Space Agriculture Workshop
18-19 September 2025, Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia
Scope:
The aim of this workshop is to provide a platform for interdisciplinary collaboration among scientists and experts working on various aspects of extraterrestrial settlement, with a particular focus on in situ space agriculture in space stations and on the Moon and Mars. The event encourages the exchange of knowledge, sharing of research findings, and the development of new forms of cooperation across disciplines such as physics (e.g. plasma physics, astrophysics), biology (botany, plant physiology, microbiology, food biology), astrochemistry and astrobiology. This informal workshop aims to promote discussions that can lead to a pan-European community collaborating in space agriculture. The workshop is organised such as to allow opportunities for all participants to present their work and ideas. There is no registration fee.
Rocky Worlds 4 Conference
Groningen, Netherlands, from 19-23 January 2026
Scope:
Applying the detailed empirical understanding gleaned from the terrestrial planets of our own Solar System is crucial in our interpretation of exoplanetary systems. With the ongoing and upcoming surveys to search for small planets around nearby stars, we can anticipate huge growth in the number and information on detected rocky exoplanets in the coming decades. As the characterisation of these new planetary systems proceeds it will in turn improve understanding of our own Solar System, and in particular of how potentially habitable Earth-like planets form, evolve, and are distributed throughout the galaxy. The Rocky Worlds Meeting Series brings together planetary scientists, astronomers, and earth scientists to foster discussion and build the collaborations that will pave the way for the next frontiers of rocky exoplanet discovery and characterisation.
Confirmed Keynote speakers :
Hannah Diamond-Lowe (STScI) – Atmospheres
Lena Noack (FU Berlin) – Astrobiology
Charles-Édouard Boukaré (York University) – Interiors
Heike Rauer (DLR Berlin) – Instrumentation
Mariana Sanchez (Leiden University) – Formation: astronomical perspective
Damanveer Grewal (Yale) – Formation: geochemical perspective
SOC :
Tim Lichtenberg, Yamila Miguel, Oliver Shorttle, Amy Bonsor, Inga Kamp, Quentin Changeat, Inge Loes ten Kate, Floris van der Tak, Wim van Westrenen, Nienke van der Marel, Ignas Snellen, Jean-Michel Desert, Michiel Min, Stephanie Cazaux
Abstract and Registration Timeline:
1 Jun 2025: Abstract submission opens
1 Sep 2025: Registration opens
14 Sep 2025: Abstract submission deadline
Oct 2025: Programme announcement
14 Nov 2025: Early-bird registration deadline
14 Dec 2025: Registration deadline
19-23 Jan 2026: Rocky Worlds 4 in Groningen
Paris, July 5-10, 2026
We are pleased to announce Origins 2026 (IAU Symposium 407), jointly organized by the International Society for the Study of the Origins of Life – The International Astrobiology Society (ISSOL) and Commission F3 of the International Astronomical Union (IAU). The meeting will take place from 5–10 July 2026 in Paris, France.
This event will bring together experts from diverse fields—including chemistry, biology, planetary science, and astrophysics—to explore the origins of life and habitability on Earth and beyond. Hosted at the prestigious Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle and Sorbonne University, the conference will highlight interdisciplinary research on the transition from non-living to living systems, focusing on early Earth environments, evolutionary processes, and the search for biosignatures in the universe.
The program will feature the latest discoveries in prebiotic chemistry, the evolution of early life, and habitability across the Solar System and exoplanets, as well as philosophical and historical perspectives. Special emphasis will be placed on the contributions of early-career researchers. This landmark event aims to strengthen international collaborations and advance our understanding of life’s emergence.
Registration and abstract submission will open in October 2025, but you can already sign-up here to receive up-to-date information.
We look forward to meeting you in Paris!.
Best regards,
The Origins 2026 Organizing com