Detailed Schedule
Sunday July 5, 2026
Monday July 6, 2026
8:00-8:30 Registration open
8:30-8:50 Welcome & Opening remarks
8:50-9:30 Opening talk: Illuminating the Aromatic Universe – Alessandra Candian, University of Amsterdam [IR]
Session 1: Spectroscopic Signatures of PAHs and Fullerenes in Astrophysical Environments I
Chair: Takashi Onaka
9:30-10:10 Spectroscopic Signatures of PAHs in Astrophysical Environments – Alexandros Maragkoudakis, NASA Ames Research Center [IR]
10:10-10:30 PDRs4All: Decoding PAH and Very Small Grain signatures in the Orion Bar – Baria Khan, Western University [C]
10:30-11:00 Coffee break & posters
11:00-11:25 JWST and ALMA Views of the Orion Bar PDR: Results from the PDRs4All Program – Javier Goicoechea, IFF-CSIC [I]
11:25-11:55 Aromatics and Aliphatics in the JWST-Era – Xuejuan Yang, Xiangtan University [I]
11:55-1:30 Lunch break
Session 2: Theoretical Modeling and Laboratory Spectroscopy of PAHs and Fullerenes I
Chair: Ryan Fortenberry
1:30-2:10 Spectroscopy of PAHs and Fullerenes: Insights from Laboratory Astrophysics – Christine Joblin, IRAP, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, CNES [IR]
2:10-2:40 IR spectroscopy of aromatic molecules as predicted by quantum chemistry – Vincent Esposito, Chapman University [I]
2:40-3:00 ALPAHCAS: Computing Anharmonic Spectra of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) from Absorption to Emission – Lars Reems, University of Amsterdam [C]
3:00-3:30 Coffee break & posters
Session 3: Aromatic Molecules in Galaxies Across Cosmic Time I
Chair: Karin Sandstrom
3:30-4:10 PAHs in Galaxies Across Cosmic Time – Brandon Hensley, JPL/Caltech [IR]
4:10-4:40 PAHs, Mid-IR Emission, Gas, and Dust in Nearby Galaxies – Adam Leroy, Ohio State University [I]
4:40-5:00 PAHs trace atomic gas in Local Group galaxies with variations driven by local ISM and dust properties – Devisree Tallapaneni, The Ohio State University [C]
5:00-5:20 Using JWST Photometry to Trace PAH Destruction in HII Regions – Jessica Sutter, Whitman College [C]
Tuesday July 7, 2026
Session 4: Theoretical Modeling and Laboratory Spectroscopy of PAHs and Fullerenes II
Chair: Christine Joblin
8:30-9:00 Infrared Spectroscopy of Aromatics – A Laboratory Perspective – Sandra Brünken, Radboud University [I]
9:00-9:20 Infrared Spectroscopy of the T1 state of Naphthalene – Priyanka Arvind Paunikar, HFML-FELIX, IMM, Radboud University [C]
9:20-9:40 High resolution rovibrational and rotational spectroscopy of small aromatic ions – Divita Gupta, Universität zu Köln [C]
9:40-10:10 Laboratory Simulation of Dust Formation and Molecular Evolution in Evolved Stars and the Interstellar Medium In the STARDUST facility – Jose Martin-Gago, ICMM-CSIC [I]
10:10-10:40 Coffee break & posters
Session 5: Spectroscopic Signatures of PAHs and Fullerenes in Astrophysical Environments II
Chair: Javier Goicoechea
10:40-11:10 The role of PAHs in the ISM and in planet-forming disks – Sílvia Vicente, Lisbon University [I]
11:10-11:30 JWST Edge-on Disk Ice (JEDIce): An analysis of PAHs signatures within the disks – Charles Mentzer, National Tsing Hua University [C]
11:30-12:00 Do Clouds and Disks Create Carbon Grains and Supply them to the ISM – Ted Bergin, University of Michigan [I]
12:00-1:30 Lunch break
Session 6: PAHs in the Solar System I
Chair: Ted Bergin
1:30-2:00 Aromatic Carbon Across the Solar System: Insights from Sample-Return Missions – Hassan Sabbah, University of Toulouse [I]
2:00-2:30 Aromatics in Meteorites: Origins, Evolution, and Connections to the Aromatic Universe – Jose Aponte, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center [I]
2:30-3:00 Beyond Benzene: The Search for Aromatic Molecules on Titan – Conor Nixon, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center [I]
3:00-5:30 Poster session & cash bar
Wednesday July 8, 2026
Session 7: Aromatic Molecules in Galaxies Across Cosmic Time II
Chair: Els Peeters
8:30-9:00 The Metallicity Dependence of PAH Emission in Galaxies – JD Smith, University of Toledo [I]
9:00-9:20 JWST Captures Growth of Aromatic Hydrocarbon Dust Particles in the Extremely Metal-poor Galaxy Sextans A – Elizabeth Tarantino, STScI [C]
9:20-9:40 Variations in PAH Feature Strengths Across Nearby Galaxies Driven by Metallicity and Radiation Field Spectrum – Hannah Koziol, University of California, San Diego [C]
9:40-10:10 The PAH population characteristics in galaxies and AGNs – Dimitra Rigopoulou, University of Oxford [I]
10:10-10:30 PAH Survival in the M82 Superwind with JWST – Serena Cronin, University of Maryland [C]
10:30-11:00 Coffee break & posters
Session 8: Spectroscopic Signatures of PAHs and Fullerenes in Astrophysical Environments III
Chair: Jan Cami
11:00-11:30 Cosmic Fullerenes: from Discovery to a new Paradigm – Morgan Giese, Western University [I]
11:30-11:50 Spatially disentangling carbonaceous emitters in the Iris nebula: from PAHs to C₆₀ – Dries Van De Putte, Western University [C]
11:50 Niagara Falls & Pinery: Pick up lunch box & go to bus
12:30 Departure Niagara Falls
12:30 Departure Pinery
Thursday July 9, 2026
Session 9: Aromatic Molecules in Galaxies Across Cosmic Time III
Chair: Karin Sandstrom
9:00-9:30 PAHs Beyond the Local Universe – Jed McKinney, UT Austin [I]
9:30-9:50 Spatially resolved PAH Spectroscopy in the era of JWST: From resolved PAH maps at cosmic noon to kinematics of PAH features – Fergus Donnan, University of California, San Diego [C]
9:50-10:10 First view on PAHs in massive z=1 main-sequence galaxies with JWST/MIRI MRS – Wuji Wang, Caltech/IPAC [C]
10:10-10:30 Resolving PAH physics at Cosmic Noon: spatially-resolved hot-dust maps and slitless 3.3 μm spectroscopy with JWST/MIRI – Román Fernández Aranda, Center for Astrobiology (CAB), CSIC-INTA [C]
10:30-11:00 Coffee break & posters
Session 10: Theoretical Modeling and Laboratory Spectroscopy of PAHs and Fullerenes III
Chair: Jos Oomens
11:00-11:30 The role of electron cooling in the stability of small carbon-bearing molecules – Piero Ferrari, HFML-FELIX [I]
11:30-11:50 Photostability and Isotope Fractionation in Interstellar PAHs – Annemieke Petrignani, University of Amsterdam [C]
11:50-12:10 Infrared Emission Spectra of Fullerene C60: Experiments and Simulations – Tomonari Wakabayashi, Kindai University [C]
12:10-1:40 Lunch break
Session 11: Spectroscopic Signatures of PAHs and Fullerenes in Astrophysical Environments IV
Chair: Jan Cami
1:40-2:00 In-situ PAH formation in an O-rich Planetary Nebula: The Butterfly Nebula – Nicholas Clark, Western University [C]
2:00-2:20 Proto-PAHs: JWST spectroscopy of complex hydrocarbons in objects evolving into planetary nebulae – Greg Sloan, STScI & UNC Chapel Hill [C]
2:20-2:40 JWST/MIRI Observations of PAH Features around WR140 – Riko Senoo, The University of Tokyo [C]
2:40-5:00 Poster session & cash bar
TBD Conference Dinner
Friday July 10, 2026
Session 12: Aromatic Molecules in Galaxies Across Cosmic Time IV
Chair: JD Smith
8:30-9:00 Dust extinction in the local universe – Marjorie Decleir, ESA at STScI [I]
9:00-9:20 JWST observations of the 2175A UV Bump at high redshift – Katherine Ormerod, Liverpool John Moores University [I]
9:20-9:40 PAH Evolution in Galaxy Simulations – Caleb Choban, Indiana University Bloomington [I]
9:40-10:00 What PAHs reveal about galaxy evolution: insights from cosmological simulations – Massimiliano Parente, University of Florida [C]
10:00-10:30 Coffee break & posters
Session 13: Spectroscopic Signatures of PAHs and Fullerenes in Astrophysical Environments V
Chair: Brett McGuire
10:30-11:00 PAHs in Dense Cores – Gabi Wenzel, MIT & CfA [I]
11:00-11:30 Diffuse Interstellar Bands – Alexander Ebenbichler, Western University [I]
11:30-11:55 Anomalous Microwave Emission – Clive Dickinson, The University of Manchester [I]
11:55-1:30 Lunch break
Session 14: Theoretical Modeling and Laboratory Spectroscopy of PAHs and Fullerenes IV
Chair: Ewen Campbell
1:30-1:55 Laboratory Studies of Interstellar Ion Chemistry and Electronic Spectroscopy – Ugo Jacovella, ISMO Universite Paris-Saclay [I]
1:55-2:15 Isomer-Selected Spectroscopy of Hydrogenated Carbon Cluster Cations and Their Implications for the Diffuse Interstellar Bands – Anne Rasmussen, ISMO, Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS [C]
2:15-2:35 The chemical journey of interstellar PAH nitriles – Ilsa Cooke, University of British Columbia [C]
2:35-3:05 Coffee break & posters
3:05-3:35 From Gas-Phase Growth to Surface Reactivity: Aromatics in Astrophysical Environments – Shane Goettl, University of Hawaii at Manoa [I]
3:35-3:50 Low-energy electron collisions with C60+ at the Cryogenic Storage Ring – Lucia Enzmann, Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics [C]
3:50 Farewell
Invited Speakers
José Aponte
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Ted Bergin
University of Michigan
Sandra Brünken
Radboud University
Alessandra Candian
University of Amsterdam
Caleb Choban
Indiana University Bloomington
Marjorie Decleir
European Space Agency
Clive Dickinson
University of Manchester
Alexander Ebenblicher
Western University
Vincent Esposito
Chapman University
Piero Ferrari
Radboud University
Morgan Giese
Western University
Javier Goicoechea
Instituto de Física Fundamental (CSIC)
Shane Goettl
University of Hawaii
Brandon Hensley
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Ugo Jacovella
Institut des Sciences Moléculaires d’Orsay (ISMO)
Christine Joblin
IRAP, Université de Toulouse, CNRS
José Angel Martín Gago
Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Madrid
Adam Leroy
Ohio State University
Alexandros Maragkoudakis
NASA Ames Research Center
Jed McKinney
University of Texas at Austin
Conor Nixon
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Katherine Ormerod
Liverpool John Moores University
Dimitra Rigopoulou
University of Oxford
Hassan Sabbah
Université de Toulouse
John-David Smith
University of Toledo
Silvia Vicente
Universidade de Lisboa
Gabi Wenzel
Center for Astrophysics ∣ Harvard & Smithsonian
Xuejuan Yang
Xiangtan University