General Announcements

NOTE: this page is public! Please do not include collaboration-sensitive information when submitting announcements.

This page lists announcements sent to announcement_submit@sympa.ligo.org . Announcements are posted to this page and sent out as a weekly email to the LSC every Friday morning (Eastern US). Job announcements sent to announcement_submit@sympa.ligo.org are not posted here but are instead posted on the LAAC page: https://wiki.ligo.org/LAAC/JobPostings.

If you know of an announcement that should be posted here or on the LAAC jobs page, please send it to announcement_submit@sympa.ligo.org .

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1st Circular: GWADW 2026

(posted here February 13, 2026)

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to announce that the official website for the 2026 edition of the Gravitational Wave Advanced Detector Workshop (GWADW) is now live.

GWADW remains a premier opportunity for the gravitational wave community to share progress on current detector technologies and the innovative R&D shaping the next generation of ground based and space observatories. Following the tradition, the workshop is designed to foster an environment of open exchange, leaving ample space for informal discussions and working-group-style interactions that have defined the success of previous editions.

The workshop will be held at the Hotel Hermitage, situated in the beautiful bay of La Biodola on Elba Island (Italy). Participants are expected to arrive on Sunday, May 17th, with the sessions scheduled to run from Monday, May 18th, through Friday, May 22nd. The workshop will conclude with departures on the morning of Saturday, May 23rd.

The scientific program will cover the technical challenges of current and future observatories, including upgrades to existing detectors and R&D for third-generation observatories like the Einstein Telescope and Cosmic Explorer. Considering the momentum gained by these projects, accents will be put more on development rather than research, although innovation will not be forgotten. Contributions are expected to address the main questions posed by the design of these new or upgraded GW detectors.

To encourage participation and discussions, the scientific program will consist of plenary sessions only. To ensure a broad showcase of the latest research, we will host two dedicated poster sessions on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons.

Registration and the call for abstracts are now open, and we invite colleagues to submit their contributions and complete their registration through the website. There, you will find detailed information regarding the scientific programme, accommodation options , and travel logistics.

We look forward to welcoming you back to Elba in May for another edition of GWADW.

Link to website: https://agenda.infn.it/event/gwadw2026

F. Fidecaro, M. Razzano for the GWADW2026 organizing committee

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Binary compact objects on eccentric orbits and their gravitational-wave signatures, Corfu, Greece

(posted here February 13, 2026)

Dear colleagues,

It is a pleasure to announce the workshop “Binary compact objects on eccentric orbits and their gravitational-wave signatures”, which we are organizing for September 1st-6th 2026 in beautiful Corfu, Greece.

https://sites.google.com/unimib.it/gweccentricity

The discovery of gravitational waves has opened an entirely new observational window on the Universe, and eccentric systems represent one of the most exciting frontiers. While most detected binaries to date are consistent with circular inspirals, there is mounting evidence that eccentricity may already be present in current events, with claims ranging from high-mass and low-mass black hole binaries to neutron star–black hole systems. Understanding, modeling, and interpreting eccentric sources is both timely and urgent.

The workshop will bring together experts in theory, numerical relativity, data analysis, and astrophysics, as well as early-career researchers entering these fields. We aim to create a collaborative environment where participants can share results, exchange ideas, and identify the next key steps.

The core program of the workshop will take place on September 1st-4th, 2026 at the Corfu Summer Institute, which is located in Mon Repos park, a short walk from Corfu town. In addition, the conference center will also be open and available to us on September 5th-6th; attendees can take it as an opportunity to work in small groups while enjoying Corfu’s seaside, beaches, and great food.

The workshop will have a conference fee of 350 Euros (250 Euros for students) covering coffee breaks, lunches, welcome reception, conference dinner, and two excursions (hopefully on a boat). While we are unable to provide travel support, accommodation in Corfu in September is relatively inexpensive (but the beaches are still great!). The workshop will be in person without remote options.

Interested participants should register on the conference website by June 1st, 2026. Depending on the number of people registering, participants might need to be selected. We will be in touch soon after the registration deadline. When registering, please indicate possible discussion topics you would like to contribute to.

Looking forward to seeing you in Corfu!

Isobel Romero-Shaw, Rossella Gamba, Davide Gerosa and Michalis Agathos

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Applications open for LISA Sprint in Bozeman, Montana May 11-13

(posted here February 13, 2026)

Applications are now open for the LISA Sprint, to be held in Bozeman, Montana May 11-13. Please fill out the application form linked below ASAP. Successful applicants will be notified before the end of February to allow time to make travel arrangements.

Application here: LISA Sprint

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Second Announcement - 42nd Pacific Coast Gravity Meeting

(posted here February 13, 2026)

The 42nd Pacific Coast Gravity Meeting will take place on February 27-28, 2026 at the University of California, Riverside.

The meeting will open on the evening of February 26 with a welcome reception and public lecture by APS President Brad Marston, featuring introductory remarks by 2017 Nobel Laureate Barry Barish.

In the tradition of the Pacific Coast Gravity Meetings, students and postdocs are strongly encouraged to participate, and all areas of gravitational physics—classical and quantum, theory and experiment—are welcome. A prize sponsored by the APS Division of Gravitational Physics (DGRAV) will be awarded for the best student talk.

Registration is now open through the meeting website: https://ceci.ucr.edu/pcgm42

There is no registration fee. Registration will close on February 18, 2026.

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Glorious Women Symposium, March 5-6 2026

(posted here February 13, 2026)

We are organizing an online Glorious Women Symposium (https://indico.global/e/glorious-women-2026) to celebrate women scientists in gravitational-wave (GW) astronomy. This two-day event will bring together women scientists at different career stages to share their work in GW science across various collaborations and research areas.

The symposium will also feature panel discussions on "Women’s representation in GW science" and an interactive session "Ask a Woman GW Scientist". The event will be held on March 5-6, 2026, ahead of International Women’s Day.

If you would like to attend the talks and participate in the panel discussions, please register using the link (https://indico.global/event/16550/registrations/4079/) by 27 February 2026. Registration is free.

Organizers,

Debarati Chatterjee (IUCAA, India)

Anuradha Gupta (University of Mississippi, USA)

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Save the date: GRASS 2026 - GRAvitational-wave Science&technology Symposium, Padova, Italy

(posted here February 06, 2026)

Dear colleagues,

It is our pleasure to announce that the 5th GRAvitational-wave Science&technology Symposium (GRASS 2026) will be held in Padova (Italy) on 22 - 24 June 2026.

To help everyone connect and get to know each other, we’re organizing a kayak tour to Venice on the Sunday 21 June 2026 before the start of the conference. It’s a great way to enjoy the city and kick off the conference in a relaxed atmosphere.*

*The website of the conference is in preparation and will be advertised within a few weeks. Mark your calendar and stay tuned!

We look forward to seeing you in Padova.

Kind regards,

the GRASS LOC:

Marco Bazzan, Gianpietro Cagnoli, Giacomo Ciani, Livia Conti, Andrea Grimaldi, Matteo Leonardi, Simone Marchetti, Valeria Milotti, Jean Pierre Zendri

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IOP Gravitational Physics Annual Scientific Meeting - Feb 25, 2026

(posted here February 06, 2026)

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CRIS-MAC 2026 - Sorrento, Italy, July 13-17, 2026 - SECOND CIRCULAR

(posted here January 30, 2026)

Dear Collaborators
We would like to share with you the second circular for the 14th CRIS-MAC Conference to be held in Sorrento (Italy) from 13 to 17 July 2026.

Registrations are now open. For details about the Conference, including registration, travel and accommodation information, you are kindly invited to visit the Conference Web site: http://crismac2026.na.infn.it

Conference e-mail address: crismac2026@na.infn.it

Important dates and information:

• Conference dates: 13 – 17 July 2026
• Registration opening: January 23, 2026
• Abstract submission deadline : February 28, 2026
• Notification of acceptance: March 10, 2026
• Room options for hotels deadline : March 31, 2026
• Early registration deadline : until April 30, 2026
• Proceeding submission: July 6, 2026

Please circulate this announcement to interested people within your collaborations and institutions.

Fausto Guarino for the organizing commitees

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Open Data Workshop 2026, April 20th-23rd

(posted here January 30, 2026)

Dear colleagues,

As every year, the GWOSC is organizing the Open Data Workshop (ODW). The ODW is a crash-course in gravitational-wave data analysis which includes lectures, software tutorials, quiz questions, and a data challenge.

This year's workshop is organized by the Laboratoire des 2 Infinis Toulouse. It will be hosted from April 20th to April 23rd in a hybrid style. Participants can join in-person at L2IT in Toulouse (France) or are welcome to join the closest study hub or participate online. Whatever the way you participate, enrollment and participation is done through the Thinkific platform: https://gw-odw.thinkific.com/courses/odw2026. If you want to participate to the in-person event (and in this case only) please register on the indico website.

Every team is welcome to organize a study hub. If you do this, please announce it at https://ask.igwn.org/t/open-data-workshop-2026-study-hubs/1411.

If you are interested in being involved subscribe to the mattermost
channel: https://chat.ligo.org/ligo/channels/odw-2026.

Don't hesitate to spread the word.

See you at the Open Data Workshop!
Mathieu on behalf of the GWOSC and L2IT organizing committee

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GWADW 2026

(posted here January 30, 2026)

Dear Colleagues,

The 2026 edition of the Gravitational Wave Advanced Detector Workshop will take place on the Elba Island May 17-23 this year. Next week the web site will be opened.

We look forward to seeing you in Elba!

Best regards,

For the Organizing Committee

Francesco Fidecaro

Massimiliano Razzano

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PhD International School (20-27 May 2026) on Technologies in Gravitational Waves Detection (STGWD).

(posted here January 30, 2026)

Dear Colleague,

We are pleased to announce the first edition of PhD International School on Technologies in Gravitational Waves Detection (STGWD). The event will be held at Ettore Majorana Centre for Scientific Culture in Erice, Sicily (Italy), on May 20th-27th, 2026.

The scientific program includes a theoretical introduction to the fundamental principles of gravitational wave detection, along with lectures and practical sessions dedicated to the main features of ground-based and space-based interferometric detectors, paying particular attention to the following fields:

• GW theoretical aspects and principia

• Future GW Observatories

• Technologies aspects (interferometry, optics, controls, noise mitigation)

• Data Analysis

The school STGWD26 is designed primarily for PhD students, recent MSc graduates, final‑year MSc candidates, and early‑career researchers, while remaining open to anyone eager to deepen their expertise.

STGWD26 aims to foster scientific exchange through dedicated time for discussions, hands‑on activities, and poster sessions. The event offers an excellent opportunity to strengthen connections within the GW community and to expand networks with fellow young researchers as well as established experts.

Lectures will be delivered by internationally renowned experts, including: G. Cella, G. Gemme, H. Lueck, B. Weber, A. Perreca, P. Chessa, M. Magnozzi, G. Warren, M. Galimberti, L. Conti, I. Nardecchia, L. Sala, F. Sorrentino, F. Pannarale, R. Buscicchio, E. Majorana, R. De Rosa, B. Patricelli.

For programme details, logistical information, and other details, please visit the school webpage:

https://indico.ego-gw.it/e/stgwd26

Registration is open until 30/04/2026

The school fee (€165 per day) includes:

• coffee breaks, lunches, dinner and a social dinner,
• accommodation in a guest house and diffused hotel in Erice
• transportation from and to airport of Palermo and Trapani
• social trip

Payment is possible by Bank transfer.

IBAN and full payment information will be available in the indico site after the pre-registration phase.

We kindly ask you to share this announcement with PhD students and others who may be interested. We apologize for any cross-posting.

Luca Naticchioni, Flavio Travasso on behalf of the school organisers

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GWIC-Braccini 2025 prize

(posted here January 30, 2026)

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Register for the March 2026 LVK Meeting in Pisa!

(posted here January 16, 2026)

This is a reminder to please register for the LVK Meeting in March in Pisa: https://lvk2026pisa.org/registration
Note that the deadline for early bird registration at a reduced fee is the 20th of January.

If you have any questions concerning the location, registration or travel, please contact the local organizers at lvk2026pisa@ego-gw.it

For questions concerning the session organization, please contact the LVK meeting committee at meetcomm@ligo.org

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4th LISA Sprint in Bozeman, Montana May 11-13

(posted here January 16, 2026)

4th LISA Sprint

The Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) is a joint effort of ESA and NASA to develop and operate the first space-based observatory of gravitational waves (GWs) in the millihertz frequency band. To prepare for LISA observations and its unique data products, we are organizing the 4th LISA Sprint in Bozeman, Montana, from Monday May 11 to Wednesday May 13, 2026.

In past LISA Sprints the participants all pitched project ideas at the workshop, and teams selecting the projects they wanted to work on. This time will be a little different. While additional project pitches are still welcome, the focus will be on several pre-defined projects that have been identified as critical needs by the NASA Science Ground Segment team. Participants will be asked to list their preferences for which of the pre-define projects they would be most interested in contributing to in advance of the workshop.

This will be a hands-on workshop: there will be no talks--only brief project descriptions at the beginning of the workshop, and “show and tell” at the close of the meeting to share progress with the group.

In late January 2026 we will advertise the meeting website and application form for interested participants. Please note that space will be limited, so applying does not guarantee acceptance. Accepted applicants will be notified by the end of February. There is no financial support available to attend the meeting, nor is there any registration fee for participating.

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Online Workshop: "Lost in Translation: The languages of Gravitational Waves"

(posted here January 09, 2026)

We are organizing the online workshop "Lost in Translation: The languages of Gravitational Waves", which will happen from the 19.-21. January (so very soon).

In recent years, the modelling of gravitational wave sources has become a cornerstone of theoretical and numerical relativity. Multiple communities—working with distinct formalisms such as Self-Force (SF), Effective One Body (EOB) and Effective Field Theory (EFT)—have developed powerful tools to describe the two-body problem with increasing precision. Each of these approaches is advanced enough to come with its own set of language, notation, conceptual framework, and computational tools.

The workshop aims to bridge this gap and bring these communities closer together. This will be done by providing a mix of beginner friendly lectures, hands on coding sessions, plenary overviews together with state of the art research talks for each of the fields.
The lectures are targeted at early career researchers as well as senior career researchers, who want to get a better understanding of a neighboring field!

The registration is free and open now: https://indico.mitp.uni-mainz.de/event/464/overview

We hope to see you soon,
Angelica Albertini, Jakob Neef, Benjamin Sauer, and Davide Usseglio

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International Conference on High Energy Physics (ICHEP) Abstract Submission Now Open

(posted here December 19, 2025)

The abstract submission for ICHEP2026 is open: https://ichep2026.org/. The conference will be in Natal, Brazil, from July 30 to August 5. The submission will be open until February 2. We are awaiting your collaborators' participation in the ICHEP2026.

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Summer School in Barcelona on Multimessenger Astrophysics 6–14 July 2026

(posted here December 19, 2025)

First Circular — 9th Summer School of the Institute of Space Sciences (ICE-CSIC)
Multimessenger Astrophysics
6–14 July 2026

Institute of Space Sciences (ICE-CSIC),
Campus UAB, Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain
https://workshops.ice.csic.es/event/7/

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.

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Interested in Hosting the Next GWPAW?

(posted here December 19, 2025)

Interested in Hosting the Next GWPAW?

Dear LVK colleagues,

We invite expressions of interest from groups considering hosting the next GWPAW workshop. If you are interested, please complete the following form:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdgFxA3NnKd1fvzdlPflevMfG63hj69JMehTS52SdkiZZe54g/viewform

At this stage, we are requesting only preliminary information. Selected groups may be asked to present their hosting proposal to the GWPAW 2025 Scientific Organizing Committee over Zoom. We particularly encourage expressions of interest from potential hosts in Asia.

Best regards,
Surabhi Sachdev for GWPAW 2025 SOC

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SSA session on "Planetary and Gravitational Wave Seismology », Pasadena, April 14-18, 2026 ( deadline January, 13th, 2026)

(posted here December 19, 2025)

Dear colleagues,

We are pleased to invite you to submit presentation(s) to the session on "Planetary and Gravitational Wave Seismology », which will be held during the 2026 annual meeting of the Seismological Society of America, in Pasadena, California, from April 14, 2026 through to April, 18th, 2026. The deadline for Abstract submission is January, 13th, 2026. See more at https://meetings.seismosoc.org/.

We would like this year to complement Planetary seismology to the search for Gravitational waves with the support of seismic sensors, either for direct measurements or for correcting the seismic background, and hope that the sessions will not only cover seismic discoveries in our solar system, but also show how seismology might enable the detection of gravitational waves from sources in other galaxies...

Waiting seeing you in Pasadena,

Best regards

The session conveners:

Philippe Lognonné, Université Paris Cité, Institut de physique du globe de Paris, France
Mark Panning, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, USA
Nick Schmerr, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, USA
Karan Jani, University of Vanderbilt, Nashville, Tennessee, USA

Session goals:

Seismology is not anymore the appanage of the Earth, with several past and future planetary missions withdeployed seismometers on the Moon (with Apollo and, in near future FSS, LEMS and ChangE -7), on Mars (with Viking and InSight) and other future missions toward Titan (Dragonfly). Seismology is also not only used to search for quakes and other seismic sources, but is also considered for recording planetaryvibrations excited by space-time metrics fluctuations associated to gravitational waves. This was the goal of the Apollo 17 gravimeter and will be the goal of several lunar projects aiming to measure strains variations (e.g. LILA) or ground accelerations (e.g. LGWA) generated by gravitational waves emitted by black holes merging, among other astrophysical sources.

The goal of this session is to present the most recent analysis in planetary seismology and in seismic analysis related to gravitational waves detections, including for future projects.

In planetary seismology, we will welcome presentations on recent analysis of the inSight and Apollo seismic data, as well as progress status of selected projects and performances of new instruments or detectionconcepts in development for future planetary missions. Targets might be terrestrial bodies (e.g. Mars, the Moon, Titan, Venus) but also small bodies. We will also welcome numeral modeling aiming to better understand and model future data and seismic sources on other bodies, including impacts, airburst and atmospheric sources.

In gravitational waves, we will welcome concept and instruments descriptions, as well as modeling of the expected signals and of all sources of noise which might affect detection of GW signals, especially for theMoon which is targeted by several projects. We welcome especially presentations related to the seismic aspects of GW detection, such as estimations of the signals for 1D and 3D realistic lunar models and modeling of the seismic noise and other lunar environmental noises.

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SAVE THE DATE: Workshop Einstein Telescope Research Infrastructure: Challenges and Long-Term Sustainability - 16, 17 February, 2026 Rome

(posted here December 12, 2025)

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"Extragalactic Transient Universe" conference, Marseille, 6-10 July 2026

(posted here December 12, 2025)

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Invitation to a DPF Community Meeting to be held December 18 and 19, 2025

(posted here December 05, 2025)

Hoping to virtually see you then,

Heidi Schellman and Sally Seidel

Here is a current list of talks:

Introduction to the DOE HEP Program Regina Rameika (Department of Energy)

Cosmic frontier program at DOE Dr Bryan Field (Department of Energy), Kathleen Turner (DOE HEP), Manuel Bautista (U.S. Department of Energy)

The Genesis Mission Jeremy Love (U.S. Department of Energy)

Modernizing Fermilab Young-Kee Kim (University of Chicago (US))

Evolution of the Fermilab accelerator complex Mary Convery (Fermilab)

The National Lab Accelerator Study Group for a Muon Collider Stephen Gourlay (Fermilab)

Magnet development for future colliders Soren Prestemon

Navigating the Federal Science Budget Susannah Howieson

US Particle Physics Content Group Activities Lauren Larson (University of Texas at Austin (US))

National Science Board Initiatives Aaron Dominguez (Catholic University of America (US))

HEP - NP Synergies Marcel Demarteau (Oak Ridge National Laboratory)

High Energy and Nuclear Physics at Brookhaven Laboratory John Hill (Brookhaven National Laboratory)

The US neutrino program Stefan Söldner-Rembold (Imperial College London)

A near-term lower energy future hadron collider Elliot Lipeles (University of Pennsylvania (US))

A Linear Collider Facility Emilio Nanni

FCC developments Tor Raubenheimer (SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (US))

The European Strategy Mike Tuts (Columbia University (US))

DPF response to the European Strategy Hitoshi Murayama (University of California Berkeley (US))

Heidi Schellman
Oregon State Physics
Chair, APS Division of Particles and Fields Executive Committee

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GW:UK@Nottingham - Jan 15-16, 2026

(posted here December 05, 2025)

We are pleased to announce the first meeting of the GW:UK initiative (https://sites.google.com/ligo.org/gwuk/home), to be held at the University of Nottingham on January 15-16, 2026. Details available at

https://indico.global/event/16345/

GW:UK@Nottingham will bring together researchers from across the UK involved in gravitational wave science to celebrate 10 years of gravitational wave discoveries, including invited talks on the major success of the first decade of GW detection (Day 1), and to engage in community-building activities (Day 2).

Due to the nature of this meeting, we will only offer in-person participation. Some funding to cover accommodation and travel expenses for UK-based participants is available. There will be a number of slots available on both days for contributed talks, including flash talks. We especially encourage early career researchers to apply for a slot.

To be considered for financial support and a contributed or flash talk, please complete your registration by December 16.

For further information please contact Hong Qi (hong.qi@qmul.ac.uk) or Thomas Sotiriou (thomas.sotiriou@nottingham.ac.uk).

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42nd Pacific Coast Gravity Meeting - February 27-28, 2026 at UC Riverside

(posted here December 05, 2025)

The 42nd Pacific Coast Gravity Meeting will take place on February 27-28, 2026 at the University of California, Riverside.

The meeting will open on the evening of February 26 with a welcome reception and public lecture by APS President-Elect Brad Marston, featuring introductory remarks by 2017 Nobel Laureate Barry Barish.

In the tradition of the Pacific Coast Gravity Meetings, students and postdocs are strongly encouraged to participate, and all areas of gravitational physics—classical and quantum, theory and experiment—are welcome. A prize sponsored by the APS Division of Gravitational Physics (DGRAV) will be awarded for the best student talk.

Registration is now open through the meeting website: https://ceci.ucr.edu/pcgm42

There is no registration fee. Registration will close on February 18, 2026.

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Announcement of symposium & memorial for Rai Weiss

(posted here December 05, 2025)

Save the Date — Symposium & Memorial for Professor Rainer Weiss, Fri-Sat February 27–28, 2026

Dear colleagues and friends,

The MIT Department of Physics and Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research would like to share with you plans for a symposium and memorial service honoring Professor Rainer Weiss, Nobel Laureate in Physics (2017) and longtime member of our faculty, whose visionary work made the discovery of gravitational waves possible.

• Symposium: Friday, February 27, 2026 (all day) — A full day of scientific talks and reflections celebrating Rai’s pioneering contributions to physics and his profound influence on generations of researchers.

• Memorial Service: Saturday, February 28, 2026 (morning) — A gathering of family, friends, and colleagues to honor his life and legacy.

We invite members of the scientific community, alumni, collaborators, and friends to join us in celebrating the life and work of Rai.

Both events will take place at MIT in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with further details—including venues and programs — to follow in the coming weeks.

We kindly ask you to indicate your intent to attend by using this form: Weiss Event Form.

Deepto Chakrabarty, MIT Physics Department Head

Robert A. Simcoe, Director, MIT Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research

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School on Gravity, Niels Bohr Institute, 22-26 June 2026 - second announcement

(posted here December 05, 2025)

School on Gravity, Niels Bohr Institute, June 2026

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 will credit 2.5 ECTS.

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. Lunches will be provided during the schools.

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@the-center-of-gravity.com

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LSC Speakers and Awards Committee seeking new members

(posted here December 05, 2025)

The LSC Speakers and Awards Committee (a.k.a. Speakers' Board) is seeking new members covering the full range of collaboration activities. Please send (self-)nominations and enquiries to john.veitch@ligo.org. For more information on the committee see https://wiki.ligo.org/SpeakersBoard/WebHome

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Gravitational Waves and Detection Technologies – PAS Rome Meeting 2026

(posted here December 05, 2025)

Gravitational Waves and Detection Technologies – PAS Rome Meeting 2026

Gravitational Waves and Detection Technologies - PAS Rome meeting 2026, jointly organized by the Polish Academy of Sciences, the University of Perugia and INFN Perugia, will take place in Rome from 16 March to 17 March 2026. This event aims to provide a platform for sharing recent advancements in the rapidly evolving field of gravitational-wave science, with a particular focus on detector science and experimental technologies.

The program will bring together researchers working on both theoretical and experimental aspects of gravitational waves, fostering exchange across different detector concepts, data analysis techniques and astrophysical applications. Talks will focus on the future of interferometric detectors, modern sensing technologies, signal processing methods and multi-messenger connections encouraging discussions that span physics, engineering and data science.

This meeting will follow the upcoming LVK Collaboration meeting (9-13 March, Pisa, Italy).

The deadline for abstracts is extended to Friday December 19, 2025.

Meeting website: https://indico.ego-gw.it/event/915/

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Patrick Brady has won the APS Isaacson Award

(posted here November 07, 2025)

Congratulations to Patrick Brady for winning the 2026 Richard A. Isaacson Award in Gravitational-Wave Science from the American Physical Society!

https://www.aps.org/funding-recognition/winners?q=grav&t=Richard%20A.%20Isaacson%20Award%20in%20Gravitational-Wave%20Science&y=2026&af=false

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Final call for proposals to host Amaldi 2027

(posted here November 07, 2025)

Dear GW Community —

This is a final request for proposals for hosting the next Amaldi meeting, which should take place during the Northern Summer of 2027. The Amaldi is a Gravitational-Wave International Committee (GWIC) sponsored biennial international conference that serves to bring together the community actively engaged in gravitational-wave-related observational and instrument science. The Amaldi meeting has always been a synergistic environment for new groups to explore how their science can be integrated into the gravitational-wave (GW) community, and to a growing extent, multi-messenger astrophysics (MMA) community.

The meeting will feature a broad spectrum of parallel sessions that cover GW and MMA science and instrumentation, feature a selection of accessible plenary lectures, and a poster session. The Amaldi Meeting welcomes proposals that will ensure diversity in science and community across the programme.

A proposal should include a range of dates, the participant cost, locale, institutional engagement, and the membership of the Local Organizing Committee. GWIC will ensure the organization of the Scientific Organizing Committee, with the lead of the LOC included on the SOC.

Proposals should address how they will support attendance for people that cannot attend in person. It is not mandatory to support full online attendance, but it should be possible to allow delivery of talks via zoom or equivalent, and proposals that allow remote attendees to listen to talks, and potentially interact via slack or equivalent channels are a bonus. Recordings of talks published to YouTube or equivalent will also be viewed favourably.

Previous hosts of the Amaldi Meeting have prepared summaries of their experience to help proposers and ultimately the host follow through; these will be happily shared upon request.

There is a practice of alternating between North America and Europe for the host; this next meeting would fall naturally to North America, although proposals from anywhere will be considered.

GWIC (https://gwic.ligo.org/) will review proposals, via an online meeting with presentations. We plan to meet in late November to make a selection of the host, so a quick turnaround of proposals is requested.

Please feel free to contact me or the GWIC Chair, Matthew Bailes, with any questions, ideas, and incremental plans, and we very much look forward to your proposals! Mid-November is the deadline for proposals.

David Shoemaker, for GWIC

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Winter School on Gravitational Physics: Jan. 25th - Jan. 30th, 2026

(posted here October 24, 2025)

PhD Winter School on Gravitational Physics: Jan. 25th - Jan. 30th, 2026

We are happy to announce our upcoming PhD Winter School on Gravitational Physics which will take place at a ski resort in NorwayJan. 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

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Contributed Abstracts for APS 2026 due Oct 23, 2025

(posted here October 17, 2025)

The joint March and April American Physical Society Meeting, known as the Global Physics Summit, will be held in Denver, CO, USA March 16-19, 2026. https://summit.aps.org/

Contributed abstracts are invited at https://summit.aps.org/attend/abstracts/ , and are due October 23, 2025.

Abstracts are particularly welcome on O4 results (noting that the abstracts will be public well in advance of March 2026), preparations for O5, and status of ongoing work. Sessions are anticipated on instrumentation, analysis, results, and much more!

Please recall that abstracts, presentations, and posters are subject to PnP policies, so circulation within working groups ASAP is recommended.

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School on Gravity, Niels Bohr Institute, June 2026

(posted here September 26, 2025)

School on Gravity, Niels Bohr Institute, June 2026

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@the-center-of-gravity.com

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Save the Date – Black Holes Inside and Out 2027 (BHIO27): 23-27 Aug 2027

(posted here September 19, 2025)

Dear Colleagues,

We are happy to announce the next edition of the conference Black Holes Inside and Out 2027 (BHIO27), that will take place at Sapienza University of Rome from August 23 to August 27, 2027.

This event follows the highly successful 2024 edition [https://strong-gr.com/black-holes-inside-and-out/], which brought together leading experts in black hole physics, including astrophysics and observational astronomy, cosmology, data analysis, mathematical and numerical relativity, perturbation theory, and quantum gravity, to discuss the state of the field and its future directions.

Preparations for the 2027 edition are underway, so please save the date! A webpage with all relevant information is under development and will be announced in early 2026.

We would greatly value your input regarding potential topics and speakers for this edition. To contribute suggestions, please fill out the following form: https://forms.gle/po4h8ifWm3LhvyTs7.

We particularly encourage suggestions outside your main areas of expertise, especially if motivated by an interest in learning more about developments in other branches of black hole physics.

Further information about the conference will be shared in the coming months.

Sincerely,

The BHIO27 Scientific Organizing Committee

Luca Buoninfante, Raúl Carballo-Rubio, Vitor Cardoso, Francesco Di Filippo, Astrid Eichhorn, Paolo Pani

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Open call to host the Amaldi meeting 2027

(posted here August 08, 2025)

Open Call for hosting the 2027 Amaldi Meeting

We would like to invite proposals for hosting the next Amaldi meeting, which should take place during the Northern Summer of 2027. The Amaldi is a Gravitational-Wave International Committee (GWIC) sponsored biennial international conference that serves to bring together the community actively engaged in gravitational-wave-related observational and instrument science. The Amaldi meeting has always been a synergistic environment for new groups to explore how their science can be integrated into the gravitational-wave (GW) community, and to a growing extent, multi-messenger astrophysics (MMA) community.

The meeting will feature a broad spectrum of parallel sessions that cover GW and MMA science and instrumentation, feature a selection of accessible plenary lectures, and a poster session. The Amaldi Meeting welcomes proposals that will ensure diversity in science and community across the programme.

A proposal should include a range of dates, the participant cost, locale, institutional engagement, and the membership of the Local Organizing Committee. GWIC will ensure the organization of the Scientific Organizing Committee, with the lead of the LOC included on the SOC.

There is a practice of alternating between North America and Europe for the host; this next meeting would fall naturally to North America, although proposals from anywhere will be considered.

GWIC (https://gwic.ligo.org/) will review proposals, via an online meeting with presentations. To ensure adequate time to organize a meeting of this scale, we set out the following timeline:

• Call issued end-July 2025

• Email of Intent to propose by 15 September 2025

• Proposals to the GWIC Secretary (dhs@mit.edu) by 31 October 2025

• GWIC meeting to choose the locale in November 2025

• SOC formed by GWIC by May 2026

• Status of the LOC and SOC progress at the Summer 2026 GWIC meeting

• Meeting held in May-September window of 2027

Please feel free to contact me or the GWIC Chair, Matthew Bailes, with any questions, ideas, and incremental plans, and we very much look forward to your proposals! An early response with indication of interest is requested.

David Shoemaker, for GWIC

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GWfreeride: Carving the AI Gradient in Gravitational-Wave Astronomy - Sexten, Italy - January 26-30, 2026

(posted here July 25, 2025)

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to announce "GWfreeride: Carving the AI Gradient in Gravitational-Wave Astronomy,” a focused workshop taking place January 26-30, 2026, in Sexten, Italy, nestled in the scenic Dolomites region.

https://sites.google.com/unimib.it/gwfreeride/

The workshop aims to bring together leading researchers in AI and gravitational waves to address pressing data challenges in the field. Key topics include single-event detection and parameter estimation, population inference, and the global fit.

The meeting will be held at Haus Sexten, right next to the ski slopes, and the conference program will have appropriate breaks for snow activities. More details on logistics are available here: https://sites.google.com/unimib.it/gwfreeride/logistics.

To participate, please apply at https://sites.google.com/unimib.it/gwfreeride/registration.

We encourage early applications to facilitate hotel reservations, with a final deadline of September 15, 2025. Notifications of acceptance will be sent on a rolling basis.

We look forward to welcoming you to Sexten!

Best regards,
Stephen Green, Davide Gerosa, Max Dax, Natalia Korsakova

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CRIS-MAC 2026 - Sorrento, Italy, July 13-17, 2026 - FIRST CIRCULAR

(posted here July 04, 2025)

Dear Colleagues,

We are pleased to announce the 14th CRIS-MAC 2026 Cosmic-Ray International Studies and Multi-messenger Astroparticle Conference to be held in Sorrento, Italy - July 13 – 17, 2026.

We plan to have sessions on:

- Astrophysical Neutrinos
- Cosmic Rays
- Gamma-ray and Multi-messenger Astronomy
- Experimental Methods, Techniques, and Instrumentation
- Outreach and Education

with specific emphasis on multi-messenger aspects.

Important dates and deadlines:

Conference Dates: July 13-17, 2026
Registration opening: January 1, 2026
Abstract submission: until February 28, 2026
Notification of acceptance: March 15, 2026
Early registration: Until April 15, 2026


For all the details about the Conference, including registration, travel and accommodation info, a contribution procedures, you are kindly invited to visit the Conference Web site: https://agenda.infn.it/event/47822/
For any questions contact us at the Conference e-mail address:
crismac2026@na.infn.it

Please circulate this announcement to interest people within your collaborations and institutions.

Hoping to meet you in Sorrento,
Best Regards


Carla Aramo (INFN Napoli)
Rossella Caruso (UniCT and INFN)
Roberta Colalillo (UniNA and INFN)
Riccardo Del Burgo (INFN Napoli)
Fausto Guarino (UniNA and INFN)
Antonio Insolia (UniCT and INFN)
Luigi Lavitola (INFN Napoli)
Emanuele Leonora (INFN Catania)
Manuela Mallamaci (UniPA)
Giovanni Marsella (UniPA and INFN)
Valentina Scotti (UniNA and INFN)
Laura Valore (UniNA and INFN)

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