From April 25 to 29, 2026, The First LHAASO Collaboration Conference in 2026 was held at the Suzhou Campus of Nanjing University. The conference was hosted by the Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and organized by the School of Astronomy and Space Science, Nanjing University, together with the Institute of Deep Space Sciences and Technology, Frontier Science Center, Nanjing University. More than 188 scholars and students from 32 research institutions in China and abroad attended the conference.
The conference focused on the latest progress within the LHAASO Collaboration and provided an in-depth platform for academic exchange. A total of 53 oral presentations and 52 posters were presented. The oral sessions covered reports from various collaboration committees, updates from the detector operation working group, progress in observational data and physics analysis, as well as recent developments in theoretical research. In addition to dedicated discussion periods, the poster session also featured a five-minute flash presentation for each poster, further enhancing the efficiency and depth of scholarly exchange.
A science outreach subforum was also organized during the conference. Nanjing University, in collaboration with the Institute of High Energy Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Jiangsu Astronomical Society, hosted the 4th “Particle Astrophysicists on Campus” program. A team of 20 experts visited primary and secondary schools across Suzhou and delivered 20 public science lectures. These activities were warmly received and demonstrated the conference’s broader impact in promoting science communication and fostering public engagement with frontier scientific research.
On the morning of April 26, the conference held the award ceremony for the first recipients of the Academician Cao Zhen Scholarship and Teaching Award. The awardees were postdoctoral researcher Wang Liping from the Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, postdoctoral researcher Zhang Rui from Purple Mountain Observatory, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and doctoral student Zhang Zhipeng from the University of Science and Technology of China. The awards further encouraged young scholars and students to devote themselves to research in cosmic-ray-related physics and to pursue excellence in scientific exploration.
On the evening of April 28, the conference hosted the “Scientist-Entrepreneur Dialogue: Nanjing University–YAI Salon.” Distinguished guests from Nanjing University, the Institute of High Energy Physics, Gusu Laboratory, Suzhou Big Data Group, Huawei Cloud, Baidu Qianfan, Bank of Suzhou, and Yuanyu Zhisuan, among other institutions and enterprises, delivered ten thematic talks on the integration of frontier scientific research and industrial application. The event explored effective pathways for translating scientific innovation into real-world impact and sought to bridge the “last mile” from fundamental research to industrial implementation.
The conference concluded successfully at noon on April 29. Academician Cao Zhen of the Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, delivered the closing remarks. Four Outstanding Poster Awards were presented to Xingfu Zhang and Chaonan Tong from Nanjing University, as well as Ensheng Chen and Xiang Guangman from the Institute of High Energy Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences.
The successful convening of the conference provided a high-level platform for members of the LHAASO Collaboration to engage in in-depth discussions on detector operation, data analysis, physics research, and collaborative development. It further strengthened the research community’s shared commitment to advancing innovation in high-energy astrophysics. Nanjing University will continue to leverage its disciplinary strengths and academic platforms to support major national scientific missions and contribute to the high-quality development of frontier research in high-energy astrophysics.