Thematic 3-weeks programme at the Institut Henri Poincaré, Paris, June 15th to July 3rd, 2026.
Programme talks and conference are in amphithéâtre Hermite and Darboux in Borel Building
Beware: It was reported to us that scammers are sending to participants fraudulent e-mails about accomodation/fees. Please be particularly cautious about e-mails not coming from the organisers nor from an @ihp.fr address.
Abstract
Some of the most profound open problems about the physics of quantum fields – especially at strong coupling, beyond the reach of conventional techniques – are newly accessible thanks to recent developments in topological quantum field theory (TQFT). This insight comes with a dramatic evolution of the notion of symmetries in QFT: symmetries can be characterized via topological defects of various codimensions whose multidimensional fusion generalizes wildly the notion of groups to what are called categorical symmetries. This IHP program is the fourth in a series of meetings hosted at various institutes worldwide devoted to the exploration of these aspects of symmetries, the resulting mathematical structures and their physical implications, in the context of the Simons Collaboration on Global Categorical Symmetries. World-class experts in the subject will gather at IHP in an interactive setting alternating lectures and seminars aiming at nourishing collaborations and stimulate further this rapidly evolving field.
During the first week of this program we invite PhD students and postdocs to the fourth GCS summer school. Support is available for those who apply. During the second week of this program we will host the conference Symmetries 2026, an international gathering of experts where the most recent developments about this topic will be presented. The third week of this program is a smaller workshop, where groups of researchers are welcome to network and develop new projects and ideas. More information will appear on this webpage closer to the event.
The program unfolds over three weeks: a school, a conference, and finally a workshop.
GCS '26 School: from June 15 to 19, IHP, Amphithéâtre Hermite
Symmetries 2026 Conference: from June 22 to 26, IHP, Amphithéâtre Hermite
GCS '26 Workshop: from June 29 to July 3, IHP, Amphithéâtre Darboux
Registration is free but mandatory.
Deadline for asking financial support: February 15th, 2026.
Financial support is limited and will be notified by March 15th, 2026.
Places are limited.
Organising committee:
- Ibrahima Bah (John Hopkins University)
- Michele Del Zotto (Uppsala University)
- Theo Johnson Freyd (Dalhousie University & Perimeter Institute)
- Ruben Minasian (CEA Saclay)
- Claudia Scheimbauer (Hamburg University)
Scientific committee:
- Thomas Dumitrescu (University of California Los Angeles)
- Dan Freed (University of Texas)
- Constantin Teleman (University of California Berkley)
Fundings:
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The program receives also support from:
Simons Collaboration on Global Categorical Symmetries
