Lecturers:

Patrick Brady (University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee)
Elenna Capote (LIGO Hanford Observatory)
Derek Davis (University of Rhode-Island)
Chad Hanna (Pennsylvania State University)
Jess McIver (University of British Columbia)
Jessica Steinlechner (Maastricht University)
Daniel Williams (The University of Glasgow)
Nicolas Arnaud (CNRS/IN2P3 & Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1) – TBC
Barbara Patricelli (University of Pisa) – TBC

Scientific Organizers:

Luis Lehner (Perimeter Institute)
Will East (Perimeter Institute)
Rob Coyne (University of Rhode Island)
Edward Porter (APC)
Quynh Lan Nguyen (Phenikaa University)

Information for this event can be found here.