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Ripples Through Time: Past Triumphs, Mapping the Future, November 25-27, 2026 at UWA Perth

Celebrating 50 years of gravitational wave research, science education, and future innovation

A century ago gravitational wave detection was thought to be impossible. Fifty years ago it was the quest of a small bunch of intrepid physicists. They faced challenge after challenge, but their optimism persisted. They uncovered new physics, invented novel instruments and new techniques. New disciplines like quantum optomechanics, space laser communication, clock technology and airborne exploration technologies emerged from their efforts. Year after year they overcame setbacks, never imagining that it would take 40 years of struggle to achieve their quest.

When the direct detection of gravitational waves was finally achieved in 2015, it marked the beginning of a new era in astronomy. It brought with it surprises and opportunities, new horizons and new questions. Today, thousands of researchers all over the world work together, using increasingly sensitive detectors to explore the universe in ways that were once unimaginable.

This symposium marks fifty years since Australia became part of the international quest to detect gravitational waves. Celebrating the remarkable achievements of gravitational wave researchers, it aims to inspire the next generation of scientists, map the future, and identify opportunities. What are the greatest challenges, what might we discover and what is the future of physics?

The symposium is held in honour of David Blair, commemorating his 80th birthday and recognising his extraordinary 50 years of contributions to physics, physics education and public awareness of science.

Symposium Website

APS Division of Particles and Fields (DPF), July 20-24, 2026 at Fermilab

The 2026 edition of the APS Division of Particles and Fields (DPF) meeting will be held at Fermilab on July 20-24, 2026.

Registration is now open. Please note May 20 registration deadline for non-US citizens.

Abstract submission for parallel talks and posters is now open at https://indico.fnal.gov/event/72820/abstracts/

The Fermilab Users and Affiliates Meeting will be held on the overlapping Friday, July 24, 2026 https://indico.fnal.gov/event/73552/

Please note that low-cost housing ($50/night) will be available in dormitories at nearby Benedictine University.

A limited number of student travel awards will be available: https://indico.fnal.gov/event/72820/page/4422-student-travel-awards

Important deadlines:

  • Abstract submission deadline: May 11, 2026
  • In‑Person Registration (Non‑U.S. Citizens): May 20, 2026 at 5:00 PM CST
  • In‑Person Registration (U.S. Citizens): June 20, 2026 at 5:00 PM CST
  • Virtual Registration: July 1, 2026 at 5:00 PM CST

Meeting Website

8th Black Hole Nepal Meeting, October 12-16 2026 in Kathmandu

The 8th BH Nepal meeting: Many Faces of Stellar-Mass Black Holes, which will take place in Kathmandu, Nepal, on 12-16 October 2026.
The aim of the conference is to bring together theorists and observers to discuss recent progress in the study of stellar-mass black holes, their formation and evolution, and their observational signatures across the electromagnetic spectrum and beyond.

The main scientific topics will include:

  • Black hole mergers,
  • Spin measurements and the spin controversy,
  • X-ray polarization,
  • Jets,
  • Extended TeV emission,
  • Collapsars,
  • Ultraluminous sources with black holes.

Important dates to come:

  • 2 March 2026: Registration opens
  • 2 March to 5 June 2026: Abstract submission
  • 26 June 2026: Announcement of selected abstracts
  • 21 August 2026: Deadline for hotel reservation with the venue

The number of participants is limited, so early registration is recommended.

Please find invited speakers and all other available information on the website: https://sites.google.com/view/bh-nepal-2026/home

Asian Gravitational Wave Astronomy Meeting 2026 (AGWAM-2026), July 5-11 in Chiang-Mai, Thailand

The Asian Gravitational Wave Astronomy Meeting (AGWAM) 2026 will be held on July 5–11, 2026, at the National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand (NARIT) in Chiang Mai, Thailand. This meeting aims to bring together students, early-career researchers, and experts across Asia and beyond to discuss recent developments in gravitational-wave (GW) astronomy, astrophysics, cosmology, and fundamental physics.  This meeting follows the successful APCTP-GW2025 program held at Academia Sinica, Taipei.

AGWAM-2026 is structured as an integrated six-day program with two complementary components, organised on alternating days to maximise interaction between early-career researchers (ECRs), students, and experts throughout the week.

The first component is a three-day student school, designed to provide a broad and accessible introduction to GW science. It will feature pedagogical lectures by leading experts and hands-on sessions covering key aspects of GW data analysis and observational techniques, such as pulsar timing.

The second component is a three-day technical workshop, focusing on current research topics and recent advances in the field.  It will include invited talks, contributed presentations, and open discussions, with a strong emphasis on fostering participation by ECRs. 

By alternating school days and workshop days, the program ensures that students and ECRs can engage closely with experts over the full week, moving seamlessly from foundational learning to cutting-edge research discussions.

The scientific program will cover a broad range of topics, including:

  • Pulsar Timing Arrays (PTAs) & Their Transformative Sciences
  • Current and future  ground-based GW observatories & Their Precision Sciences
  • Space-based GW missions  & Their Discovery-Driven Sciences
  • Early-Universe Probes  & Their Foundational Sciences
  • Data Analysis, Signal Processing  & Their Computational Sciences

Students and early-career researchers are especially encouraged to participate. The meeting will provide an inclusive platform for learning, discussion, and networking with established leaders in the field. 

A dedicated open forum will address the theme of strengthening multi-band and multi-messenger GW astronomy in the Asia-Pacific region, with the explicit goal of identifying collaborative opportunities and establishing long-term scientific priorities.

Contributed talks and posters are welcome; however, presentation slots are limited.

Deadline for registration and abstract submission: May 15, 2026

Support for attending the meeting will be available to deserving participants.

Light refreshments will be provided during breaks. Participants will be responsible for their own meals. A conference banquet will be organised during the week.

Meeting Website

Science with LSST: From Transients to Cosmology – JHU May 11-15

LSST Discovery Alliance Regional Meeting
Science with LSST: From Transients to Cosmology

We are pleased to announce the first LSST Discovery Alliance (DA) Regional Meeting “Science with LSST: From Transients to Cosmology”, that will be held at Johns Hopkins University (Homewood Campus, Baltimore MD) on May 11–15, 2026. This meeting is envisioned as a five-day, in-person event. The program will include invited presentations spanning a broad range of topics:

  • Cosmology / Dark Energy Science
  • Time-domain / Multi-messenger science
  • Stellar activity and stellar/galactic archaeology
  • Galaxy and AGN science
  • Software, AI, and LINCC Frameworks

The meeting will include tutorials, as well as dedicated time for open discussion on the use of Rubin early science data. The goals of the meeting are to: (i) introduce early-career researchers and their advisors across DA member institutions in the region to the data analysis tools and software available through the Rubin Science Platform and LINCC Frameworks, and (ii) identify strategies for leveraging Rubin early science data and alert streams to enhance the scientific return of complementary ground- and space-based facilities. We also hope the meeting will catalyze new collaborative projects across DA institutions.
To register, please fill in and submit this form by 2026 March 31. Submission of the registration form does not guarantee a place due to participant limits. We will prioritize participants from Discovery Alliance member institutions in the region, especially early-career researchers and their advisors.

Invited speakers: Alexandra Amon (Princeton), Federica Bianco (University of Delaware), Neven Caplar (University of Washington), Gordon Richards (Drexel University), Nora Shipp (University of Washington).

LOC/SOC: Alessandra Corsi (JHU), Tony Chen (JHU), Daniel D’Orazio (STScI), Mitchell Karmen (JHU), Xiaolong Li (JHU), Armin Rest (STScI), Kevin Schlaufman (JHU), Andrew Sturner (LSST-DA), Beth Willman (LSST-DA), Nadia Zakamska (JHU).

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

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

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

EREP 2026, Spanish & Portuguese Relativity Meeting, May 25-29 in Murcia

The Spanish-Portuguese Relativity Meetings (EREPs) are a long-standing scientific tradition that began in 1977. Since then, they have served as a key forum for the Portuguese and Spanish communities working in General Relativity and Gravitation, promoting collaboration and the exchange of ideas across a broad range of topics. Organized annually by different research groups from both countries, EREPs have become the most prominent conference on gravitation and relativity in the Iberian Peninsula.

The EREP 2026 edition will take place in Murcia, Spain, from May 25th to 29th, 2026. We warmly invite you to join us for a week of stimulating scientific discussions in a vibrant and sunny Mediterranean setting. As in previous editions, EREP 2026 will bring together researchers from across the Iberian Peninsula and beyond, offering a dynamic program in a friendly and collaborative atmosphere.

The conference will be held on-site at the Paraninfo de la Universidad de Murcia, which is located at the city center and 40 km far from the Mediterranean Sea.

Please have a look at the Transportation section on how to travel to Murcia.

Registrations are open until May 2 (fee: EUR 250).

Call for abstracts is open until April 19.

Meeting Website