Invitation Only
Organizer:
Greg Bryan, Columbia University
Speakers:
Deaglan Bartlett, Oxford University
Jake Bennett, Center for Astrophysics, Harvard University & Smithsonian Institution
Aklant Bhowmick, University of Virginia
Carolina Cuesta-Lazaro, Flatiron Institute
Jens Jasche, Stockholm University
Chris Lovell, University of Cambridge
Francisco Maion, Columbia University
Eve Ostriker, Princeton University
Tjitske Starkenberg, Northwestern University
Meeting Goals:
The Simons Collaboration on Learning the Universe (LtU) brings together scientists from cosmology, galaxy formation, statistics, and machine learning with a shared ambition: to build a rigorous, end-to-end framework that uses observations of the large-scale structure of the universe to simultaneously constrain fundamental cosmological parameters and the physics of galaxy formation. Achieving this requires connecting the small-scale processes that regulate star formation and black hole growth to the statistical inference of cosmological initial conditions from survey data spanning gigaparsec volumes.
This year’s meeting centers on a set of questions that are central to the next phase of the collaboration: How do we combine and integrate the powerful new methods we have developed across our working groups into a unified framework of increasing physical fidelity and statistical precision? Over the past five years, we have built subgrid models for star formation, galactic winds, and black hole evolution; we have created differentiable semi-analytic frameworks, diffusion-based forward models, fast emulators, and simulation-based inference pipelines operating at cosmological scale. We are now deploying these tools in a new generation of large-scale simulations that will serve as the backbone for inference and as a grounding for direct comparison with survey observations. A central goal of this meeting is to assess how these pieces fit together, where the boundaries between them can be sharpened, and how advances in one area can inform and accelerate progress in another. We hope the meeting will generate new ideas and unexpected connections across disciplines, and that new conversations will point us toward approaches we would not have found working in isolation.
Past Meetings:
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Thursday, September 17, 2026
8:30 AM Breakfast & Check-in 9:30 AM Meeting Program 10:30 AM Break & Poster Session 11:00 AM Meeting Program 12:00 PM Lunch 1:00 PM Meeting Program 2:00 PM Break & Poster Session 2:30 PM Meeting Program 3:30 PM Break & Poster Session 4:00 PM Meeting Program 5:00 PM Day 1 Concludes Friday, September 18, 2026
8:30 AM Breakfast & Check-in 9:30 AM Meeting Program 10:30 AM Break & Poster Session 11:00 AM Meeting Program 12:00 PM LUNCH 1:00 PM Meeting Program 2:00 PM Day 2 Concludes -
Participation in the meeting falls into the following four categories. An individual’s participation category is communicated via their letter of invitation.
The Simons Foundation will never ask for credit card information or require payment for registration to our events.
Group A – Speakers & Organizers
Individuals in Group A receive travel and hotel coordination within the following parameters:
Travel
Economy Class: For flights that are three hours or less to your destination, the maximum allowable class of service is Economy class.
Premium Economy Class: For flights where the total air travel time (excluding connection time) is more than three hours and less than seven hours per segment to your destination, the maximum allowable class of service is premium economy.
Business Class: When traveling internationally (or to Hawaii/Alaska) travelers are permitted to travel in Business Class on those segments that are seven hours or more. If the routing is over budget, a premium economy or mixed-class ticket will be booked.Hotel
Up to 3 nights at the conference hotel, arriving on Wednesday, September 16, 2026 and departing on Saturday, September 19, 2026.Group B – Funded Participants
Individuals in Group B receive travel and hotel coordination within the following parameters:
Travel
Economy class travel will be booked regardless of flight length.Hotel
Up to 3 nights at the conference hotel, arriving on Wednesday, September 16, 2026 and departing on Saturday, September 19, 2026.Group C – Unfunded Participants
Individuals in Group C will not receive financial support but are encouraged to enjoy all conference-hosted meals.
Group D – Remote Participants
Individuals in Group D will participate in the meeting remotely.
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Air and Rail
For funded individuals, the foundation will arrange and pay for round-trip travel from their home city to the conference city. All travel and hotel arrangements must be booked through the Simons Foundation’s preferred travel agency.
Travel Deviations
The following travel specifications are considered deviations and will only be accommodated if the cost is less than or equal to the amount the Simons Foundation would pay for a standard round-trip ticket from your home city to the conference city:
- Preferred airline
- Preferred travel class
- Specific flights/flight times
- Travel dates outside those associated with the conference
- Arriving or departing from an airport other than your home city or conference city airports, i.e. multi-segment or triangle trips.
All deviations must be reviewed and approved by the Simons Foundation and, if the cost is more than what would normally be paid, a reimbursement quote must be obtained through the foundation’s travel agency before proceeding to booking and paying for travel out of pocket. All reimbursements for travel booked directly will be paid after the conclusion of the meeting.
Changes After Ticketing
All costs related to changes made to ticketed travel are to be paid for by the participant and are not reimbursable. Please contact the foundation’s travel agency for further assistance.
Personal & Rental Cars
Personal car and rental trips over 250 miles each way require prior approval from the Simons Foundation via email.
Rental cars must be pre-approved by the Simons Foundation.
The Hotel Seville NoMad offers valet parking. Please note there are no in-and-out privileges when using the hotel’s garage, therefore it is encouraged that participants walk or take public transportation to the Simons Foundation.
Hotel
Funded individuals who require hotel accommodations are hosted by the foundation for a maximum of 3 nights at the conference hotel, arriving on Wednesday, September 16, 2026 and departing on Saturday, September 19, 2026.
Any additional nights are at the attendee’s own expense. To arrange accommodations, please register at the link included in your invitation.
Hotel Seville NoMad
22 E 29th St
New York, NY 10016
(between 28th and 29th Streets)
https://www.hyatt.com/unbound-collection/en-US/nycud-hotel-seville-nomadFor driving directions to the Hotel Seville NoMad, please click here.
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Overview
In-person participants will be reimbursed for meals and local expenses including ground transportation. Expenses should be submitted through the foundation’s online expense reimbursement platform after the meeting’s conclusion.
Expenses accrued because of meetings not directly related to the Simons Foundation-hosted meeting (a satellite meeting or meeting held at another institution, for example) will not be reimbursed by the Simons Foundation and should be paid by other sources.
Below are key reimbursement takeaways; a full policy will be provided with the final logistics email circulated approximately 2 weeks prior to the meeting’s start.
Meals
The daily meal limit is $125; itemized receipts are required for expenses over $24 USD. The foundation DOES NOT provide a meal per diem and only reimburses actual meal expenses up the following amounts.
- Breakfast $20
- Lunch $30
- Dinner $75
Allowable Meal Expenses
- Meals taken on travel days (when you traveled by air or train).
- Meals not provided on a meeting day, dinner on Friday for example.
- Group dinners consisting of fellow meeting participants paid by a single person will be reimbursed up to $75 per person and the amount will count towards the $125 daily meal limit.
Unallowable Meal Expenses
- Meals taken outside those provided by the foundation (breakfast, lunch, breaks and/or dinner).
- Meals taken on days not associated with Simons Foundation-coordinated events.
- Minibar expenses.
- Meal expenses for a non-foundation guest.
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Ubers, Lyfts, taxis, etc., taken to and from restaurants in Manhattan.
- Accommodations will be made for those with mobility restrictions.
Ground Transportation
Expenses for ground transportation will be reimbursed for travel days (i.e. traveling to/from the airport or train station) as well as subway and bus fares while in Manhattan are reimbursable.
Transportation to/from satellite meetings are not reimbursable.
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Attendance
In-person participants and speakers are expected to attend all meeting days. Participants receiving hotel and travel support wishing to arrive on meeting days which conclude at 2:00 PM will be asked to attend remotely.
Entry & Building Access
Upon arrival, guests will be required to show their photo ID to enter the Simons Foundation and Flatiron Institute buildings. After checking-in at the meeting reception desk, guests will be able to show their meeting name badge to re-enter the building. If you forget your name badge, you will need to provide your photo ID.
The Simons Foundation and Flatiron Institute buildings are not considered “open campuses” and meeting participants will only have access to the spaces in which the meeting will take place. All other areas are off limits without prior approval.
If you require a private space to conduct a phone call or remote meeting, please contact your meeting manager at least 48-hours ahead of time so that they may book a space for you within the foundation’s room reservation system.
Guests & Children
Meeting participants are required to give 24-hour advance notice of any guests meeting them at the Simons Foundation either before or after the meeting. Outside guests are discouraged from joining meeting activities, including meals.
With the exception of Simons Foundation and Flatiron Institute staff, ad hoc meeting participants who did not receive a meeting invitation directly from the Simons Foundation are not permitted.
Children under the age of 18 are not permitted to attend meetings at the Simons Foundation. Furthermore, the Simons Foundation does not provide childcare facilities or support of any kind. Special accommodations will be made for nursing parents.
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Meeting & Policy Questions
Christina Darras
Events Manager
[email protected]Travel & Hotel Support
FCM Travel Meetings & Events
[email protected]
Hours: M-F, 8:30 AM-5:00 PM ET
+1-877-300-7108