WOST School 2026

The WOST School 2026 took place at the École de Physique des Houches, France, from 31 August to 11 September 2026. The school was funded by the WOST consortium and was organized in the spirit of WOST's broader objectives: to educate and foster interactions among young researchers working at the emerging interface between quantum gravity and quantum information. These two fields have only recently begun to intersect in a systematic and meaningful way, creating a rapidly developing area with many open conceptual and technical questions.

The school was organized by Lucas Hackl, Ivan Agullo, Pablo Arrighi, Eugenio Bianchi, Lin-Qing Chen, Beatriz Elizaga de Navascués, and Agustin Vanrietvelde. It brought together 59 participants and 13 lecturers, providing an unusually broad and diverse program covering different aspects of Loop Quantum Gravity, quantum information and foundations, and their emerging connections.

Scientific program and lecturers

The main program featured 10 regular lecturers, including three of the organizers, complemented by three satellite lecturers. The regular lecturers were:

• Hal Haggard (Bard College, USA)

• Renato Renner (ETH Zurich, Switzerland)

• Eduardo Martín-Martínez (University of Waterloo, Canada)

• Emily Adlam (Chapman University, USA)

• Anne-Catherine de la Hamette (ETH Zurich, Switzerland)

• Markus Aspelmeyer (University of Vienna, Austria)

• Eugenio Bianchi (Penn State University, USA)

• Ivan Agullo (University of Valencia, Spain)

• Beatriz Elizaga de Navascués (University of Castilla-La Mancha, Spain)

• V. Vilasini (Université Grenoble Alpes, France)

  
  

The satellite program featured lectures by:

• Carlo Rovelli (CPT Marseille, France)

• Francesca Vidotto (CSIC Madrid, Spain)

• Flaminia Giacomini (University of Rome Tor Vergata, Italy)

  
  

The resulting program exposed participants to a broad range of perspectives and approaches. In particular, the lectures emphasized both foundational and technical aspects of quantum gravity and quantum information, while highlighting the fruitful connections between the two fields.

A central goal in designing the school was to give participants an active role in shaping the scientific program rather than simply providing a sequence of conventional lectures. To achieve this, each day began with a plenary meeting, held immediately after breakfast, during which participants discussed and proposed activities, discussion sessions, and other initiatives that they wished to organize themselves, either independently or in collaboration with lecturers and organizers. The formal lectures were concentrated in the early morning and late afternoon, leaving substantial portions of the day available for participant-driven activities.

The lectures themselves were also deliberately designed to be highly interactive. Ample time was allocated for questions and discussion, and lecturers were encouraged to engage directly with participants rather than simply delivering traditional lecture courses. This format created an environment in which questions, ideas, and discussions could develop naturally throughout the day.

On the final evening of the school, a “Colorful Evening” was organized, providing an opportunity for participants, lecturers, and organizers to share their talents in a relaxed and informal setting. Volunteers contributed a wide variety of performances, reflecting the diverse interests and talents within the school community. The evening included magic tricks, singing, and instrumental performances, among other contributions. Students, lecturers, and organizers all took part, creating a warm, joyful, and enriching atmosphere that complemented the scientific program and further strengthened the sense of community that characterized the school.

Overall, the WOST School 2026 successfully fulfilled its main objectives of providing advanced education and, equally importantly, fostering interaction at the emerging interface between quantum gravity and quantum information. The format of the school proved particularly effective in encouraging participants to take ownership of the scientific program and in creating an open environment for the exchange of ideas. The organizers consider this combination of lectures, discussions, and participant-led activities to have been one of the main strengths of the school.

More broadly, the school achieve an important goal beyond its scientific objectives: strengthening the personal connections and friendships among all members of the community (students, lecturers, and organizers alike) and creating a lasting sense of camaraderie among the participants.