JNCASR-CECAM Conference, MD@60

Date: February 26-29, 2024
Venue: JNCASR, Bangalore

This conference marked the sixtieth anniversary of the seminal paper of Anees Rahman on molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of liquid argon. The event also marked the first event of the European Center for Atomistic and Molecular Calculations (CECAM) in India and JNCASR was chosen as their partner for this meeting.

The conference saw an overwhelming response from the computational researchers of India and abroad. It attracted participants from 14 different countries and a total strength of more than 300. There were 43 Invited Lectures, including a Plenary by Prof. Michele Parrinello, IIT, Genova, Italy and a Special Evening Lecture delivered by Prof. Michael Klein, Temple University, Philadelphia, USA.

Several topics related to enhanced sampling, machine learning, dimensionality reduction, free energy calculations—all related to aspects around MD were discussed. Several applications from drug design to gas hydrates were presented. The poster sessions, two of them, each lasting for two hours, were lively. They witnessed a whopping 203 poster presentations not only by Ph. D. students, but also by senior postdoctoral researchers and faculty from India and abroad.

The conference was inclusive. Nearly 35% of the talks were by women researchers and among the participants too, around a third were women. Again, nearly a third of the speakers and chairs were young faculty which contributed much to energetic sessions.

Complete local hospitality (boarding, lodging and transport) on the days of the conference was borne by the organizers. Furthermore, airport transfers to speakers, chairs and to several first-time visitors to India were provided by the local organizers to ensure smooth and comfortable operations.

Twenty one posters were chosen for Poster Prizes, each carrying a certificate from the conference organizers and a cash component of INR 3000.

The organizers acknowledged generous contributions from several sponsors, including iHub-Data towards the organization of the conference. These were done through slide shows, the stage backdrop, standees at the conference venue, a page of logos in the Book of Abstracts, and an announcement in the Concluding Session.

The conference was financially supported by iHub-Data.