About the LISA Symposium

We welcome you to the 16th International LISA Symposium! Continuing from past editions, the Symposium will highlight gravitational wave astrophysics, with a primary focus on the most up-to-date mission development, theory and analysis enabling the science to be done with the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna. The Scientific Organizing Committee is planning an engaging program of invited talks and special sessions to be complemented by your contributions of talks, posters, questions and discussions. We look forward to bringing together a wide cross-section of the international community, including students (with a discounted registration fee).

The Symposium will take place on the University of Maryland campus in College Park, Maryland, USA, beginning with registration and a welcome reception on the evening of Sunday, June 21. Scientific sessions (plenary, parallel and poster) will be held Monday through Friday, June 22 to 26, ending in the mid-afternoon on Friday. Breakfast and coffee breaks will be in the room where posters are displayed. A public lecture is being planned on Tuesday evening. Following tradition, Wednesday afternoon is kept open and a variety of local activities, ranging from organized to informal, will be available depending on your interests; details will be posted on this website.

We recognize the constraints and concerns about international travel and want to support scientists who are unable to attend in person while still maintaining the value of a lively in-person meeting. While remote attendance will be possible, the number of remote presentations will be limited and the selection of submitted abstracts will prioritize in-person talks and posters. Maryland prides itself on being a welcoming state and a home to many cultures, and we hope you will take part in symposium if you are able to.

At this time, registration details and fees are still being finalized. We hope to open the registration system for abstract submission and meeting registration around the beginning of February and will then announce it to our mailing list and to the LISA Consortium. We encourage you to join our mailing list to get more regular updates.

Scientific Organizing Committee

  • Shane Larson (Chair), Clarkson University
  • Stanislav Babak, APC - Paris
  • Richard Brito, Instituto Superior Técnico
  • Maria José Bustamante Rosell, Fisk & Vanderbilt Universities
  • Laurentiu Caramete, Institute of Space Science, Bucharest-Magurele
  • Eleonora Castelli, University of Maryland, Baltimore County & NASA GSFC
  • Maria Charisi, Washington State University & University of Crete
  • Nelson Christensen, Observeratoire Cote d'Azur
  • John Conklin, University of Florida
  • Neil Cornish, Montana State University
  • Daniel J. D'Orazio, Space Telescope Science Institute
  • Deborah Ferguson, University of Rhode Island
  • Alessia Franchini, Università degli Studi di Milano
  • Daryl Haggard, McGill Unviersity, Trottier Space Instittue
  • Zoltan Haiman, Institute of Science & Technology Austria
  • Sarah Vigeland, University of Wisconsin Milwaukee
  • Stefano Vitale, Università di Trento
  • Gudrun Wanner, University of Hannover, AEI-Hannover
  • Niels Warburton, University College Dublin
  • David Weir, University of Helsinki
  • Helvi Witek, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
  • William Joseph Weber, Università di Trento

Local Organizing Committee

  • Peter Shawhan, University of Maryland
  • Ann Hornschemeier Cardiff, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
  • Ira Thorpe, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
  • Elizabeth Ferrara, University of Maryland & NASA GSFC
  • Bernard Kelly, University of Maryland, Baltimore County & NASA GSFC

You can contact the Local Organizing Committee by email at
lisa2026-info@umd.edu

First held in 1996, the International LISA Symposium is held every two years to celebrate and share infornation and science related to the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna mission, a three-arm space-based gravitational wave detector being developed by the European Space Agency (ESA).

History

A listing of prior LISA Symposia and links to their websites can be found here.

Visualization of a simulation for binary black holes, each with circumbinary disks showing the effect of their tidal interactions

Registration

The registration system is not yet open. We are working on opening registration and abstract submission as soon as possible, hopefully around the beginning of February.

 

Early Registration

  • Opens Imminently
  • Closes March 6th (tentative date)

Regular Registration

  • Closes May 15th

On-Site Registration

  • Available at the meeting venue

 

Abstract Submissions

The abstract submission process uses the same portal as meeting registration. However, abstracts and registration may be submitted separately.

The deadline for abstract submission is: 10 April 2026.

 

Travel Assistance

Note that – similar to the 2024 LISA Symposium – we anticipate grants being available for partial travel support for students at U.S. institutions. Information about applying for these funds will be forthcoming.