Science Week Programme

22–26 June 2026 | Alpine Heath Resort, Drakensberg

Monday, 22 June

09:00–09:15 Welcome and Introductory Remarks — Sarah Buchner

09:15–09:20 Announcements

Session 1: PTA Updates

09:20–11:00 · Chair: TBD

09:20–09:33	Marisa Geyer & Christo Venter	APT Status Update
09:33–09:46	Siyuan Chen	CPTA Status Update
09:46–09:59	Irene Ferranti	EPTA Status Update
09:59–10:12	Abhimanyu Susobhanan	InPTA Status Update
10:12–10:25	Sarah Vigeland	NANOGrav Status Update
10:25–10:38	Daniel Reardon	PPTA Status Update
10:38–10:51	Ryan Shannon	MPTA Status Update

11:00–11:30 Break

Session 2: PTA Updates + Pulsar Timing

11:30–13:00 · Chair: TBD

11:30–11:50	Colin ClarkInvited	Gamma-ray Pulsar Timing Array
11:50–12:03	Deborah Good	Lessons Learned from IPTA DR3
12:03–12:16	Kuo Liu	IPTA Data Release 3 — status of the dataset
12:16–12:29	Serena Valtolina	Combining radio and gamma-ray pulsar observations for PTA experiments
12:29–12:42	Abhimanyu Susobhanan	Advances in wideband pulsar timing methods
12:42–12:55	Sparrow Roch	The Parkes Young Pulsar Array as a Gravitational-Wave Control Sample

13:00–14:00 Lunch

Session 3: Pulsar Timing + Noise Analysis

14:00–15:30 · Chair: TBD

14:00–14:20	Ryan ShannonInvited	The PTA Noise Analysis
14:20–14:33	Debabrata Deb	Customised Single-Pulsar Noise Characterisation in InPTA DR2 and Implications for PTA GW Searches
14:33–14:46	Hendrik Combrinck	Dispersion Measure Modelling and Characterisation of the MPTA
14:46–14:59	Thomas Abbott	Constraining Timing Noise Through Low Frequency Observations with the MeerKAT PTA
14:59–15:12	Alexander Saffer	Including Black-Widow Pulsars in PTAs
15:12–15:25	Sofia Sosa Fiscella	Pulsar Timing meets VLBI: The Quest for Improved Pulsar Astrometry

15:30–16:00 Break

16:00–16:30 Discussion: PECS

16:30–17:30 Poster Viewing

18:30 Dinner

Tuesday, 23 June

09:15–09:20 Announcements

Session 4: ISM + Profile Variability

09:20–11:00 · Chair: TBD

09:20–09:33	Graham Doskoch	A Search for Chromatic Transient Events in IPTA DR3
09:33–09:46	Shania Nichols	Timing Through Pulse Shape Variability in PSR J1713+0747
09:46–09:59	Ruggero Valdata	Realistic simulations of the IISM for pulsar timing array noise modelling
09:59–10:12	Ankita Ghosh	Connecting single-pulse jitter with profile stability for characterizing timing noise in MSPs
10:12–10:25	Selah Melfor	Probing the turbulence in the ionized ISM with long-term DM and RM variations of young pulsars
10:25–10:38	Matthew Bartnik	Using CHIME Dispersion Measure Data as Priors on NANOGrav Data
10:38–10:51	Xiaosong Hu	Searching for Non-Stationary Noise in PPTA-DR3

11:00–11:30 Break

Session 5: GW Astrophysics & Detection

11:30–13:00 · Chair: TBD

11:30–11:50	Alberto Roper PolInvited	Cosmological Background Interpretation of PTA data
11:50–12:03	Valentina Di Marco	A transdimensional sampling framework for pulsar timing noise modelling
12:03–12:16	Tyler Cohen	Optimal PTA Observing Strategies using Population Synthesis
12:16–12:29	Pratyasha Gitika	Search for burst with memory in the MPTA 4.5 year dataset
12:29–12:42	Patrick Meyers	The latest updates to the Discovery PTA software package
12:42–12:55	Riccardo Truant	Hierarchical Models for Pulsar Noise Processes: Mitigating Posterior Bias in GW Searches

13:00–14:00 Lunch

Session 6: GW Astrophysics & Detection

14:00–15:30 · Chair: TBD

14:00–14:20	Jonathan GairInvited	Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA)
14:20–14:33	Kathrin Grunthal	Nanohertz GW detection using pulsar timing phases
14:33–14:46	Malgorzata Curylo	A comprehensive framework for phase-coherent mapping of the gravitational wave sky
14:46–14:59	Adrien Cogez	Ongoing search for memory effect in IPTA-DR3
14:59–15:12	Wangwei Yu	Stochastic gravitational-wave background search using data from five pulsar timing arrays
15:12–15:25	Kennan Benali	Random Forest Classification of Gravitational Wave Background Sources in Pulsar Timing Models

15:30–16:00 Break

16:00–17:30 Discussion: IPTA DR3 — Data Combination and GW Analysis

18:30 Boma Dinner

Wednesday, 24 June

09:15–09:20 Announcements

Session 7: ISM + Profile Variability

09:20–11:00 · Chair: TBD

09:20–09:33	Saurav Mishra	Interplanetary scintillation-informed heliospheric modelling for the MPTA 4.5 yr dataset
09:33–09:46	Anala Kavumkandathil Sreekumar	NANOGrav 15yr dataset: DM Structure Function Analysis
09:46–09:59	Rami Mandow	Profile-Change Events in Millisecond Pulsars: A PPTA Population Study
09:59–10:12	Sai Chaitanya Susarla	Modelling frequency evolution using machine learning methods
10:12–10:25	Ross Jennings	Modeling Recovery of Interstellar Scattering Using Cyclic Spectroscopy
10:25–10:38	Pratik Tarafdar	Sub-band optimisation to model frequency-dependent intrinsic pulse profile evolution
10:38–10:51	Lydia Guertin	Prospects (and Successes) of Probing the Multiphase Interstellar Medium with Pulsar Timing Arrays

11:00–11:30 Break

Session 8: General Relativity Tests & Binary Systems

11:30–13:00 · Chair: TBD

11:30–11:50	Paulo FreireInvited	Future of Gravity Experiments with Pulsars
11:50–12:03	Jaikhomba Singha	Precision timing of the relativistic double neutron system, PSR J1757-1854
12:03–12:16	Jyotijwal Debnath	Light Bending Under General Relativity: A Study of Pulsar-Black Hole Binaries
12:16–12:29	Jeandrew Brink	Resonant Pacemakers — Heartthrob of Sgr A* emission
12:29–12:42	Adya Shukla	Constraining the proposed hierarchical triple scenario for the eccentric MSP binary PSR J1618-3921
12:42–12:55	Jackson Taylor	Using Pulsars as Accelerometers to Search for Exotic Objects

13:00 Lunch & Free Afternoon

18:30 Dinner

Thursday, 25 June

09:15–09:20 Announcements

Session 9: GW Astrophysics

09:20–09:59 · Chair: TBD

09:20–09:33	Beatrice E. Moreschi	Modeling the nHz gravitational wave background with t-process
09:33–09:46	Deepali Agarwal	Optimal Reconstruction of Angular Power Spectrum using pulsar timing array

Session 10: Continuous Gravitational Waves

09:59–11:00 · Chair: TBD

09:47–10:00	Anna Tsai	Reaching diffraction-limited localization with coherent PTAs
10:00–10:13	Siyuan Chen	Searching for continuous gravitational waves with the SHAPES method
10:13–10:26	Bjorn Larsen	Exploring next-generation continuous gravitational wave search methods in simulations
10:26–10:39	Nikita Agarwal	Broad Frequency Targeted Continuous Wave Search with the NANOGrav 15 Year Dataset
10:39–10:52	Irene Ferranti	Searching for resolvable Supermassive Black Hole Binaries in PTA Data with Discovery

11:00–11:30 Break

Session 11: Continuous Gravitational Waves

11:30–13:00 · Chair: TBD

11:30–11:50	Bence BecsyInvited	Beyond the Background: Resolving Individual Supermassive Black Hole Binaries with PTAs
11:50–12:03	Ludovica Carbone	Pinpointing PTA Single Sources: Sequential SBI for Sky Localization
12:03–12:16	Vidit Singh	Incorporating Post-Newtonian Accurate GW Emission Effects in PTA Signals from Individual SMBHBs
12:16–12:29	Sara Manzini	Eccentric binaries in PTA data: parameter estimation and interplay with the GW background
12:29–12:42	Xiaoming Bi	A forecast on the observation of discreteness in the nanohertz GW background
12:42–12:55	Sharon Mary Tomson	Hierarchical Population Inference of the SMBHB Merger Rate from PTA Single-Source Searches

13:00–14:00 Lunch

Session 12: Astrophysical Interpretation

14:00–15:30 · Chair: TBD

14:00–14:20	Chiara MingarelliInvited	Astrophysical Interpretations of PTA datasets
14:20–14:33	Jordan O'Kelley	BOBCat: A Catalog of Modeled SMBHBs
14:33–14:46	Niccolò Veronesi	Counting and Ranking the hosts of realistic PTA resolved sources
14:46–14:59	Lutendo Nyadzani	Testing VLBI-Identified Supermassive Black Hole Binaries Against Pulsar Timing Array Constraints
14:59–15:12	Jacob Cardinal Tremblay	Multi-Messenger Searches for Supermassive Black Hole Binaries
15:12–15:25	Avinash K. Paladi	Constraining Orbital Eccentricity of a Supermassive Black Hole Binary Candidate PKS 2131-021

15:30–16:00 Break

16:00–16:30 Discussion: Continuous GWs and Astrophysical Interpretation

18:30 Conference Dinner

Friday, 26 June

09:15–09:20 Announcements

Session 13: Non-PTA Science

09:20–11:00 · Chair: TBD

09:20–09:33	Ramesh Bhat	Millisecond pulsar census and discoveries from the SMART survey
09:33–09:46	Jyotirmoy Das	GCGPS: Discoveries and New Insights from GMRT Pulsar Searches in Globular Clusters
09:46–09:59	Denisha Pillay	Latest discoveries from the MPIfR-MeerKAT Galactic Plane Survey
09:59–10:12	Alessandra Squillace	Early Results from the CHIME All-sky Multiday Pulsar Stacking Search
10:12–10:25	Patrick O'Neill	An ultra-wideband census of giant pulse emitters
10:25–10:38	Venumadhava Prayag	Searching for and characterising pulsars in the Large Magellanic Cloud using MeerKAT
10:38–10:51	Kevin Wilson	Pulse profiles of the RRAT J1819-1458

11:00–11:30 Break

Session 14: New Physics & Future Methods

11:30–13:00 · Chair: TBD

11:30–11:50	Fernando CamiloInvited	Future with MeerKAT+ and transition into SKA
11:50–12:03	Michael Sarkis	Dark matter signals in pulsar polarisation data
12:03–12:16	Atiqur Rahman	Searching alternative polarisation modes of Gravitational Wave Background in the MPTA dataset
12:16–12:29	Arian von Blanckenburg	Evaluating the optimal Hellings and Downs reconstruction
12:29–12:42	Kazuya Furusawa	Efficient Separation of Individual Signals and Stochastic Backgrounds in future PTAs
12:42–12:55	Yirong Wen	FastLUT: An Accelerated General Framework for Deterministic-Waveform Nanohertz GW Searches with PTAs

13:00–13:30 IPTA Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Session

13:30–14:30 Discussion: Future of IPTA

18:30 Dinner