SAXS excites & XRD excites 2026
International SAXS and XRD symposia 2026
Event Dates
SAXS excites: April 13-14, 2026
XRD excites: April 14-16, 2026
Event Location
Graz University of Technology
The event is hosted by Graz University of Technology and Anton Paar
Workshop Dates
SAXS Workshop: April 13, 2026
Non-Ambient XRD Workshop: April 17, 2026
The workshops take place at Anton Paar
Welcome to the Exciting World of SAXS and XRD
Background
At the SAXS excites & XRD excites symposia, to be held in the form of consecutive meetings from April 13-16, 2026, in the wonderful Austrian city of Graz, we’ll be discussing the latest advances in the fields of SAXS, powder XRD, and non-ambient XRD.
Join renowned experts, young researchers, and opinion leaders from the field of X-ray analysis at this exciting event.
- Enhance your knowledge of small-angle X‑ray scattering by attending the optional SAXS workshop prior to the symposia on April 13.
- Deepen your understanding of non-ambient XRD by attending the optional NA‑XRD workshop after the symposia on April 17.
Why Attend?
- Join the discussion on topics related to SAXS and XRD with internationally recognized scientists, young researchers, and other participants from complementary fields.
- Present your own research and ideas to international participants from a broad range of backgrounds.
- Learn about key research topics pushing the boundaries of SAXS and XRD and how they relate to complementary methods and new application fields.
- Join networks, broaden your horizon, and discuss the future of X-ray structure analysis methods during the scientific sessions and while exploring the beautiful historical city center of Graz. And enjoy unique regional cuisine prepared by the award-winning chefs at the Sudhaus.
Symposia Program
The symposia will consist of several themed sessions with keynote speakers, contributed talks, and poster sessions with poster prizes.
Key themes
- SAXS/WAXS/RheoSAXS/USAXS for the study of nanostructured materials
- GISAXS/GIXRD/XRR for thin film and surface diffraction/scattering
- Operando / in situ analysis using X-ray scattering for battery research
- XRD and non-ambient XRD methods and applications
- Total scattering and PDF analysis of disordered and amorphous materials
Best poster award
We will recognize the best poster presentations with award certificates and prize money of 250 €.
Social program
Participants can attend a guided walking tour of Graz’s old city center – a UNESCO heritage site – in addition to a tour of Anton Paar headquarters. A conference dinner for all attendees will be hosted at the Sudhaus, Anton Paar’s award-wining restaurant and brewery located on the company premises, which serves local delicacies alongside a selection of craft beers.
Keynote Speakers
To be announced soon.
Registration
Registration must be completed online. Individual registration is possible for SAXS excites or XRD excites, while combined registration is available at a reduced price.
All participants must be registered to attend the symposia.
In addition to attending talks by invited speakers, participants can submit an abstract to present their work orally or during the poster sessions. After registering, participants who indicate they would like to give a presentation will be contacted by the organizing committee.
The registration for each event includes meals, drinks and snacks, and coffee breaks with regional sweets.
Also included are the conference dinner, a Graz city tour, and bus transfers from Graz University of Technology to Anton Paar GmbH and back to the city center.
Accommodation will not be booked by the organizing committee. Please refer to the Graz tourism website to arrange your stay.
Registration deadline
- The deadline for registering and submitting an abstract for an oral or poster presentation is Jan. 24, 2026.
- The early-bird registration ends on Dec. 19, 2025.
Participation fee
- Single fee: SAXS excites or XRD excites
- Universities, research centers, industry, non-profit organizations: 250 € (200 € with early-bird)
- Students, PhD candidates: 160 € (110 € with early-bird)
- Combined fee: SAXS excites and XRD excites
- Universities, research centers, industry, non-profit organizations: 350 € (300 € with early-bird)
- Students, PhD candidates: 200 € (150 € with early-bird)
Registration
Please click on the link below to be transferred to the third-party registration website (registration is handled through Eventbrite).
Location
The SAXS excites & XRD excites symposia will take place at Graz University of Technology, Institute of Chemistry, Stremayrgasse 9, 8010 Graz, Austria. All lectures and the poster sessions will be held there.
Graz, Austria’s second-largest city, is home to three universities, and is a bustling center of culture and higher learning. Just a short train ride from cities like Vienna and Salzburg, it is a great starting point from which to see the rest of Austria.
By airplane
Graz has an international airport, Flughafen Graz-Thalerhof, which can be reached via Frankfurt, Munich, Zurich, Amsterdam, and Vienna.
A train takes you from the airport to Graz’s main train station in about 10 minutes. Taxis are available at the departure gate as well.
By train
Graz’s main station is well-connected to the center and other parts of the city, and a number of buses and tramways take you downtown.
By car
- From Vienna (AT) via A2 in the direction of Graz. The distance is approx. 200 km and it will take you about two hours.
- From Munich (GER) via A8, A9. The distance is approx. 388 km and it will take you about 4.5 hours.
- From Maribor (SLO) via A9. The distance is approx. 68 km and it will take you about one hour.
- From Zürich (CH) via A96, A995. The distance is approx. 700 km and it will take you about eight hours.
Scientific committee
Bernhard Gadermaier, TU Graz (Austria)
Glen Smales, TU Graz (Austria)
Georg Pabst, University of Graz (Austria)
Barbara Puhr, Anton Paar GmbH (Austria)
Benedikt Schrode, Anton Paar GmbH (Austria)
Andreas Keilbach, Anton Paar GmbH (Austria)
Organizing committee
Monika Filzwieser, TU Graz (Austria)
Barbara Seibt, TU Graz (Austria)
Martin Lombaard, Anton Paar GmbH (Austria)
Heiner Santner, Anton Paar GmbH (Austria)
Previous SAXS excites & XRD excites events
XRD excites (2024)
The first international “XRD excites: Non-Ambient XRD & Beyond” symposium was held at Graz University of Technology from July 9-11, 2024. More than 90 participants from 20 countries discussed the latest research and expanded their networks.
Our previous XRD excites keynote speakers include:
- Claudia Weidenthaler (Max-Planck-Institute für Kohlenforschung)
- Monica Dapiaggi (Università degli Studi di Milano)
- David Walker (University of Warwick)
- Rémy Guillet Nicolas (CNRS LCS - ENSICAEN)
- Scott Misture (Alfred University)
- Volker Kahlenberg (University of Innsbruck)
- Stefan Weber (Abbvie Germany)
- Vishnu Shanker (NIT Warangal)
SAXS excites (2017, 2019, 2023)
The first three “SAXS excites” symposia were held in 2017, 2019, and 2023. Combined, they had over 200 participants from around the globe. With world-renowned keynote speakers, captivating talks, and engaging poster sessions, the events were a resounding success.
Our previous SAXS excites keynote speakers include:
- Jill Trewhella (University of Sydney)
- Karen Edler (Lund University)
- Denise Erb (Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf)
- Jan Ilavsky (Argonne National Laboratory)
- Dimitri Svergun (EMBL Hamburg)
- Mitsuhiro Shibayama (The University of Tokyo)
- Jan Skov Pedersen (Aarhus University)
- Detlef Smilgies (University of Binghamton)
- Sylvio Haas (DESY)
- Yongfeng Men (Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry)
- Stefan Salentinig (University of Fribourg)
- Otto Glatter (University of Graz)
- Cy Jeffries (EMBL Hamburg)
- Stephan Roth (DESY)
- Michael Krumrey (PTB National Metrology Institute)
