European Conference on Surface Science

European Conference on Surface Science
Name	European Conference on Surface Science
Established	1960s
Discipline	Surface science; materials science; nanotechnology
Frequency	Biennial
Country	Various European venues

Contents

European Conference on Surface Science is a biennial scientific meeting that brings together researchers in surface science, condensed matter physics, materials science, nanotechnology, and related fields to present advances in surface chemistry, surface physics, and interface phenomena. The conference connects communities from institutions such as University of Cambridge, Max Planck Society, University of Oxford, ETH Zurich, and Imperial College London with researchers from laboratories including CERN, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Fritz Haber Institute of the Max Planck Society, Paul Scherrer Institute, and Argonne National Laboratory. Delegates have included scientists affiliated with awards and organizations such as the Nobel Prize, Wolf Prize in Physics, European Research Council, Royal Society, and Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft.

History

The conference traces roots to early European gatherings on crystal growth and surface analysis organized in the 1960s and 1970s involving participants from University of Paris, University of Vienna, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, University of Barcelona, and University of Milan. Early contributors included researchers from Bell Labs, IBM Research, Hiroshima University, University of Tokyo, and Harvard University, fostering exchanges across the Cold War divide with attendees from Institute of Solid State Physics (Russia), Polish Academy of Sciences, and Czech Academy of Sciences. Over decades, themes evolved alongside breakthroughs at facilities such as synchrotron radiation sources at ESRF, Diamond Light Source, and SOLEIL, and with the advent of tools pioneered at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research.

The conference covers experimental and theoretical work in areas including scanning tunneling microscopy, atomic force microscopy, low-energy electron diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and Auger electron spectroscopy, with links to applications in heterogeneous catalysis at institutions like Johnson Matthey, BASF, and Shell. Presentations often involve cross-disciplinary collaborations with groups from Imperial College London, Technical University of Munich, EPFL, University of Manchester, University of Copenhagen, and Leiden University, and address interfaces relevant to graphene research at University of Manchester, carbon nanotube studies at Rice University, and perovskite interfaces investigated at University of Oxford. Theoretical contributions draw on methods developed at Princeton University, Stanford University, and California Institute of Technology and involve algorithmic advances linked to density functional theory, many-body perturbation theory, and software from Quantum ESPRESSO, VASP, and GPAW developer communities.

Steering committees typically include representatives from national societies such as the European Physical Society, Royal Society of Chemistry, Deutsche Bunsen-Gesellschaft für Physikalische Chemie, Società Chimica Italiana, and Spanish Royal Society of Chemistry, with hosting rotated among universities and research centers like University of Amsterdam, University of Glasgow, University of Helsinki, Uppsala University, and Trinity College Dublin. Program committees have featured editors from journals published by Elsevier, Wiley-VCH, IOP Publishing, Springer Nature, and representatives from funding agencies including Horizon Europe, National Science Foundation, Swiss National Science Foundation, and Agence Nationale de la Recherche.

Typical formats include plenary lectures by eminent scientists from institutions such as Max Planck Society, Royal Society, National Institute of Standards and Technology, and École Normale Supérieure, parallel sessions on specialized topics, poster sessions, and hands-on workshops using instrumentation from vendors like Bruker, Oxford Instruments, and JEOL. Satellite workshops often partner with consortia such as Graphene Flagship, COMPASS, COST Actions, and facilities at European XFEL, ALBA Synchrotron, and PETRA III. Tutorials and training schools collaborate with academic centers such as TU Delft, University of Leeds, University of Sheffield, and Ghent University.

Prominent editions have been hosted in cities and centers including Berlin, Vienna, Barcelona, Stockholm, Zurich, Manchester, Dublin, Prague, Budapest, Lisbon, Madrid, Milan, Copenhagen, and Helsinki, with memorable keynote talks delivered by scientists affiliated with Nobel Prize in Physics laureate groups, Wolf Prize winners, and leaders from IBM Research, Bell Labs, and SRI International. Meetings have coincided with anniversary symposia honoring pioneers from Peter Hirsch, Walter Kohn, Gabor Somorjai, Gerhard Ertl, and Klaus von Klitzing.

Over its history the conference has influenced advances in heterogeneous catalysis understanding underpinning industrial processes at BASF and TotalEnergies, guided development of nanofabrication methods used by Intel and TSMC, and fostered collaborations that utilized large-scale facilities such as ESRF, CERN, and Diamond Light Source. Proceedings and workshops have seeded highly cited work appearing in journals of Elsevier, Nature Publishing Group, Science (journal), Physical Review Letters, and Journal of Chemical Physics, and have supported networks that led to European projects funded by Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe.