University of Calgary · October 5–7, 2026
9:00 am–4:00 pm daily · In person
A focused three-day workshop on holography, quantum information, bootstrap methods, and quantum gravity—bringing researchers together for invited talks and sustained blackboard discussion.
Quantum Horizons Alberta brings together leading researchers in quantum field theory, quantum gravity, holography, quantum information, and bootstrap methods. This focused workshop pairs one-hour invited talks with extended questions and blackboard sessions, creating time to test ideas, identify common problems, and seed new collaborations across Alberta and beyond.
VENUE: Quantum City, Alastair Ross Technology Centre.
Holography and quantum information
Conformal and S-matrix bootstrap
Quantum field theory and tensor networks
Black hole information and de Sitter quantum gravity
Future directions for foundational quantum research in Alberta
Robert Myers — Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics
Jaume Gomis — Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics
Pedro Vieira — Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics
Simon Caron-Huot — McGill University
Mark Van Raamsdonk — University of British Columbia
Moshe Rozali — University of British Columbia
Gordon Semenoff — University of British Columbia
Kristan Jensen — University of Victoria
Heliudson Bernardo — University of Lethbridge
Saurya Das — University of Lethbridge
Igor Boettcher — University of Alberta
Valérie Bettaque — QHA Calgary Postdoctoral Fellow
Diego Saviot — QHA Calgary Postdoctoral Fellow
Detailed schedule
Talk titles marked TBA will be confirmed.
Day 1 · Monday, October 5
9:00–9:10 — Aninda Sinha / Rob Myers — Welcome & workshop overview
9:10–10:10 — Mark Van Raamsdonk — Compact holography via polarized IKKT
10:10–10:30 — Coffee break
10:30–11:30 — Kristan Jensen — Some curious features of de Sitter quantum gravity
11:30–12:00 — All — Discussion session 1
12:00–13:30 — Lunch (90 min)
13:30–14:30 — Rob Myers — Flat Space Entanglement: A Coulomb Branch Perspective
14:30–15:30 — Gordon Semenoff — Soft hair on the electron: infrared dressing, superselection, and quantum information
15:30–15:55 — Coffee break + open discussion
Day 2 · Tuesday, October 6
9:00–10:00 — Moshe Rozali — Chaos in conformal field theories
10:00–10:20 — Coffee break
10:20–11:20 — Jaume Gomis — Defects in Chern-Simons Theory and Holography
11:20–12:20 — Pedro Vieira — What is the simplest holographic matrix model?
12:20–13:50 — Lunch (90 min)
13:50–14:50 — Simon Caron-Huot — Could the graviton have a small mass?
14:50–15:10 — Coffee break
15:10–15:55 — All — Discussion session 2
Day 3 · Wednesday, October 7
PHYS 303 students are welcome from 2:00 pm.
9:00–10:00 — Igor Boettcher — Discrete holography on hyperbolic lattices
10:00–10:20 — Coffee break
10:20–11:20 — Saurya Das — A non-singular, cyclic universe from a minimal modification of gravity
11:20–12:20 — Heliudson Bernardo — Self-dual gravity and the covariant wavefunction of the universe
12:20–13:50 — Lunch (90 min)
13:50–14:50 — All — Big Questions and The role of AI in hep-th
14:50–15:50 — QHA Postdoc Talks (30 min each)
Valérie Bettaque : Semiclassical Wormholes from SYK Thermal One-Point Functions
Diego Saviot : How is transport affected by quantum anomalies
15:50–15:55 — Aninda Sinha — Closing remarks
The workshop is intended for researchers, postdoctoral fellows, and graduate students working in high-energy theory, quantum gravity, and related fields. Participation is limited to approximately 35 people.
To register your interest, email Ensieh Farrokhi with your name, affiliation, and a brief description of your research area. Registration deadline, confirmation timeline, and any costs or support details will be posted here.
Venue: University of Calgary · Exact building and room to be announced.
Format: In person · Calgary time (Mountain Time).
Aninda Sinha — Interim Director, QHA Calgary Node; QHA Senior Fellow, University of Calgary; Professor, Centre for High Energy Physics, IISc
Robert Myers — Co-organizer; Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics; former Scientific Director
Ensieh Farrokhi — Workshop coordinator; Quantum Horizons Alberta; University of Calgary
Quantum Horizons Alberta · University of Calgary · Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics
Department of Physics and Astronomy (PHAS)
University of Calgary
Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics
Quantum Horizons Alberta