The 17th International Conference on Computer Simulation of Radiation Effects in Solids (COSIRES 2026) took place from 17–22 May 2026 in Granada, Spain, bringing together the international community working at the forefront of computational materials science and radiation effects.
Co-organised by CONNECT-NM alongside EERA, CIEMAT, the DONES Programme, Universidad de Granada, Universidad de Alcalá, Universitat d’Alacant and IFMIF-DONES, the conference welcomed 116 researchers from 19 countries. Over five days, participants exchanged knowledge through 63 presentations and 52 posters, highlighting the latest advances in modelling how irradiation affects materials relevant for nuclear energy applications.
COSIRES is a leading international forum dedicated to the computer simulation of radiation effects in solids. The conference covers topics ranging from radiation-induced defects and multiscale modelling to emerging computational methods, including artificial intelligence, and the study of advanced materials designed for irradiation environments. As many radiation-induced phenomena occur on extremely small time and length scales, computational approaches play a crucial role in understanding processes that are often inaccessible through experiments alone.
A particular highlight of the programme was the visit to the IFMIF-DONES facility in Escúzar. Once operational, the facility will become a flagship European research infrastructure for testing materials under neutron irradiation conditions relevant to fusion energy, providing essential data for the development of next-generation energy technologies.
The conference also demonstrated strong engagement from early-career researchers. Students delivered 27% of all talks and contributed half of the poster presentations, underlining the importance of supporting the next generation of nuclear materials scientists.
COSIRES is exactly the kind of forum where the CONNECT-NM community comes alive: researchers from across Europe sharing results, testing ideas, building the collaborations that will shape nuclear materials science for years to come. Half the posters came from students. That tells you something about the future of this field.
During the conference, three poster prizes were awarded to:
- Liam Smyth (Queen’s University, Canada) – First Prize
- Binbo Li (Chinese Academy of Sciences, China) – Second Prize
- Abel Carlos Gutiérrez Camacho (Universidad de Alicante, Spain) – Third Prize
CONNECT-NM congratulates all award winners and thanks the organisers, speakers and participants for contributing to another successful edition of COSIRES.
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