The 11th PIER Graduate Week takes place from 5 – 8 October 2026 in the Center for Free-Electron Laser Science, Campus Bahrenfeld. This year, our lectures focus on two thematic blocs: 

Course 1. Molecular Modeling (Mathilde Goullieux, CFEL/DESY):
This is an intensive four-day course to introduce molecular modeling principles, covering molecular mechanics, quantum chemistry, molecular dynamics, and multiscale approaches. A combination of lectures and hands-on exercises will showcase how to build and simulate molecular systems and analyze the computational results. We will particularly address how different levels of theory can be used for chemically and biologically relevant problems. By the end of the course, the students will have a conceptual understanding of the computational methods and practical tools that can be applied to their own research.

Course 2. Technology towards Physics beyond the Standard Model (Marten Berger and Niclas Hamann, DESY/University of Hamburg):
This is an intensive eight-lecture course combining BSM physics and accelerator science. It will cover lessons from the LHC, future-collider search strategies, Higgs self-interactions and EFT interpretations, together with beam dynamics, collider architectures, particle sources and plasma acceleration. Examples will span electron-positron, proton-proton, muon and photon colliders as well as plasma acceleration concepts. By the end of the course, the students will have a conceptual understanding of how precision calculations, collider performance, accelerator technologies and interpretation frameworks work together in searches for physics beyond the Standard Model.
 

Extras:

Industry talk with PHILIPS Germany – including company presentation, discussion and networking. Philips is a subsidiary of the Dutch Philips Group. It is headquartered in Hamburg and ranks among the ten largest companies in the German electronics sector. The company is also active in the Health Systems sector and in medical research, and develops and manufactures X-ray tubes, X-ray systems and components in Hamburg.. 

Interdisciplinary poster session: All participants of the graduate week are invited to present their research projects in a poster session.
 

The registration is open until 20 September: https://indico.desy.de/event/54583/