The Hylleraas Annual Meeting 2026

Losby Gods is idyllically located in the heart of Østmarka, just 20 minutes from Oslo city center and 30 minutes from Gardermoen, where peace and quiet are included in the price. At the same time, the nature around us offers countless opportunities for experiences and exploration.

About the meeting

The annual meeting of the Hylleraas Centre is a joint meeting between the node at UiO in Oslo and the node at UiT in Tromsø. This year's meeting is hosted by the Oslo node and organised by the Young Researchers Parliament (YRP) representatives at UiO.

Please note: the schedule might be modified before the meeting.

Travel

We will organize bus transport from Blindern and from Oslo Gardermoen Airport to Losby Gods. The bus will leave Gardermoen Airport Monday 31st at 11:00 and depart from Losby Gods Wednesday 2nd at 13:30. For those arriving by air, we recommend the following flights:  

Travel from Tromsø 

• Mon 31st Aug: DY 329 TOS 08:20 - OSL 10:15 (Norwegian)
• Mon 31st Aug: SK4409 TOS 08:30 - OSL 10:25 (SAS)

Return to Tromsø

• Wed 2nd Sep: SK4424 OSL 16:50 - TOS 18:40 (SAS)
• Wed 2nd Sep: DY 382 OSL 17:10 - TOS 19:05 (Norwegian)

Travel from Oslo, Blindern

Bus from Blindern to Losby Gods will be departing at 10:30. Be aware that it will depart from the old Chemistry Building (Sem Sælandsvei 26), not from the Life Science Building.

Return to Oslo, Blindern

Bus from Losby Gods to Blindern will be departing at 13:30.

Schedule

Talks

Translating Research Skills: Identifying and Communicating Your Transferable Competencies 

Else Marie Lingaas

Researchers develop a wide range of valuable skills throughout their academic careers, many of which are highly sought after beyond academia. This workshop introduces the concept of transferable skills and explores how research experience translates into competencies relevant across sectors. Through examples and practical exercises, participants will learn to identify skills and communicate the value of their research background to non-academic audiences. The workshop provides an opportunity to reflect on personal experience and develop concrete descriptions of competencies for future career development.

Egil A. Hylleraas — A Pioneer of Computational Quantum Mechanics

Trygve Helgaker (Emeritus Professor, Hylleraas Centre, UiO)

The Norwegian physicist Egil A. Hylleraas (1898–1965) helped usher in the era of scientific computing by carrying out accurate calculations on the helium atom, thereby confirming the validity of quantum mechanics for more than one particle, by predicting the stability of the hydrogen anion, later detected in the Sun’s atmosphere, and by performing the first calculation of the cohesive energy of a molecular crystal, LiH. Many of the methods and techniques introduced by Hylleraas in the 1920s and 1930s are still important today. In particular, his treatment of electron correlation forms the basis for modern explicitly-correlated electronic-structure methods and F12 techniques. Hylleraas also performed many quantum-mechanical studies of small molecules and presented, for example, the first calculations of nuclear magnetic shielding constants of a molecule in 1950.

Egil Hylleraas was the founding father of quantum chemistry in Norway. Indeed, in a public lecture on the chemical bond given in 1933, he stated (translated from the Norwegian): ‘In closing my presentation, I hope to have convinced the audience of the far-reaching opportunities that now exist for establishing a theoretical chemistry, a quantum chemistry, on the same footing as the physical quantum theory.

In this talk, an overview is given of the life and career of Egil Hylleraas, with emphasis on his scientific contributions and their relevance for modern theoretical chemistry.

Career Talks

Pursuing a theoretical chemistry career in academia: A personal perspective

Lucas Lang (Junior Research Group Leader)

Based on my own career path, I will talk about what it means to pursue a career in academia, including development of an independent research profile, recruitment, supervision, grant writing, work-life balance, and other topics. I will discuss lessons learned along the way and highlight common mistakes (some of which I made myself) to avoid. While this account is necessarily biased by my own experience, I will try to give some common-sense advice that will generalize and be useful for many.

The PhD stays with you: Reflections on Research, Industry and Career Choices

Mahika Luthra (Battery Cell Data Analytics Engineer)

A PhD can open doors to a wide range of career paths, many of which are not obvious at the start of the journey. In this talk, I will share my experiences moving from PhD in Computational Chemistry to my current role in battery lifetime analytics at SCANIA, Sweden. Rather than focusing on specific career outcomes, I will reflect on the skills, decisions, and opportunities that shaped this path. My aim is to offer perspectives that may help current PhD students think about their own careers, whether they choose to remain in academia or explore opportunities beyond it.

Beyond Academia: Lessons from Moving into Private Non-Profit Research

Alejandra Pita (Senior Researcher at Idener.ai)

In this talk, I will share my personal journey from academia into private non-profit research after finishing my PhD: what led me to make that decision, what I expected, and what actually happened. Like many people at that stage, I faced uncertainty about staying in academia or exploring other paths, and I’ll talk openly about how I navigated that moment. I’ll also give a glimpse into what my work looks like today, the collaborative projects I am part of, and the impact of those. I’ll reflect on which skills from the PhD turned out to be most valuable, which ones I had to learn along the way, and what surprised me the most about working outside academia. My hope is that it helps others see that there isn’t a single “right” path after a PhD, and that exploring alternatives can open up rewarding and meaningful opportunities.

5 Minutes-Presentations (5MT)

More information will be added soon.

Here is the presenting order for the speakers of the PI's competition. 

1. David Balcells
2. Erik Tellgren
3. Luca Frediani
4. Michal Repisky
5. Michele Cascella
6. Thomas Bondo Pedersen

And here is the presenting order for the speakers of the PhD and Master's students' competition.

1. Catherine Hughes
2. Daniel Schipper
3. Helena Hradiská
4. Jacopo Masotti
5. Lise Chevalier
6. Niklas Göllmann
7. Oliver Bohle
8. Ylva Os

Outdoor activity 

On their website, there are some suggestions ranging from golf to hiking. Some group activity might be organized (to be confirmed).

Thanks!

Special thanks to Oliver Bohle for helping in the organisation.