About the Conference
The vdW/L Discussions are conceived as a forum for scientists committed to the development of new theoretical, fundamental, methodological, instrumental and metrologic ways to characterize and study noncovalent interactions. As such it is an interdisciplinary forum that gives spaces for thorough discussions and debates around recent results, issues and emerging concepts.
Where
Université de Luxembourg, Luxembourg Campus Limpertsberg
When
Wednesday to Friday
15-17 October
Previous Conference
The van der Waals - London Discussions Strasbourg 2023Sessions Overview
This workshop is designed to foster lively discussions and the exchange of ideas, with the following session formats:
Invited Talks: 25-minute presentations followed by 15 minutes of discussion, providing in-depth insights and engaging dialogue.
Contributed Talks: 10-minute presentation and 10 minutes Q&A, offering opportunities to share and refine emerging ideas. Abstract submission was closed on 15. June 2025. No more contributed talks are accepted.
Poster Session: An interactive space to showcase ongoing research, spark conversations, and collaborate with peers. Abstract submission was closed on 31. August 2025. No more abstract are accepted.
Registration to participate in the workshop was closed on 31. August 2025. No more registrations are accepted.
Topics
• Experimental techniques
• vdW/L in materials
• vdW/L in (bio)molecular systems
• Long-range interactions description by machine learning
• Long-range interactions datasets
Invited Speakers
Invited speakers are being contacted and will appear as they accept invitations.
Prof. Dr. Christoph Bannwarth
RWTH Aachen University, Germany
Prof. Dr. Berta Fernández Rodríguez
University of Santiago de Compostela, Spain
Prof. Dr. Wei Liu
Changchun Institute of Applied Chemistry, China
Prof. Dr. Ángel Martín Pendás
University of Oviedo, Spain
Prof. Dr. Jean-Pierre Djukic
University of Strasbourg, France
Prof. Dr. Giovanni Bistoni
University of Perugia, Italy
Prof. Dr. Melanie Schnell
Christian Albrecht University of Kiel, Germany
Prof. Dr. Péter R. Nagy
Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Hungary
Prof. Dr. Robert Pollice
University of Groningen, Netherlands
Prof. Dr. Mariana Rossi
Max Planck Institute for Structure and Dynamics of Matter, Germany
Dr. Matteo Gori
University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg
Dr. Ariadni Boziki
University of Luxembourg, Luxembourg
Prof. Dr. Xiaofei Liu
Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, China
Prof. Dr. Ganna Gryn'ova
University of Birmingham, UK
Prof. Dr. Sason Shaik
Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel
Dr. Dzmitry Firaha
Avant-garde Materials Simulation, Germany
Prof. Dr. Katharine Hunt
Michigan State University, USA
Conference Schedule
Venue: Amphithéâtre Tavenas
Registration
Session 1 Chair: Mirela Puleva
Opening words Prof. Dr. Alexandre Tkatchenko
Prof. Jean-Pierre Djukic Predicting Reactivity from Density
Prof. Berta Fernández Rodríguez The Functional Group Correction approach versus machine learning
Prof. Robert Pollice Noncovalent Interactions in Molecular String Representations
Coffe break
Prof. Melanie Schnell Structure and dynamics of weakly bound molecular clusters
Prof. Wei Liu Van der Waals effects in surface and interface chemistry
Poster session
Day clossing
Venue: Campus Limperstberg
Session 2 Chair: Prof. Jean-Pierre Djukic
Dr. Martin Michael Müller Protein-membrane interactions with a twist
Coffe break
Lunch on your own
Session 3 Chair: Prof. Ángel Martín Pendás
Prof. Sason Shaik A Gravitational-Like Behavior of Dispersion Interactions
Prof. Carlo Adamo Extending nonempirical DFT models to noncovalent weak interactions
Coffe break
Prof. Cina Foroutan-Nejad Collective Interactions
Prof. Katherine Hunt Charge densities and London dispersion forces
Travel to Resturant & Conference dinner
Venue: Campus Limperstberg
Session 4 Chair: Dr. Ariadni Boziki
Prof. Ganna Gryn'ova Engineering Functional Organic Materials through Noncovalent Interactions
Prof. Christoph Bannwarth Non-covalent interactions in molecular photocatalysis and photophysics
Coffe break
Catered Lunch
Session 5 Chair: Dr. Matteo Gori
Prof. Xiaofei Liu Van der Waals Force and Torque—Macroscopic and Microscopic Descriptions
Coffe break
Prof. Mariana Rossi Unraveling the Nuclear Motion of Weakly Bound Materials
Clossing words
Abstract Booklet Talks & Posters
Conference Venue
Amphithéâtre Tavenas, Luxembourg
102a Av.Pasteur,
1511 Limpertsberg Luxembourg, Luxembourg
Plan your trip in Luxembourg: mobiliteit.lu
Campus Limperstberg, Luxembourg
Bâtiment des Sciences 0.03,
162a Av. de la Faiencerie,
1511 Limpertsberg Luxembourg, Luxembourg
Plan your trip in Luxembourg: mobiliteit.lu
Hotels
A non-exhaustive suggestion of nearby hotels
Sponsors
Registration
