22

March 2026 ESRFnews

UOC event : XAS for chemistry and

materials science

18 – 20 March 2026

There is growing interest in X - ray

absorption spectroscopy ( XAS ) from

new user groups who present strong

scientific cases but often have limited

experience with X - ray spectroscopy . On

the other hand , the lack of XAS training

remains one of the major bottlenecks in

the beamtime - to - publication pipeline .

Organised by the ESRF User Organisation

Committee and held at the ESRF in

Grenoble , this three - day course provides

focused training in XAS for users in

chemistry and materials science . It is aimed

primarily at researchers who have already

carried out XAS experiments at the ESRF

and are now engaged in analysing their

data . Responding to the sustained demand

for XAS beamtime and expertise , the

programme combines introductions to

experimental principles with practical

guidance on data analysis approaches ,

including XANES , EXAFS and XES . See

esrf . fr / home / events / conferences / 2026 /

uoc - event - xas - for - chemistry - and -

materials - science . html .

School on high - pressure techniques

( 2nd edition )

23 – 27 March 2026

This week - long school at the ESRF aims

to give an introduction to high pressure

research at synchrotron radiation

facilities and to present the opportunities

in this field with the Extremely Brilliant

Source upgrade . The programme

is structured around morning

lectures covering the fundamentals

of high - pressure methods and their

implementation at synchrotron

facilities followed by afternoon practical

sessions in small groups During these

sessions participants gain hands on

experience with a wide range of pressure

devices including diamond anvil cells

resistively heated laser heated and

cryogenic autoclaves triaxial presses

and Paris Edinburgh presses Alongside

practical training the school provides

space for discussion of experimental

strategies sample environments and

recent instrumental developments

within the high - pressure community .

As with other ESRF schools , the aim

is to equip participants with both

conceptual understanding and practical

skills that can be transferred directly to

future experiments . All participants are

encouraged to present a poster . See

esrf . fr / home / events / conferences / 2026 /

school - on - high - pressure - techniques . html .

HERCULES : 35 years

27 – 28 March 2026

This two - day anniversary workshop

marks 35 years of the Higher European

Research Course for Users of Large

Experimental Systems ( HERCULES ) and

its long - standing role in training users of

synchrotron and neutron facilities . Hosted

on the EPN Campus and at Auditorium

Grenoble INP , and co - organised by

HERCULES , the ESRF and the ILL , the

meeting brings together representatives of

large - scale facilities , former HERCULES

participants and members of the wider

scientific community . The programme

combines scientific presentations

reflecting on the development , scope and

impact of the school with round - table

discussions that look ahead to future

training needs and challenges across

disciplines . Social events , including a gala

evening , form part of the programme .

See indico . esrf . fr / event / 231 / .

G - RADNEXT workshop 2026 :

radiation hardness testing for

semiconductor devices and systems

6 – 7 May 2026

Radiation effects in semiconductor

devices have come to play a major role

in the performance and reliability of

today ’ s electronics . Several questions

also arise from emerging applications

such as self driving cars nanosatellites

and medical implants This in person

workshop brings together industry

and research communities concerned

with radiation effects in semiconductor

devices and electronic systems Held at

ENEA s Villa Mondragone premises in

Frascati Italy the meeting focuses on

radiation hardness testing in the context

of increasingly complex technologies

and emerging application areas As

demand for radiation testing continues

to grow , the workshop addresses both

the limitations of traditional testing

methodologies and the challenges faced

by irradiation facilities in meeting

industrial needs . Organised within the

framework of the H2020 RADNEXT

programme , the event aims to strengthen

links between industrial users , academic

experts in radiation effects and operators

of irradiation facilities , providing a

forum for discussion and exchange

across sectors . Building on a series of

previous G - RAD and G - RADNEXT

workshops held since 2020 , the meeting

continues an established dialogue between

stakeholders involved in the design , testing

and qualification of radiation - tolerant

technologies . Attendance is free of charge .

See indico . cern . ch / event / 1577141 / .

Structural characterisation of

macromolecular complexes

27 May – 3 June 2026

Recent advances in cryo - electron

microscopy / tomography , super - resolution

microscopy and deep - learning - based

protein structure prediction , combined

with increasingly sophisticated sample

preparation methods , have transformed

structural biology . Solving the field ’ s

most complex challenges will require

researchers who can strategically integrate

these powerful tools . Hosted on the

EPN Campus in Grenoble , this EMBL

course emphasises integrated strategies

that combine experimental structural

biology techniques with advanced

computational methods . Through a

mix of lectures and practical sessions ,

participants gain insight into how

complementary approaches can be

combined within coherent structural

biology workflows The course

reflects the growing importance of

interdisciplinary training at the interface

of experiment computation and theory

It is aimed at researchers seeking a

broader understanding of modern

structural characterisation methods and

their application to complex biological

systems See embl org about info

course and conference office events

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