Building on the first edition of Cosmic Connections, this national meeting will bring together researchers in cosmology. The 2026 edition will focus on the growing role of artificial intelligence and machine learning across cosmic scales, while retaining a broad scientific scope covering topics from the Early, Intermediate, and Late Universe. The talks and discussions are distributed (but not limited to) in the following areas:

• Early Universe: Inflation, primordial perturbations, CMB, primordial GWs      

• Intermediate Universe: Dark ages, cosmic dawn, reionization, JWST results

• Late Universe: Dark energy, large-scale structure, galaxy surveys, Lyman-alpha forest, 21cm cosmology, tensions in cosmology

Three-day conference: September 7 to 9, 2026

Dedicated AI/ML workshop: September 10 and 11, 2026.

In addition to encouraging discussions on recent research developments and fostering collaborations within the community, Cosmic Connections aims to provide a platform for early-career researchers, especially PhD students and postdoctoral researchers, to present their work, interact with the broader community, and explore future academic opportunities.

The meeting will be live streamed on the matsciencechannel.

Website for the first edition of Cosmic Connections: https://sites.google.com/imsc.res.in/cosmic-connections

Registration link:

Please register for the conference following the link: https://forms.gle/ZUwugtauUbVzSVep8

There is no registration fee for the conference. 

Note that only PhD students, Postdocs and faculty members can register. Deadline for registration is July 25, 2026. Selected participants will be notified in August.

Format of the meeting:

The conference will include plenary talks, contributed talks, flash talks, and poster presentations. Plenary talks will be of 40+5 minutes, while contributed talks will be of 25+5 minutes, including time for discussion. Selected participants will also be invited to give 4-minute flash talks linked to their poster presentations.

The workshop will consist of longer talks and tutorials of approximately 60–90 minutes. The tutorials will include hands-on sessions, and further details on the workshop format will be shared later.

Support

Accommodation: We can provide lodging for a limited number of participants.

Meals: All meals during the conference are included for all participants.

Local Transport: Dedicated transport between the venue and the accommodation arranged by us will be provided.

Travel: Please be advised that we are unable to support travel costs to and from Chennai. Participants must arrange their own travel.

How to reach IMSc:

From Chennai Central Railway Station (Park Town):

• The station is roughly 16km from IMSc.

• By Pre-paid Auto/Taxi: Official pre-paid booths are available near the station's main exit. You'll need the IMSc address and any relevant landmarks to book. A pre-paid autorickshaw might cost around Rs. 150-200 (confirm at the booth). Taxis will cost more.

• By Public Transport (MRTS Train):

  1. Exit the station and walk up the bridge opposite the main entrance to the 'Park Town' MRTS station.

  2. Take a train heading 'towards Velachery'.

  3. Get off at the 'Indiranagar' station.

  4. IMSc is just a short walk across the main road from the station. (This is a very economical option).

From Chennai Airport (Meenambakkam):

• The airport is located about 16km from IMSc. It consists of the Anna International Terminal and the Kamaraj Domestic Terminal, which are situated close to each other.

• By Pre-paid Taxi: You can find several pre-paid taxi counters inside the airport terminals. Provide the IMSc address and landmarks when booking. Expect a flat rate of approximately Rs. 500-600 for the trip to IMSc.

How to reach IMSc Hostel (Pallavaram):

From Chennai Central Railway Station (Chennai Park):

• By Pre-paid Auto/Taxi: Official pre-paid booths are located near the station’s main exit. You’ll need to mention the IMSc Hostel (Pallavaram) address and any nearby landmarks when booking. A pre-paid autorickshaw might cost around Rs. 300-400 (confirm at the booth). Taxis will cost more.

• By Public Transport (MRTS Train):

  1. Exit the station and walk up the bridge opposite the main entrance to the 'Chennai Park' (Note: Not Park Town) station.

  2. Take a train heading towards Tirumalpur/Tambaram/Chengalpattu.

  3. Get off at the 'Pallavaram' station.

  4. IMSc Hostel is just a 500 m walking distance from the station. (This is a very economical option).

From Chennai Airport (Meenambakkam):      

• The airport is located about 2.2 km from IMSc Hostel Pallavaram. It consists of the Anna International Terminal and the Kamaraj Domestic Terminal, which are situated close to each other.

• By Pre-paid Taxi: Several pre-paid taxi counters are available inside both terminals. Provide the IMSc Hostel address and landmarks when you book. The approximate flat rate is about Rs. 100–150. Alternatively, you could walk around 10–15 minutes to reach the hostel from the airport.

Click here for the Google map location of IMSc hostel Pallavaram.

How to reach Hotel Ginger(Taramani IITM):

From Chennai Central Railway Station (Chennai Park):

• By Pre-paid Auto/Taxi: Official pre-paid booths are located near the station’s main exit. You’ll need to mention the address and any nearby landmarks (IITM Research Park) when booking. A pre-paid autorickshaw might cost around Rs. 200-250 (confirm at the booth). Taxis will cost more.

• By Public Transport (MRTS Train):

  1. Exit the station and walk up the bridge opposite the main entrance to the 'Park Town' MRTS station.

  2. Take a train heading 'towards Velachery'.

  3. Get off at the 'Indiranagar' station.

  4. From 'Indiranagar' station you need to take a cab/auto rickshaw to Hotel Ginger. It is about 3 km from the station.

From Chennai Airport (Meenambakkam):      

• The airport is located about 15 km from Hotel Ginger. It consists of the Anna International Terminal and the Kamaraj Domestic Terminal, which are situated close to each other.

• By Pre-paid Taxi: You can find several pre-paid taxi counters inside the airport terminals. Provide the IMSc address and landmarks when booking. Expect a flat rate of approximately Rs. 500-600 for the trip to Hotel Ginger.

Click here for the Google map location of Hotel Ginger.

How to contact us:

You can contact the local organizers for any information regarding the workshop. Here are the email addresses: 

Debabrata Chandra, email: debabratac [at] imsc.res.in

Ajoy Dawn, email: ajoydawn [at] imsc.res.in 

Anik Ghosh, email: anikg [at] imsc.res.in

Sanhitaa Guha, email: sanhitaag [at] imsc.res.in
Dhiraj Kumar Hazra, email: dhiraj [at] imsc.res.in

Funding

This meeting is funded by the Institute of Mathematical Sciences, Department of Atomic Energy, Government of India.