The Institut Courtois flagship conference will take place over two days this year. The Institut Courtois Student Committee will host a Student Symposium on the first day. The second day will feature presentations by world-renowned experts on multiscale molecular and hybrid materials, covering microstructures, excitons, and many-body dynamics.
We are delighted to welcome Professor Sir Richard Friend, one of the pioneers of modern organic electronics and a global leader in the science of semiconducting materials. His work focuses on the electronic properties of novel semiconductors, particularly carbon-based organic semiconductors and metal halide perovskites. At the interface of fundamental science and applications, his research has contributed significantly to the development of devices such as photovoltaic diodes, field-effect transistors, and light-emitting diodes, with major impacts on display technologies and solar energy. He is also developing new concepts based on spin radical materials and high-spin excited states, with promising perspectives in optoelectronics and spintronics. His contributions continue to redefine the frontiers of materials science and organic electronics.
We will also have the privilege of hearing from our other distinguished invited speakers: Aram Amassian, whose work focuses on thin-film engineering and solution-processed materials; Natalie Stingelin, a specialist in the electronic properties and structuring of polymers; and Christine Luscombe, an expert in the synthesis of semiconducting polymers and the design of functional organic materials.
This conference brings together leading speakers under the theme Multiscale Molecular and Hybrid Materials: Microstructures, Excitons, and Many-Body Dynamics.
Our mission continues to be multidisciplinary excellence across all aspects of materials science. The poster session will provide an opportunity for all participants whose expertise relates to materials discovery to present their work and to explore opportunities for the development of truly interdisciplinary projects.
Day 1– Student Symposium (October 22nd)
The student symposium will take place on October 22 and will offer student members of the Courtois Institute the opportunity to present their work. It will also provide a valuable setting for exchanges between students from different departments (chemistry, physics, computer science, and mathematics), encouraging the emergence of new collaborations. Program of the day:
- Oral presentations
- Flash talk session (“My thesis in 180 seconds”)
- Invited lectures
- Networking cocktail
Prizes will be awarded for the best oral and poster presentations. The deadline to submit an oral presentation or a ‘Flash talk’ is September 1st, 2026.
Day 2 – Conference (October 23)
Our keynote speaker, Professor Sir Richard Friend, Cavendish Laboratories from Cambridge University, will deliver a lecture entitled: Organic semiconductors – From OLED displays to quantum applications. We will also have the privilege of hearing several other distinguished guests and experts in the field:
- Professor Natalie Stingelin, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Georgia Tech – Designing photonic light- and heat-management structures for solution-processed optoelectronic devices
- Professor Aram Amassian, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, North Carolina State University – Connecting Structure, Dynamics, and Discovery Across Scales
- Professor Christine Luscombe, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology – Molecular Control of 1D Polaron Delocalization Driving High Mobility in Indacenodithiophene Copolymers
…and more
Program of the day:
- Lectures
- Poster session with Best Student Poster Awards (open to MSc, PhD, and Postdoc students)
- Networking cocktail
Registration and fees
Attendance for the plenary lecture only (October 23, 3:00–4:00 PM)
The plenary lecture by Professor Sir Richard Friend is open to the Université de Montréal community.
- Free
- Registration required before October 16, 2026
If you are already registered for the full program, no additional registration is required.
Access to the full event (October 22 and 23)
- Courtois Institute members and associate members: Free
- Non-members: $91.62
Registration deadline: October 1st, 2026
Register >
Date and Locations
Lecture by Professor Sir Richard Friend presented by the Courtois Institute:
October 23 3:00 – 4:00 PM – Université de Montréal – Roger Gaudry, (K-500), 2900 Bd Édouard-Montpetit
Courtois Institute Annual Conference full program:
October 22 2026 – Université de Montréal – Campus MIL, 1375 Ave Thérèse Lavoie-Roux
October 23 2026 – Université de Montréal – Roger Gaudry, Hall of Honor (L-400), 2900 Bd Édouard-Montpetit
