IBS hosts international academic conference Nov. 10-12

Participants in the 2026 Quantum Frontier conference pose for a group photo at GIST on Tuesday. [IBS]
Participants in the 2026 Quantum Frontier conference pose for a group photo at GIST on Tuesday. [IBS]

More than 110 researchers from around the world have gathered in Gwangju to share the latest advances in quantum science — a field central to future technologies ranging from quantum computers to next-generation materials.

The Institute for Basic Science announced it is holding the international academic event "Quantum Frontier 2026" at Oryong Hall of the Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology from Tuesday through Thursday.

The event is co-hosted by three IBS research centers: the Center for Quantum Coherence in Condensed Matter, the Center for Quantum Nanoscience, and the Center for Van der Waals Quantum Solids. It was organized to bring together researchers working on quantum phenomena across different disciplines to share their latest findings and explore opportunities for convergence research and international collaboration.

This year, the addition of the Center for Trapped Ion Quantum Science broadens the scope of exchange beyond quantum materials to encompass quantum information and computing.

About 110 invited speakers and researchers from home and abroad are taking part. Academic sessions and special lectures cover the latest research in quantum state control, precision measurement and two-dimensional quantum materials.

On Wednesday, three researchers will deliver invited lectures: Yuichiro Kato, a senior research scientist at Japan's RIKEN institute; Ham Woong-don, a researcher at the Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science (KRISS); and Lu Jiong, a chair professor at the National University of Singapore.

They will present the latest research trends in precision control of quantum states at the atomic and molecular level, ultra-precise optical and microscopy-based measurement techniques, and the synthesis and characterization of two-dimensional quantum materials.

Participants will also take part in a lab tour of the IBS Center for Quantum Coherence in Condensed Matter's advanced research facilities at GIST, examining experimental equipment and measurement technologies used in actual research and discussing possibilities for joint projects.

On Thursday, IBS Center for Trapped Ion Quantum Science Director Kim Ki-hwan will deliver a special lecture. Kim will introduce quantum information processing using ions trapped by electric fields, ion-array-based quantum simulation, and the future potential of quantum computing.

Trapped-ion technology enables precise control of the quantum states of individual ions and has drawn attention as one of the leading approaches to realizing a quantum computer.

IBS Center for Quantum Nanoscience Director Andreas Heinrich said he hopes the event will be "a place where researchers who have explored quantum phenomena from different perspectives can exchange ideas and spark new questions and inspiration."

IBS Center for Quantum Coherence in Condensed Matter Director Kim Yu-su said "new breakthroughs in quantum science emerge at the intersection of convergence, where different academic perspectives and research approaches meet," adding that he hopes "this conference will serve as a starting point for discovering new joint research and building lasting collaboration."


nbgkoo@heraldcorp.com