What Was Discussed at ISMS 2026?

The 79th International Symposium on Molecular Spectroscopy (ISMS 2026) took place June 22–26, 2026, at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in Urbana-Champaign, Illinois, bringing together researchers from around the world to discuss the latest advances in molecular spectroscopy.¹ The meeting covered topics spanning rotational, vibrational, electronic, and ultrafast spectroscopy, as well as applications in astrochemistry, atmospheric science, analytical chemistry, and materials research.² In addition to its scientific program, ISMS emphasized professional development through networking events, mentoring opportunities, and student-focused activities.^1,2

What was discussed at ISMS 2026?

The conference program at ISMS concentrated on the trends and developments in molecular spectroscopy. Currently, molecular spectroscopy techniques are being used in various application areas. One of these areas is the study of nanomaterials and its properties. Molecular spectroscopic techniques have been used in this space because they can probe chemical composition, molecular structure, surface chemistry, and interactions at the nanoscale without significantly altering the material. Researchers use different spectroscopic techniques depending on the information they need.

Minjung Son, an assistant professor at Boston University, is exploring these questions. Her talk at ISMS 2026 highlighted the research her group is doing at the university to better understand these processes.

“We still don't fully understand what controls nanomaterials in complex materials, whether they are found in nature or in synthetic materials,” Son said to Spectroscopy in a recent interview.³ “What we're trying to do is to figure out how the local environment structure and interactions between different components of the materials influence where the energy goes and how efficiently it goes there. Once we understand those rules, we can start designing materials that perform much better.”

Nanomaterials are involved in the creation of electronics, energy technologies, medical devices and therapeutics, and other advanced materials. Researchers are continuing to develop new materials for these technologies, using spectroscopy in order to do so.

Son’s group uses ultrafast spectroscopy and microscopy to study nanomaterials, and she explained why these two techniques are ideal for this work.

“One of the biggest advantages of ultrafast spectroscopy and microscopy is that they let us watch what the materials are doing on their natural timescales,” Son explained.³ “In nanomaterials, a lot of the important processes like charge transfer, energy transfer, exciton formation, and carrier relaxation happen in femto to picoseconds, which are very fast timescales. As a result, conventional techniques often miss these details because they don't have resolution.”

Son also highlighted that both ultrafast spectroscopy and ultrafast microscopy help connect the nanomaterial structure with is function, which is important for designing solar cells, light-emitting diodes (LEDs), and other technologies.

“Ultrafast spectroscopy allows us to track these dynamics in real time, while ultrafast microscopy combines or adds spatial resolution so that we can also see how these processes vary across different regions of the material,” Son said.³ “Therefore, both ultrafast spectroscopy and ultrafast microscopy each serve different purposes.”

Understanding the photophysical processes of nanomaterials will ultimately lead to better designs, allowing these materials to be tailored specifically for certain applications.

“Having better control over nanomaterials will allow us to design materials with properties that are tailored for specific applications rather than just discovering them by trial and error,” Son said to Spectroscopy.³ “For example, if you can understand exactly how energy and charge move through the systems and what factors and parameters influence these processes, we can start building more efficient solar cells, better light emitting devices, and new quantum technologies. Even more generally, I think it gives us a way to connect fundamental science with real-world applications and accelerate the development of next-generation materials.”

Meanwhile, a recurring focus at ISMS is astrochemistry. Miguel Sanz-Novo, an Alexander von Humboldt Fellow at the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics, discussed how studying the chemistry of the interstellar medium across the stages of star formation help inform researchers on planet formation.

“A star’s formation can essentially be seen as a chemical journey, so it begins in cold, dark molecular clouds, where very simple molecules freeze out on the surface of interstellar dust rings,” Sanz-Novo said.⁴ “Then, the chemical complexity is slowly built up, mainly through surface reactions with some help from additional gas phase routes. However, the problem is that there is a current gap in our knowledge regarding what the chemical inventory is that is found in the earliest stages of star formation in this molecular cloud.”

Sanz-Novo also explained that his research group is focused on studying molecular clouds, which

“We are trying to address this gap by tracing the chemistry throughout the star formation cycle,” Sanz-Novo said.⁴ “In particular, my work is focused on these earliest stages in molecular clouds…Each single detection really expands our understanding on what the chemistry looks like, how complex it can be, and also, more importantly, what are the raw materials that planets would potentially inherit throughout this star formation cycle.”

ISMS’s technical program is anchored by its symposia. Son and Sanz-Novo’s talks contributed to the technical breadth of these symposia, allowing young researchers to learn more about how to use molecular spectroscopy in their work.

Apart from the technical program, ISMS remains one of the best conferences for younger researchers, who have the opportunity to interact with seasoned researchers that potentially become future collaborators, managers, advisors, or all three.

“ISMS is one of the most intellectually stimulating conferences that I regularly attend,” Sanz-Novo said.⁴ “Some of the most productive collaborations for me have even started in some of these interactions I had at ISMS.”

References

1. Son, M.; Wetzel, W. Previewing ISMS 2026: Minjung Son on Her Upcoming Flygare Award Lecture. Spectroscopy Online, 2026. https://www.spectroscopyonline.com/view/previewing-isms-2026-minjung-son-on-her-upcoming-flygare-award-lecture (accessed July 1^st, 2026).
2. Wetzel, W. Previewing the 2026 International Symposium on Molecular Spectroscopy. Spectroscopy Online, 2026. https://www.spectroscopyonline.com/view/previewing-the-2026-international-symposium-on-molecular-spectroscopy (accessed July 1^st, 2026).
3. Son, M.; Wetzel, W. Exploring Emerging Photophysical Phenomena. Spectroscopy Online, 2026. https://www.spectroscopyonline.com/view/exploring-emerging-photophysical-phenomena (accessed July 1, 2026).
4. Sanz-Novo, M.; Wetzel, W. Understanding the Origins of Prebiotic Chemistry. Spectroscopy Online, 2026. https://www.spectroscopyonline.com/view/understanding-the-origins-of-prebiotic-chemistry (accessed July 1^st, 2026).