Closing In on Thermal Relics with Indirect, Direct, and Collider Searches for Dark Matter

20 Jul 2026, 09:00 → 22 Jul 2026, 19:00 Europe/Zurich

4/3-006 - TH Conference Room (CERN)

Benjamin Safdi (University of California Berkeley (US)), Cari Cesarotti, Masahiro Teshima, Matthew Philip Mccullough (CERN), Michelangelo Mangano (CERN), Tim Cohen (CERN), Tomohiro Inada (Kyushu University (JP))

This event will bring the indirect detection community together with the theory, direct detection, and collider communities to emphasize the importance of searches for WIMP dark matter, including benchmark candidates such as the higgsino, with future instruments such as the soon-to-be-operational CTAO. 

 The aim of the conference is to emphasize the synergy between the three major routes towards detection: indirect searches, direct detection, and colliders, as well as to reaffirm the theoretical motivations for WIMP benchmark models and highlight how they may be detected with future instruments. We believe that with enough community engagement this conference could substantially impact the search for WIMP DM. 

 

Confirmed Speakers 

• Shotaro Abe
• Ivana Batkovic
• Martin Beneke
• James Buckley (APT)
• Francesca Calore
• Christopher Eckner
• Miguel Escudero
• Roberto Franceschini
• Daniel Kerszberg
• Graham Kribs
• Lina Necib
• Kerstin Perez (GAPS)
• Elisa Pueschel
• Hari Ramani
• Diego Redigolo
• Dan Salazar-Gallegos (HAWC)
• Masahiro Teshima
• Linda Xu
• Kenny Chun Yu Ng (LHAASO)

 

Monday 20 July

09:00 → 10:30 Theory Plenary: Theory Plenary 1

Convener: Cari Cesarotti

09:00 Opening

Speaker: Cari Cesarotti

09:30 Theory1

10:00 Theory2

10:30 → 11:15 COFFEE

11:15 → 12:15 Experiment: Experiment Plenary1

11:15 Experiment 1

11:45 Experiment 2

12:15 → 13:30 Lunch

13:30 → 14:00 Theory Plenary

14:00 → 15:15 Flash Talks

10+2

15:15 → 16:00 COFFEE

16:00 → 17:30 Theory Plenary

18:00 → 19:00 Informal Dinner: Apero

Plan to meet at Luigia's, contact Cari for reservations

Tuesday 21 July

09:00 → 10:30 Experiment: Experiment2

10:30 → 11:15 COFFEE

11:15 → 12:15 Theory Plenary

12:15 → 14:00 Lunch

14:00 → 15:30 Flash Talks

10+2

15:30 → 16:15 COFFEE

16:15 → 16:45 Experiment

16:45 → 17:15 Theory Plenary

17:15 → 18:15 Discussion

19:00 → 20:00 Informal Dinner

Plan to meet at Luigia's, contact Cari for reservations

Wednesday 22 July

09:00 → 10:00 Theory Plenary

10:00 → 10:30 COFFEE

10:30 → 11:30 Experiment

11:30 → 12:30 Discussion

12:30 → 12:40 Closing Remarks