Tag: International Schools

The WE Heraeus Physics School and the 62nd Karpacz Winter School in Theoretical Physics "Multimessenger Astrophysics and Cosmology" will be held from 28 February to 6 March 2026. 

Compact stars, dense remnants of supernovae, compress about 1.4 solar masses into a 10 km radius—reaching densities beyond atomic nuclei. Their extreme compactness makes them unique laboratories for high-density matter. Gravitational-wave detections of binary neutron star mergers now allow direct probes of such conditions, with hot, dynamic post-merger remnants offering complementary insight to cold pulsars.

With next-generation observatories like the Einstein Telescope and Cosmic Explorer, multi-messenger astrophysics—combining gravitational waves, electromagnetic signals, and neutrinos—will sharpen constraints on the dense-matter equation of state, extreme gravity, and heavy-element nucleosynthesis. Mergers also serve as standard sirens, enabling independent measurements of the Hubble constant.

The school will cover the thermal history of the Universe after its first second, from the quark–hadron transition to neutrino decoupling, linking microphysics to cosmological observables. Topics include the Hubble tension, modified gravity, primordial magnetic fields, compact-object mergers, future gravitational-wave science, and primordial black holes as dark-matter or galaxy-seed candidates—offering a unified view across astrophysics, cosmology, and particle physics.

School Website

This edition of the Italian Society of General Relativity and Gravitation (SIGRAV) International School is dedicated to the study of neutron stars as outstanding sources of gravitational and electromagnetic waves in the strong-field regime. The program is structured to promote scholarly interaction and collaboration, offering participants the opportunity to engage with leading experts in the field. Through a series of advanced lectures and discussions, the School aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of current developments in gravitational research and to equip attendees with the knowledge and tools necessary to advance their own scientific work in the study of gravity.

The School will take place in Vietri sul Mare (SA), Italy, 16-20 February 2026.

The program of the School comprises the following four courses:

• B. Haskell (Milan Univ., IT): Modelling of Neutron Stars as Gravitational Wave Sources
• T. Hinderer (Utrecht Univ., NL) : Gravitational Signal from Late Inspiral and Merger of Neutron Stars
• M.A. Papa (AEI, Hannover, DE) : Detection of Continuous Gravitational Waves
• G. Ghirlanda (INAF, Brera, IT): Multimessenger Astrophysics with Neutron Stars

A social excursion is planned for Wednesday, offering participants the opportunity to visit the Royal Palace of Caserta

The School is intended for PhD students and young post-docs. In order to receive the certificate of participation, all lectures and seminars should be attended.

The Participation Fee (350 EUR for non-SIGRAV members, 300 EUR for SIGRAV members) guarantee the access to all courses and activities, including lunch and coffee breaks.

A reduced participation fee (50 EUR) is available for those which will be only able to attend the lectures remotely.

The room should be booked in the Lloyd’s Baia Hotel. Please, reserve your room by using the form available in the section “Practical Info – Accomodation and Transport”.

The deadline for registration and payment of the relative fee is 06 February 2025 (see Registration section).

School Website

On behalf of the Institute of Space Sciences (ICE-CSIC), we are pleased to announce the 9th edition of the ICE Summer School devoted to Multimessenger Astrophysics. This intensive programme is designed for advanced Master’s and PhD students, early-career researchers, and others interested in the physics and observational techniques associated with multimessenger phenomena in the universe.

Scientific Scope
Multimessenger astrophysics is the framework for studying the Universe through the synergistic use of electromagnetic radiation, cosmic rays,neutrinos, and gravitational waves. By integrating these diverse channels, researchers can obtain a comprehensive view of violent and energetic astrophysical systems, such as compact object mergers,
active galactic nuclei, and cosmic accelerators. The School will cover both foundational theory and data-driven methods that are Shaping current and future research directions in high-energy astrophysics and relativity.

Topics and Programme Highlights
The scientific programme will consist of lectures and hands-on sessions delivered by experts from ICE and collaborating institutions.

Core themes will include, but are not limited to:
-Radiation processes and fundamental interactions
-Cosmic ray astrophysics and propagation
-Gamma-ray astronomy
-Neutrino physics and detectors
-Gravitational wave theory and data analysis
-Hands-on data analysis sessions (e.g., Fermi data, LIGO/Virgo)
-Machine learning applications in multimessenger research

Detailed session titles, lecturers, and the full list of topics can already be found on the school’s website.

Dates and Venue
The School will run from 6 to 14 July 2026 at the Institute of Space Sciences (ICE-CSIC), located on the Campus of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) in Bellaterra (Barcelona). The ICE building and possible accommodation are within the UAB campus area.

Participation, Registration, Fellowships
Applications are welcomed from Master’s and PhD students, as well as early-career postdoctoral researchers with a strong interest in multimessenger astrophysics. Information on registration procedures, selection criteria, and possible financial support are provided on the school’s website. Registration will close on March 20, 2025. Announcements of accepted participants and fellowships are expected to happen before April 15.

Contact and Further Information
Further details, including the official registration link and programme are published on the Summer School website. Participants are encouraged to monitor the event page for announcements and logistical guidance, and register as soon as possible.

School Website

Black holes are among the most fascinating objects in the universe. From cosmological, galactic and stellar scales, where black holes are integral pieces in the formation and evolution of different structures, to microscopic scales, where the study of the fabric of spacetime and black hole interiors are interrelated, black holes are ubiquitous in all research areas in which gravity is a prominent actor. A proper understanding of many aspects of modern physics requires being familiar with the concept of black hole; conversely, comprehending black holes in all their dimensions requires extensive knowledge in diverse branches of physics, including geometry, thermodynamics, fluid dynamics, quantum field theory and numerical analysis.

This summer school will offer PhD and MSc students the opportunity to gain a solid understanding of the theory, phenomenology and observations of black holes and acquire a broad perspective of current research tendencies. Lectures covering each of these aspects will be delivered by three leading international experts.

The school will take place in the historical Carmen de la Victoria at the heart of the Albayzín, the old Arab neighborhood of Granada, where all participants will be hosted on a full board basis. The Carmen de la Victoria faces the famous Alhambra, the place of inspiration of the popular book by Washington Irving that the name of the school pays homage to.

School Website

This edition of the Italian Society of General Relativity and Gravitation (SIGRAV) International School is dedicated to the study of neutron stars as outstanding sources of gravitational and electromagnetic waves in the strong-field regime. The program is structured to promote scholarly interaction and collaboration, offering participants the opportunity to engage with leading experts in the field. Through a series of advanced lectures and discussions, the School aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of current developments in gravitational research and to equip attendees with the knowledge and tools necessary to advance their own scientific work in the study of gravity.

The School will take place in Vietri sul Mare (SA), Italy, 16-20 February 2026.

The program of the School comprises the following four courses:

• B. Haskell (Milano Bicocca Univ., IT): Modelling of Neutron Stars as Gravitational Wave Sources
• T. Hinderer (Utrecht Univ., NL) : Gravitational Signal from Late Inspiral and Merger of Neutron Stars
• M.A. Papa (AEI, Hannover, DE) : Detection of Continuous Gravitational Waves
• M. Ghirlanda (INAF, Brera, IT): Multimessenger Astrophysics with Neutron Stars

The School is intended for PhD students and young post-docs. In order to receive the certificate of participation, all lectures and seminars should be attended.

The Participation Fee (350 EUR for non-SIGRAV members, 300 EUR for SIGRAV members) guarantee the access to all courses and activities, including lunch and coffee breaks.

A reduced participation fee (50 EUR) is available for those which will be only able to attend the lectures remotely.

The room should be booked in the Lloyd’s Baia Hotel. Please, reserve your room by using the form available in the section “Practical Info – Accomodation and Transport”.

The deadline for registration and payment of the relative fee is 06 February 2025 (see Registration section).
A social excursion is planned for Wednesday, offering participants the opportunity to visit the Royal Palace of Caserta

School Website

Upcoming PhD Winter School on Gravitational Physics which will take place at a ski resort in Norway Jan. 25th - Jan. 30th, 2026. The application deadline is December 20th, 2025.

The school is located at an absolutely wonderful place (Tron Hotel Skeikampen https://www.thonhotels.com/our-hotels/norway/skeikampen/), which offers fantastic skiing opportunities between the lectures! This PhD winter school has been running for many years, and is one of the top PhD schools in Europe.

For the upcoming school we have the exceptional pleasure of announcing that the main lectures will be given by:

• Netta Engelhardt (MIT)
• Luis Lehner (Perimeter Institute)
• Isobel Romero-Shaw (Cardiff University)
• Jan Plefka (Humboldt University)

The topics of lectures include theory and observations of gravitational waves, black holes and quantum information, strong gravity and horizons, and analytical approaches to black hole dynamics. On top of that, scientists affiliated with the Niels Bohr Institute will give topical lectures on current hot topics in gravitational physics.

Interested students should apply through this website before December 20th, 2025: https://indico.nbi.ku.dk/e/nordic-school-2026

Organizers: Johan Samsing, Poul H. Damgaard, Emil Bjerrum-Bohr

The University of Stavanger is glad to announce the 2025 NPACT school (Stavanger, Nov. 24th - Dec. 5th).

This school is part of the activities of the Norwegian Particle, Astroparticle and Cosmology Theory (NPACT) network and is open to Ph.D. students and early-career scientists worldwide who wish to broaden their understanding of topics within the NPACT scope.

Lectures and speakers:

• Dark matter — T. Bringman (U. of Oslo)
• Thermal history of the universe — H. Kolesova (U. of Stavanger)
• Cosmological phase transitions and thermal particle production — M. Laine (U. of Bern)
• Physics of neutron stars — A. Kurkela (U. of Stavanger)
• Mapping the theory space: Bayesian and frequentist global fit — A. Kvellestad (U. of Oslo)
• Gravitational waves and data analysis — A. Nielsen (U. of Stavanger)
• Effective field theories and applications in particle physics — A. E. Thomsen (U. of Bern)

Practical information:

No attendance fee is required.
The school provides free accommodation to a limited number of participants requesting financial support by Oct. 14th. Under similar circumstances, priority will be given to early applicants.

Participants enrolled in a Norwegian Ph.D. program can earn 5 or 10 ECTS credits. For non-Norwegian programs, the official ECTS accreditation must be assessed on a case-by-case basis.

For details and registration, see the school webpage

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 (22–26 June 2026, 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.

The members of the Scientific Organizing Committee for the School of Gravity are 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.

The local organizing committee is composed of Vitor Cardoso and Jose Ezquiaga.

School Website

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 (22–26 June 2026, 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 program is as follows:

Lectures on Black Holes and Neutron Stars (how, when and where they are born, how they spin, how many, when do they merge, how many merge).
Lecturer: Lieke van Son (Radboud University)

Lectures on Motion (the two body problem in General Relativity).
Lecturer: Julio Parra Martinez (IHES)

Lectures on Completing Einstein (why does General Relativity need completion, what type of effects should we be on look out for, where would they manifest themselves).
Lecturer: Gustavo Turiaci (U. Washington, Seattle)

Lectures on Environments (which type of environments, how do they affect strong field gravity, how do we model them, impact on gravitational wave signals).
Lecturer: Laura Sberna (Nottingham University)

Please apply at: https://the-center-of-gravity.com/events/the-school-on-gravity-from-motion-to-commotion-2026/

We require submission of a single pdf file containing a two-page CV, up to half a page motivation letter, and a signed support letter from an advisor on letterhead.

Deadline: February 01, 2026.

The number of seats is limited, so we encourage you to apply as soon as possible.

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. This is the first of a series of annual school organized by the Center of Gravity (CoG).

The members of the Scientific Organizing Committee for the School of Gravity are 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: Vitor Cardoso and Jose Ezquiaga

Contact: sog(at)the-center-of-gravity.com

Gravitational-wave observations are providing a new view on the Universe: from the high-frequency observations by ground-based facilities, to the tantalising evidence of low-frequency gravitational waves reported by pulsar timing array collaborations in 2023. It is an exciting time for GW astronomy and the LISA space mission will bridge the gap between the high and low frequency. The LISA mission is led by the European Space Agency (ESA) with NASA partnership. Anticipated observations include black hole binaries (supermassive, intermediate mass), Galactic compact object binaries; extreme mass ratio inspirals, early inspiral of stellar-mass black hole binaries, cosmological sources as well as other possible unforeseen sources.

Last year, ESA formally adopted the LISA mission. This crucial milestone marks the transition from study phase to implementation phase. Launch is planned for the mid-2030s.

Why a LISA School?

LISA is a first-of-its-kind mission. The instrumentation and data analysis challenges will require a significant amount of development. Building expertise and tools to address these challenges is essential to ensure the success of the mission and maximise the scientific returns. This LISA School will gather young researchers interested in LISA science to foster collaborations, encourage interactions, and train them in the multidisciplinary aspects of the missions and its science. The recent ESA Adoption makes the coming years opportune time to bring the early career community of LISA together.
Scientific objectives

The key objectives of this LISA school are:

• broaden the knowledge of early-career scientists with lectures on LISA science;
• provide hands-on experience in some of the current LISA software tools;
• present the pioneering LISA instrumental design and methods;
• enable early-career scientists (the future research leaders by the launch of the mission) to meet in person, network, share ideas, and foster collaboration;
• inform early-career scientists on the LISA mission organisational structure and plans;
• develop general skills and a welcoming collaboration environment.

The school will welcome approximately 50 in-person participants. Sessions will be taught by LISA experts (we anticipate approximately 15 expert teachers). When inviting teachers for the school, we have favoured early-career experts and paid special attention to gender representation.

Registration and timeline

Pre-registrations are now open, and will close July 11th at midnight.

The school is limited to 50 students, and will be served on a first-come, first-serve basis. Your registration confirmation will be sent mid-July and payment is expected before end of July.

We do not allow for partial participation, i.e., students are expected to attend the 11 days of school.

Participation fees

Student participation fees for the whole school amounts to EUR 900.

This includes subsistence (from dinner on the day of arrival to lunch on the day of departure), accomodation, and other organization fees (coffee breaks, library, IT space, leisure facilities). It does not include transport to and from Les Houches, or any extra activities.

We plan to support students with limited financial resources; you can apply for this support by filling the “Support Request” field in the pre-registration form.

Les Houches School of Physics

Les Houches is a village located in Chamonix valley, in the French Alps. Established in 1951, the Physics School is situated at 1150 m above sea level in natural surroundings, with breathtaking views on the Mont-Blanc mountain range.

Les Houches Physics School is UAR 2002 run by Université Grenoble Alpes (UGA).

The 5 School Partners are

• UGA, the Institut National Polytechnique (Grenoble-INP),
• the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS),
• the Commissariat à l’Energie Atomique (CEA), and
• the Ecole Normale Supérieure de Lyon (ENS Lyon).

School Website