We are launching a high-level physics symposium series in Shanghai. The initiative is envisioned as an exclusive, closed-door meeting series, bringing together a compact cohort of preeminent scientists spanning diverse disciplines and global regions to deliberate on core fundamental physics challenges, pinpoint cutting-edge emerging research frontiers, and chart the development trajectory of modern physics—drawing profound inspiration from the pioneering ethos of the Solvay Conferences. The series is curated to foster an informal, dialogue-centric atmosphere, with only a modest slate of formal presentations arranged per day. This symposium was initiated from a discussion between Professor Zhang Jie, the director of Tsung-Dao Lee Institute and former President of Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU), and Mr. Sha Ye, a distinguished SJTU alumnus, who also provides generous financial sponsorship for the programme.
The tentative core theme for the inaugural 2026 meeting is “Fundamental Discoveries through Precision Measurements”. Slated for mid-November 2026, this opening gathering will center on how state-of-the-art, ultra-sensitive detection instruments—quantum sensing among flagship examples—can drive significant breakthroughs in probing pivotal open questions in fundamental physics, including dark matter’s intrinsic nature, neutrino characteristics, experimental verification of fundamental symmetries, and gravity-related research avenues.
The meeting is tentatively scheduled for November 16–19, 2026 in Shanghai. Following the symposium, an optional field visit to the China Jinping Underground Laboratory—home to the PandaX experiment—will be arranged for interested participants.
The international advisory committee:
- Barry Barish（UCR and Caltech; Nobel Laureate）
- Takaaki Kajita（UTokyo; Nobel Laureate）
- Elena Aprile（Columbia）
- John Ellis（KCL and CERN）
- Jim Gates（UMD）
- Francis Halzen（UW–Madison）
- Wick Haxton（UC Berkeley）
- Jianwei Pan（USTC）
- Yifang Wang（IHEP, CAS）
- Jun Ye（CU Boulder and NIST）
The local organization committee:
- Jie Zhang (TDLI, chair)
- Xiangdong Ji (TDLI)
- Jianglai Liu (TDLI)
- Hongjian He (TDLI)
- Yifan Chen (TDLI)
- Haibo Yu (UC Riverside)
A tentative scientific program :
Nov. 15, 2026 (Sunday): arrival: reception/welcome talk
Day 1: Dark matter
Day2: Fundamental neutrino properties
Day3: Gravity, gravitational waves, and quantum gravity
Day4: AMO/EDM/fundamental symmetry
