Upcoming Astrobiology Conferences
To add a conference, workshop or training school, please log-in as EANA member and submit information there, or send an e-mail to eana-web (at) eana-net.eu.
- Astrobiology Science Conference (AbSciCon)
2026-05-17 to 2026-05-22, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
The Astrobiology Science Conference (AbSciCon) convenes the global astrobiology community every two years to share discoveries, foster collaboration, and shape future research. Join scientists, students, educators, policymakers, and organizations in Madison, WI, 17–22 May 2026, for a vibrant, community-organized forum advancing astrobiology and its role in a sustainable future.
Sessions include Session 17: Interpreting Signs of Life on Evolving Oxic and Anoxic Worlds, which explores how Earth’s changing atmospheric history informs the interpretation of biosignatures on exoplanets, and Session 06: Exoplanet Surface Biosignatures, dedicated to planetary-scale surface signals (such as pigment-driven spectral features) that can complement atmospheric biosignatures and reduce false positives. Together, these sessions connect Earth’s deep-time record with future observations from missions like JWST and the Habitable Worlds Observatory. - Origins Center 2026 Conference
2026-05-18 to 2026-05-20, Kerkrade, The Netherlands
Questions about the origin and nature of life — and whether it might exist beyond Earth — have a rare power to pull disciplines together. This spring, the Origins Center will bring that full breadth to Kerkrade for their 2026 conference at Abdij Rolduc, a nearly 900-year-old medieval abbey and one of the official Top 100 Dutch heritage monuments.
Across three days, a multidisciplinary community will share recent developments and spark new collaborations.
The conference themes are:
· The origin of life
· Evolution of life and planet
· Life and biosignatures on other planets
· Metabolism, from genes to function
· From cells to organisms
· Engaging society
Abstracts for contributed talks are welcome for submission. - ILASOL 2026
2026-06-02 to 2026-06-02, Jerusalem, Israel
ILASOL is an Israeli scientific society dedicated to the study of the origin and early evolution of life on Earth, as well as its existence and dispersal throughout the universe. ILASOL was established in 1987 and has been a member of FAO (the Federation of Astrobiology Organizations) since January 2005. ILASOL holds an annual meeting each year, about the origin of life and astrobiology. - RED26 - Astrobiology Introductory Virtual School
2026-06-02 to 2026-06-08,
RED is a Training School about the “Basics in Astrobiology”. Astrobiology addresses questions related to the origins of life, its evolution, and distribution in the Universe. This school aims to offer interdisciplinary training in astrobiology to students and young researchers in astronomy, planetology, geology, chemistry, biology, or history and philosophy of science. If you are at Master or PhD level, or an early career scientist, with a subject related to astrobiology, this training school is for you!
From June 2nd to 8th, you are invited to participate in the Virtual RED Astrobiology School. This virtual school is based on the lectures from the “in-person” school held in Le Teich (France) in March 2026. Registering for the school will offer you an opportunity to listen to the lessons filmed on-site, interact directly with the lecturers, ask questions, and engage in conversations with other participants from all over the world!
Participants who watch the whole lecture series and succeed in short quizzes about it will receive a certificate of attendance. Live animations and Q&A sessions will be organized at CEST (UTC+2), but you can watch the lectures and replays of the Q&A session at your convenience in your time zone.
Registration deadline: 2026-05-26 - Summer School "Biosignatures and the Search For Life on Mars"
2026-06-18 to 2026-06-26, Reykjavík, Iceland
The school aims to cover the subject of the search for life in different environments, both on early Earth, below the surface of the Earth and on Mars. It will bring together students and researchers from a multitude of different fields. It is co-organised by the European Astrobiology Institute, the University of Akureyri and Stockholm University. Field studies on the colonisation of lava fields and Mars analogue landscapes will complement the lectures. The programme of the summer school comprises:
- lectures by internationally leading scientists covering a broad range of subjects in astrobiology
- investigation of colonisation Mars analogue landscapes with in situ life detection techniques
- excursions to geologically and astrobiologically interesting sites (lava caves, new lava fields)
- a poster sessions for students and early career scientists
- participant-led discussions
The school is open for students and scientists froom all countries. - Origins 2026 (IAU Symposium 407)
2026-07-05 to 2026-07-10, Paris, France
This event will bring together experts from diverse fields—including chemistry, biology, planetary science, and astrophysics—to explore the origins of life and habitability on Earth and beyond. Hosted at the prestigious Muséum National d´Histoire Naturelle and Sorbonne University, the conference will highlight interdisciplinary research on the transition from non-living to living systems, focusing on early Earth environments, evolutionary processes, and the search for biosignatures in the universe.
The program will feature the latest discoveries in prebiotic chemistry, the evolution of early life, and habitability across the Solar System and exoplanets, as well as philosophical and historical perspectives. Special emphasis will be placed on the contributions of early-career researchers. This landmark event aims to strengthen international collaborations and advance our understanding of life’s emergence.
Registration and abstract submission will open in October 2025, but you can already sign-up to receive up-to-date information (use the Link in the title). - 46th COSPAR Scientific Assembly 2026
2026-08-01 to 2026-08-09, Florence, Italy
COSPAR 2026 will bring together approximately 3000 scientists and engineers from the all over the world to present the latest results in symposia covering all areas of space science from space life sciences to space exploration and offering also interesting opportunities for students and young scientists to get a general overview about space research and to start networking.
There will be several Astrobiology-relevant sessions, including those organised by COSPAR Commission F (Life sciences as related to space), the COSPAR Panel on Planetary Protection, and by several others including Commission B.
Early registration: 2026-05-17 - Summer School “Icy Bodies and Life”
2026-08-01 to 2026-08-08, Tartu, Estonia
The summer school is going to provide the participant with comprehensive knowledge of icy bodies in the Solar System, from their formation in planetary systems to their role as potential habitats for life. This school is going to connect planetary science, astrochemistry, astrobiology, and space technology to examine how icy bodies like moons, comets, and asteroids form, evolve, and interact. During the school we will be carrying out asteroid observations with local telescopes.
Application deadline: 2026-05-31 - Training School "Mars and the Earthlings: Can we, and should we, go to Mars?"
2026-10-08 to 2026-10-13, Obernai, France
This training school stemmed from the European Astrobiology Institute’s Project Team “Mars and the Earthlings”, whose goal is to provide reliable information and foster healthy, evidence-based discussions on human Mars exploration.
Among the topics to be covered are the Martian geology and climate, robotic missions to Mars, crewed orbital flight, permanent settlements on Mars, and terraforming. On top of technical and scientific challenges, each topic will be looked at from economic, legal, societal, psychological, and medical perspectives.
In parallel to lectures, students will work on a group project aiming at developing a detailed and realistic scenario of the human exploration of Mars, with each group exploring one aspect of the mission (engineering, science, law, economics, ethics, etc.). - HWO2026 Conference: Where cutting-edge science shapes tomorrow's technology
2026-11-30 to 2026-12-04, Paris (France)
We are delighted to announce the second open community event for the Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO), to be held in Paris, France, from November 30 to December 4, 2026. Building on the momentum of the inaugural meeting in Washington, D.C. (July 2025), this conference will unite expert scientists, engineers, and technology developers to define HWO as the ambitious mission capable of directly imaging "Earth 2.0" and addressing key astronomical questions of the latter half of this century.
Planned as NASA Astrophysics’ next flagship mission, HWO is a multi-purpose observatory equipped with ultraviolet, optical, and infrared instrumentation. While one of its primary scientific drivers is the characterization of planets in the habitable zone and the search for biosignatures, its powerful capabilities will also enable the scientific community to investigate long-standing open questions in all domains of astrophysics (cosmology, stellar physics, extragalactic,...) and to confront emerging challenges we are only beginning to identify.
HWO stands on the shoulders of giants, leveraging the knowledge and experience gained from the Hubble, James Webb, and Roman Space Telescopes. However, realising its full potential requires bold new technologies. Already identified during the HWO2025 conference, these technologies are now being rigorously developed and assessed by the HWO academic and industrial community.
Given the strong interest from the European community, we are proud to organize HWO2026 in Europe. This event aims to showcase the unique scientific problems that only HWO can solve, inspire synergies with current and contemporary facilities, and foster interactions between scientific and engineering communities to drive the development of visionary technologies.
Abstract Submission Deadline: 2026-05-31
Early Bird Registration: 2026-06-30
Regular Registration: 2026-11-08