Conferences
HPC-CONEXS 2026: Summer School and Conference
We are delighted to welcome researchers, students, and industry partners to the HPC-CONEXS Summer School and Conference 2026, taking place 1–5 June at Newcastle University.
This week-long programme will showcase the latest developments in high-performance computing, X-ray spectroscopy, theory, experiment, and machine learning. A finalised programme will be announced shortly.
Registration is now free, and we are still accepting registrations and abstract submissions. don’t miss your opportunity to be part of this exciting event!
Summer School Workshops (1–3 June)
The event begins with the HPC-CONEXS Summer School Workshops, aimed at early career researchers and students seeking to build practical skills in computational methods, data analysis, and advanced X-ray science techniques.
Workshops will include:
- Expert-led training in HPC tools and workflows
- Practical sessions linking theory and experiment
- Introductions to machine learning applications in spectroscopy
- Opportunities for discussion with academic and industry researchers
Summer School Programme:
Monday, June 1st
| Time | Session | Topic |
| 12:30 PM – 1:30 PM | Registration & Lunch | – |
| 1:30 PM – 1:45 PM | Welcome & Opening Remarks | – |
| 1:45 PM – 3:15 PM | Introductory Lecture | Modelling and Understanding X-ray spectroscopy |
| 3:15 PM – 3:45 PM | Coffee Break | – |
| 3:45 PM – 5:00 PM | Practical Session 1 | Computer Lab |
| 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM | Reception | – |
Tuesday, June 2nd
| Time | Session | Speakers |
| 9:00 AM – 10:30 AM | Lecture 2 | Machine Learning Approaches for X-ray Spectroscopy |
| 10:30 AM – 11:00 AM | Break | – |
| 11:00 AM – 12:30 AM | Lecture 3 | Machine Learning Approaches for X-ray Spectroscopy |
| 12:30 PM – 2:00 PM | Lunch | – |
| 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM | Practical Session 2 | Computer Lab |
Wednesday, June 3rd
| Time | Session | Speakers |
| 9:30 AM – 11:30 AM | Practical Session 3 | Bring Your Own Problem |
Conference Programme (3–4 June)
The conference programme will feature keynote lectures, invited sessions, and contributed talks, providing a forum to share current research and discuss emerging directions in computational and experimental X-ray science.
Conference Programme:
HPC-CONEXS 2026 CONFERENCE
Wednesday, June 3rd
|
Time |
Session |
Speakers |
|
12:30 PM – 1:30 PM |
Registration & Lunch |
– |
|
1:30 PM – 1:45 PM |
Welcome & Opening Remarks |
– |
|
1:45 PM – 3:15 PM |
Invited Talks |
Deyu Lu (Brookhaven National Laboratory): Physics-Informed AI Pipeline for Real-Time Interpretation of X-ray Absorption Spectra
Annika Bande (HZB): |
|
3:15 PM – 3:45 PM |
Coffee Break |
– |
|
3:45 PM – 4:30 PM |
Invited Talks |
Vinícius Vaz da Cruz (HZB): Resonant inelastic X-ray scattering studies of molecular systems in aqueous solution via TD-DFT |
|
4:30 PM – 5:30 PM |
Reception & Networking |
– |
Thursday, June 4th
|
Time |
Session |
Speakers |
|
9:00 AM – 9:45 AM |
Invited Talk |
Frank de Groot (Utrecht): Theory of x-ray absorption, x-ray photoemission and resonant inelastic x-ray scattering. |
|
9:45 AM – 10:00 AM |
Break |
– |
|
10:00 AM – 11:00 AM |
Invited Talks |
Rajeev Dutt (Warwick): Understanding the Impact of B-Site Substitution on Co-Based Heusler Alloy Magnetism
Olesya Ablyasova (Max Planck Institute for Chemical Energy Conversion): Spectroscopic signatures of Nickel–ligand coordination: model complex studies toward understanding CODH active sites |
|
11:00 AM – 11:30 AM |
Coffee Break |
– |
|
11:30 AM – 1:00 PM |
Invited Talks |
Fabiano Lever (DESY)
Raj Pandya (Warwick/Cambridge): Ultrafast X-ray studies of electron and ion transport in Li-ion battery materials |
|
1:00 PM – 2:00 PM |
Lunch |
–
|
|
2:00 PM – 3:30 PM |
Invited Talks |
David Duncan (Nottingham): Breaking the imagination limit: potential opportunity for machine learning in quantitative surface structure determination
Thomas Jagau (KU Leuven): Modeling Auger spectra with complex-scaled electronic-structure methods |
|
3:30 PM – 4:30 PM |
Invited Talks |
Alan Qi (Manchester)
Santosh Kumar (Diamond Light Source): In-situ soft X-ray spectroscopy of electrochemical interfaces: from reaction cell and sample design to mechanistic insight |
|
4:30 PM – 5:00 PM |
Closing Remarks |
– |
Whether attending the full week or selected sessions, HPC-CONEXS 2026 offers opportunities to exchange ideas and build collaborations across the community.
If you are a PhD student or ECR based in the UK interested in applying for our travel grants, please contact Sydnee O’Brien at: sydnee.obrien@newcastle.ac.uk.
Previous Events:
CONEXS Conference: Progress and Next Steps
26 April – 27 April 2023
St Hilda's College, Oxford, UK
In April 2023 we held our 4th CONEXS Conference, which will discuss progress in the field and our next steps as part of the UK High End Computing Consortium. The conference had presentations from leading national and international experts on emerging trends in X-Ray spectroscopy and the intersection of experiment and theory.
CONEXS Conference 2022
Wednesday 30 March – Friday 1 April 2022
The third conference for the Collaborative Network for X-Ray Spectroscopy (CONEXS) will take place on Wednesday 30 March - Friday 1 April 2022, bringing together expert speakers from across the world to discuss the theme of 'Emerging Trends in X-ray Spectroscopy'.
Please visit the links on the left hand side of the page for more information about the event. If you have any questions, please get in touch.
The Conference Programme can be downloaded as a pdf here: CONEXS Conference 2022 final programme
A booklet of our speakers' abstracts can be downloaded as a pdf here: CONEXS Conference Abstract Booklet 2022
CONEXS Conference 2021
Wednesday 17 - Friday 19 March 2021
The programme for our 2021 virtual conference is available here: CONEXS 2021 Agenda
Recordings of Talks:
Recordings of our speakers' presentations are now available on our YouTube channel.
CONEXS Conference 2020
Tuesday 18 - Thursday 20 February 2020
The programme for our 2020 event is available here: Conference Programme
Speakers' Slides:
Day 1
John Rehr, University of Washington
Andrei Sapelkin, Queen Mary University of London
Jakub Szlachetko, Institute of Nuclear Physics Polish Academy od Sciences
Daniel Higley, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory
Olga Safonova, Paul Scherrer Institute
Day 2
Tetsuo Katayama, Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute
Ben Spencer, University of Manchester
Russell Egdell, University of Oxford
Kevin Lovelock 2, University of Reading
