Event Review

The Astroinformatics 2026 conference was successfully held from February 23 to 27 at the University of Cologne, Germany. Supported by the Heidelberg Institute for Theoretical Studies (HITS) and the Forschungszentrum Jülich (FZJ), the event continued its tradition as a premier venue for advancements in computational methods for astronomical data processing and analysis.

This year’s theme, “Dynamics in the Universe,” aligned with the newly established excellence cluster DYNAVERSE. Attendees engaged in discussions on topics such as Knowledge Discovery & Data Mining, Machine Learning & AI, Visualisation & Data Exploration, and e-Science Infrastructures. The programme included keynote and invited talks, contributed presentations, panel discussions, and a poster pitch session and display, fostering innovation and collaboration.

PUNCH4NFDI Presence

A highlight of the conference was the participation of several members from PUNCH4NFDI. The consortium was referred to in several presentations. Prateek Gupta made a notable contribution by presenting a poster titled “Compute4PUNCH: A Platform for the Analysis of Astronomical Data.” Additionally, attendees could further interact with PUNCH4NFDI members and collect give-aways.

The conference also featured social activities, including a guided city tour and Astronomy on Tap. Overall, Astroinformatics 2026 was a vital gathering for researchers and students, emphasising the intersections of data science and astronomy.