User Community News

31 March 2026

ESS-ILL User Meeting 2026

The European Spallation Source (ESS) and the Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL) are pleased to invite the neutron community to the ESS-ILL User Meeting 2026, taking place 18–20 November 2026 in Lund, Sweden.

The joint ESS–ILL User Meeting brings together the international neutron community to share the latest scientific results, discuss emerging opportunities in neutron research, and provide updates on the development and capabilities of both facilities.

The programme will feature plenary talks, facility updates, and scientific discussions highlighting the role of neutron scattering in addressing major scientific and societal challenges.

The following themes will be in focus:

• Quantum Materials
• Liquid-Liquid Phase Separation
• Additive Manufacturing
• Batteries and Energy Materials
• Nuclear and Particle Physics

We look forward to welcoming the community to Lund for this important gathering.

More information:
ESS-ILL User Meeting 2026

27 March 2026

PhD in Chemistry at the University of Glasgow – Muon spectroscopy a new tool to selectively probe zeolite active sites

The successful candidate will be exposed to challenging catalytic reactions and be trained in characterisation techniques such as Raman, XRD and DRIFTS at the University of Glasgow. In addition, experiments at the ISIS Neutron and Muon Source will be a major part of the PhD project, providing invaluable practical experience of working at large-scale facilities and unprecedented insight into theses challenging catalyst materials.

For more information, including contacts and how to apply, see here.

Closing date for applications is Thursday 30 April 2026

9 March 2026

New PSI seminar series focusing on muon spin spectroscopy

PSI are pleased to announce a new seminar series focusing on muon spin spectroscopy, to be held online monthly. The series (A Mu Perspective: The PSI online MuSR Seminar Series) aims is to bring together the global muon community to discuss the most significant developments in the field. PSI are committed to building a series that reflects the true breadth of the MuSR community and especially aim to have contributions from both early career scientists, and long-standing experts in the field. We believe this dialogue between generations of researchers is essential for the future of the technique.

The seminars will be held online, via Teams, at 15:00 CET / 14:00 GMT on the first Tuesday of each month, and will last 40-45 minutes, with time for questions afterwards. PSI will not normally post announcements, so to be informed of all upcoming seminars, please subscribe to the mailing list by visiting https://psilists.ethz.ch/sympa/info/online-muon-seminar.

The first talk will be held on 7 April at 15:00 CET / 14:00 GMT, and will welcome Professor Yasutomo J. Uemura (Columbia University, Physics Department) to give the inaugural presentation on: MuSR studies of the superfluid density in unconventional superconductors: historical developments and possible implications

6 March 2026

Condensed Matter and Quantum Materials (CMQM) 2026 meeting

Registration now open for the The Condensed Matter and Quantum Materials (CMQM) series is home to the UK condensed matter physics community and offers a community-focussed meeting covering a wide range of topics and emerging fields, ranging from solid state and materials physics to many-body effects and quantum simulation.

The conference is supported by a number of Institute of Physics groups and aims at bringing together scientists and PhD students with diverse interests, including 2D materials, new materials, magnetism, superconductivity, devices.

The conference will take place 30 June to 3 July 2026 and is being held at the University of Loughborough, UK.

See here for more information: https://iop.eventsair.com/cmqm2026/

3 March 2026

Launch of the 2nd School of our three-year 2025–2027 cycle of Advanced Schools on “Training in Neutron Techniques” (TNT), organised by the Italian Society for Neutron Sciences (SISN).

The Schools are open to graduates and PhD students, postdocs, and young researchers working in scientific disciplines such as Biology, Chemistry, Earth Sciences, Materials Science, Physics, Sciences for Cultural Heritage Conservation, and related fields.

This 2nd Edition will be devoted to Inelastic Neutron Scattering and will be held in San Giovanni in Valle Aurina (BZ, Italy).

After a warm welcome on the evening of June 13th, 2026, lectures and tutorials will be offered to students coming from all over the world between June 14th and 19th.

Applications for this 2nd Edition are now open. More details can be found in the attached files and on the SISN website (www.sisn.it), where candidates will be able to register. The full school programme will be available shortly.

On behalf of all the organisers,
Our best regards,
Alessio De Francesco (defrance@ill.fr)

23 February 2026

Jülich Centre for Neutron Science (JCNS) 28th Laboratory Course on Neutron Scattering

The Jülich Centre for Neutron Science (JCNS) is pleased to announce that registration is now open for the 28th Laboratory Course on Neutron Scattering, taking place from September 7 to September 18, 2026. The course will be held at Forschungszentrum Jülich (FZJ), Germany, and the Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL), Grenoble, France.

This intensive program consists of:

• One week of lectures and exercises at FZJ, covering the fundamentals of neutron scattering.
• One week of hands-on training at ILL’s world-class neutron facilities, providing practical experience with neutron scattering techniques and their applications in research.

Who Can Apply:

• The course is open to students and early-career postdocs in physics, chemistry, materials science, biosciences, and related fields who wish to apply neutron scattering techniques in their research.

Course Benefits:

• No tuition fees – participation is free
• Accommodation (shared rooms, 2-4 people) and meals provided by JCNS
• Travel reimbursement of up to 500 euros

Upon request, participants may take a written examination at the end of the course in order to obtain ECTS credit points.

For more details and to apply, visit:
www.neutronlab.de

Application deadline: May 03, 2026

We look forward to welcoming you to Jülich and Grenoble!

Best regards,
Margarita Kruteva, Reiner Zorn & Irina Apanasenko

10 February 2026

The Faraday Institution Early Career Researcher Conference and Training Event 2026

This two-day conference and training event is open to any UK-based early career researcher working in energy storage (in academia or industry), whether or not you’re part of an Institute project. It’s designed “by ECRs for ECRs”, with a programme focused on research talks, interactive sessions, professional development workshops, and plenty of networking opportunities.

When: Tuesday 24 – Wednesday 25 March 2026
Where: The Slate, University of Warwick
Register: Registration is now open; register by 23:59 GMT on Monday 16 February 2026 to secure your place.

The £230 registration fee includes two full days of the event, accommodation on campus for the night of 24 March, the conference dinner, refreshments and lunches, a choice of professional development workshop, and dedicated career café sessions to connect with industry partners.

14 January 2026

2026 BTM Willis Prize – Now Open for Nominations

The BTM Willis Prize is awarded by the UK Neutron Scattering Group (NSG) in recognition of outstanding research in neutron scattering sciences by an early-career researcher. The Prize is named in honour of Prof. B. T. M. (Terry) Willis (1927-2018), a pioneer in the development and teaching of neutron scattering in the UK and founder of the NSG. The BTM Willis Prize is awarded to an individual for an outstanding body of work in the application or development of neutron scattering to a significant problem in the physical sciences, life sciences, or engineering.

Eligibility

The BTM Willis Prize is open to nominees based in the UK or Ireland only. Nominees should be an early-career scientist, typically with no more than 10 years of full-time equivalent professional experience. This should be experience gained as part of a scientific career excluding time spent in full-time education, i.e., time spent as a postgraduate student should not be included. Time spent as a post-doctoral researcher should be included.

Career breaks will be taken into consideration, and applications are particularly encouraged from those whose career has spanned a break due to caring responsibilities or personal circumstances, e.g., a period of parental/adoption leave, family commitments, illness, or other exceptional circumstances.

Nominees must be available to present the BTM Willis Prize lecture at NMSUM (Neutron and Muon Science and User Meeting) at the University of Warwick on the 14th and 15th April 2026.

Make a Nomination

To find out more about the Prize and to make a nomination, please complete the online form below.

BTM Willis Prize 2026 – Nomination Form – Fill in form

Deadline for Nominations

All nomination material, including nominee CV and supporter’s statement must be submitted by the deadline of 17:00 GMT on Monday 16th March 2026.

Dr Lucy Clark

Associate Professor of Materials Chemistry
School of Chemistry
University of Birmingham