May 18-20, 2026, Abdij Rolduc Kerkrade, The Netherlands
Registration and Abstract submission deadline: February 9th, 2026
The origin and nature of life, as well as its presence beyond the Earth, are questions that fascinate the general public and inspire scientists from many disciplines. In the Netherlands, research on the emergence of life and evolution is coordinated by the Origins Center. At the conference, a multidisciplinary group of scientists, including geoscientists, evolutionary biologists, ecologists, chemists, physicists, mathematicians, and astronomers will update each other about recent developments in their fields. The goal is to inspire one another and to start exciting new interdisciplinary collaborations. The topics of this meeting are aligned with the main research themes of the Origins Center:
- 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
Register here:
https://santu.com/dni078
Confirmed invited speakers:
Paul Rainey (Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology, Plön, Germany)
Title: Egalitarian transitions and the evolution of heredity
Bob Planqué (Free University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands)
Title: Searching for Principles of Microbial Physiology: From Metabolic Transitions to Whole-Cell Control.
Ramon Brasser (Konkoly Observatory, Hungary)
Title: A planetary science perspective for timing the onset of life’s origins on Earth
Inge Loes ten Kate (University of Utrecht, the Netherlands)
Title: Biosignatures and the search for extraterrestrial life
Douwe van Hinsbergen (University of Utrecht, the Netherlands)
Title: Luctor et emergo: The geological processes needed to make land on a wet planet
Martijn Egas (University of Groningen, the Netherlands)
Title: Living Planet – how life and planet are interdependent and co-evolving: an interdisciplinary approach
Oliver Trapp (Ludwig Maximilian University Munich, Germany)
Title: Prebiotic Organocatalysis – A Mechanism to the Emergence of Life
Herma Cuppen (Radboud University Nijmegen, the Netherlands)
Title: Surface astrochemistry – how complex can it be
Nathalie Katsonis (University of Groningen, the Netherlands)
Title: Origins of Cellular Compartmentalization: From Lipids to Protocells
Lena Noack (Freie Universität Berlin, Germany)
Title: “Bare-rock worlds or planets with peculiar atmospheres? Predicted atmospheric evolution of rocky planets around M dwarfs”.
Wieger Wamelink (Wageningen University and Research, the Netherlands)
Title: To boldly grow where no plant has grown before. How can we grow crops on Mars and how can we learn from it on Earth.
Stephanie Cazaux (Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands)
Title: Icy moons and their subsurface oceans: from Cassini and JWST observations to laboratory experiments.
Kepa Ruiz-Mirazo (University of the Basque Country, Spain)
Title: Why is minimal life so complex? On the need to integrate metabolic, ecological and evolutionary dynamics within abiogenesis
Register here:
https://santu.com/dni078
Conference details
Registration and Abstract submission deadline: February 9th, 2026
We can accommodate around 20 talks for PhD, postdocs and PIs, don’t be shy to apply!
Registration fee: 290 for single bed rooms
Registration fee: 210 for shared (2p) bed rooms
Social Activities (Tuesday 13:30 – 15:00; optional – 4 options): Escape room, Guided tour, Brewery tour, Hang out with colleagues (drinks voucher provided)
Registration fees cover accommodation for the nights of May 18 and 19 and all meals and coffee breaks.
Contact information info@originscenter.nl
About the venue
Abdij Rolduc, Heyendallaan 82, 6464 EP Kerkrade, the Netherlands
Rolduc is a nearly 900-year-old medieval abbey and one of the official “Top 100 Dutch heritage monuments”, recognized for its cultural and historical importance. Today, the abbey functions as a dedicated conference center and hotel, with multiple meeting rooms and on-site accommodation in a quiet, green setting near the German and Belgian borders.
The conference will include dinner at the abbey, offering plenty of time for informal exchanges and for reconnecting with colleagues across the Origins Center community. We are very much looking forward to seeing everyone together again in this inspiring location.