Frank Wilczek at the 2026 Nobel Symposium in Physics
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Frank Wilczek was among the invited speakers at the 2026 Nobel Symposium in Physics, hosted by Umeå University in Sweden from 29 June to 1 July 2026. The symposium explored metamaterials science and technology, and how light and sound can be structured in space and time.
About the Symposium
The symposium was organized by Associate Professor Nicolò Maccaferri and colleagues at the Department of Physics at Umeå University, within a framework set by the Nobel organisations. It brought together pioneers and rising leaders in electromagnetics, photonics, acoustics, materials science and wave physics to explore the evolution of metamaterials, from visionary concepts to powerful scientific and technological applications.
Maccaferri described it as "a conference at the very highest level," focused on areas where major breakthroughs are happening now or where new questions are beginning to take shape. A central aim was to encourage interdisciplinary exchange and spark collaborations that continue long after the event.
The entire Nobel Committee for Physics attended, along with many members of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences (Physics Class) as observers.
Key Details at a Glance
Dates: June 29 to July 1, 2026
Venue: Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
Theme: Metamaterials science and technology, structuring light and sound in space and time
Organizer: Nicolò Maccaferri, Department of Physics, Umeå University
Attendance: Closed event, invited participants only
Invited Speakers and Their Contributions
Alongside Frank Wilczek (MIT), the invited speakers included Adekunle Adeyeye (Durham University), Hatice Altug (EPFL), Andrea Alù (City University of New York), Alexandra Boltasseva (Purdue University), Mark Brongersma (Stanford University), Federico Capasso (Harvard University), Maria V. Chekhova (Max Planck Institute for the Science of Light), Chiara Daraio (Caltech), Jennifer Dionne (Stanford University), George Eleftheriades (University of Toronto), Nader Engheta (University of Pennsylvania), Mathias Fink (ESPCI Paris), Maria Kafesaki (University of Crete), Philippe Lalanne (Laboratoire de photonique, numérique et nanoscience), Laura Na Liu (University of Stuttgart), John Pendry (Imperial College London), Albert Polman (AMOLF), Cheng-Wei Qiu (National University of Singapore), Junsuk Rho (POSTECH), David Smith (Duke University), Isabelle Staude (University of Jena), Martin Wegener (Karlsruhe Institute of Technology), Anatoly Zayats (King's College London), and Shuang Zhang (University of Hong Kong).
About Nobel Symposia
Nobel Symposia are initiated by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and the Nobel Foundation to promote research dialogue in the spirit of the Nobel Prize. They gather leading researchers to discuss the research frontier and identify new directions, with a focus on in-depth discussion among top experts, often in fields where future Nobel Prize discoveries may emerge. Nobel Symposia have been held since 1965.
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