Astrochemistry Symposium – Working Group 5
(COST COSY Action CA21101)
We invite members of COST COSY Action CA21101 and all interested parties to this one-day Astrochemistry Symposium in Bologna, hosted by the University of Bologna on Tuesday, 8 July 2025. The symposium covers computational, theoretical and experimental aspects of astrochemistry in the gas phase and on solid materials, including spectroscopic observations, modelling and molecular reaction dynamics.
Organizing Committee
- Lauri Halonen (University of Helsinki)
- Malgorzata Biczysko (University of Wrocław)
Local Organizing Committee
- Cristina Puzzarini (University of Bologna)
- Silvia Alessandrini (University of Bologna)
Speaker list
- Vincenzo Barone, INSTM – National Interuniversity Consortium of Materials Science and Technology, Italy (IT); From perception to prediction of interpretation of molecular structures and spectroscopic signatures
- Malgorzata Biczysko, University of Wrocław, Poland (PL); Vibrational computations for astrochemistry: from isolated molecules to micro-environmental confinement
- Franziska Dahlmann, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Sweden (SE); Vibrational modes of C₂H⁻: From fundamentals to H₂- and D₂-tagged transitions
- Maria Pilar de Lara Castells , Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), Spain (ES); Unsupported and surface-supported sub-nanometric metal clusters: interplay between Jahn–Teller distortions and fluxionality
- Teresa Fornaro, INAF- Astrophysical Observatory of Arcetri, Italy (IT); Detection of organic matter on Mars through spectroscopy
- Alberto Garcia-Vela, Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), Spain (ES); A high-level ab initio study of the photodissociation of methanimine in the interstellar medium
- Majdi Hochlaf, Gustave Eiffel University, France (FR); Stability of astrophysical molecules irradiated by ionizing light and detectability: Theory and experiment.
- Felix Jacob, West University of Timișoara, Romania (RO); Dissociation dynamics of cationic diatomic molecules in interstellar plasmas
- Dariusz Kedziera, Nicolaus Copernicus University, Poland (PL); CH₃CHO–He Potential energy surface from ab initio calculations
- Filippo Lipparini, University of Pisa, Italy (IT); Towards coupled cluster calculations of energies and geometries for larger molecules
- Marco Mendolicchio, Scuola Normale Superiore, Italy (IT); Theory-driven spectroscopy: modeling molecular spectra for astrochemistry
- Cristina Puzzarini, University of Bologna, Italy (IT); Unveiling exotic chemistry and molecules in the interstellar medium
- Albert Rimola Gibert, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Spain (ES); Atomistic dynamic effects in interstellar grain-surface reactions
- Meenu Upadhyay, Universitat Basel, Switzerland (CH); Reactive dynamics in the gas phase and on amorphous solid water from machine-learned energy functions
- Jiri Vanicek, Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland (CH); Vibrationally resolved electronic spectra from Hagedorn wavepacket dynamics
Programme – 2nd WG5 Meeting
| Time | Session |
|---|---|
| 08:30 – 09:00 | Registration & opening |
| 09:00 – 09:30 | Talk 1 – 30 min – Cristina Puzzarini |
| 09:30 – 10:00 | Talk 2 – 30 min – Teresa Fornaro |
| 10:00 – 10:15 | Talk 3 – 15 min – Franziska Dahlmann |
| 10:15 – 10:30 | Talk 4 – 15 min – Meenu Upadhyay |
| 10:30 – 10:45 | Talk 5 – 15 min – Dariusz Kedziera |
| 10:45 – 11:15 | Coffee break |
| 11:15 – 11:45 | Talk 6 – 30 min – Vincenzo Barone |
| 11:45 – 12:15 | Talk 7 – 30 min – Malgorzata Biczysko |
| 12:15 – 12:45 | Talk 8 – 30 min – Albert Rimola |
| 12:45 – 13:00 | Talk 9 – 15 min – Marco Mendolicchio |
| 13:00 – 14:30 | Lunch break – 1:30 h |
| 14:30 – 15:00 | Talk 10 – 30 min – Filippo Lipparini |
| 15:00 – 15:30 | Talk 11 – 30 min – Majdi Hochlaf |
| 15:30 – 16:00 | Talk 12 – 30 min – Alberto Garcia-Vela |
| 16:00 – 16:30 | Coffee break |
| 16:30 – 17:00 | Talk 13 – 30 min – Jiri Vanicek |
| 17:00 – 17:30 | Talk 14 – 30 min – Felix Jacob |
| 17:30 – 18:00 | Talk 15 – 30 min – Maria Pilar de Lara Castells |
The detailed final programme will be published during the last week of June.
Venue
“Tibiletti” Lecture Hall, Department of Philosophy (Dipartimento di Filosofia), Via Zamboni 38, Bologna.
The hall is 500 m from the iconic Two Towers (Due Torri) in the medieval city centre, famed for its porticos (UNESCO heritage) and world-renowned cuisine. Bologna also hosts the world’s oldest university.
Tourist information: Bologna Welcome
Accommodation, restaurants & travel: COSY website
Registration
- Create an e-COST profile at e-services.cost.eu
- Accept the e-COST meeting invitation within two weeks of receipt
- Sign the attendance list on 8 July in Bologna









