Globular clusters (GCs) are among the oldest building blocks of galaxies and provide unique insights into their formation and evolution. Once regarded as simple stellar populations, GCs are now recognized as complex systems whose properties reflect accretion histories, hierarchical assembly, and chemical enrichment across cosmic time. This symposium will unite experts in stellar dynamics, cosmological simulations, stellar remnants, black hole astrophysics, and multi-wavelength observations to discuss how GCs act as tracers of galaxy evolution from the early Universe to the present day.

With the advent of transformative facilities such as the Rubin Observatory, JWST, Euclid, and Roman, alongside major advances in numerical modelling and cosmological simulations, GC research is entering a new era. Dedicated sessions will address state-of-the-art results, current challenges, and future prospects, providing a comprehensive overview of how GCs connect stellar astrophysics to galaxy formation and cosmology.

Programme

• Observing Globular Clusters:
  • Photometry and spectroscopy of multiple stellar populations
  • Globular clusters in current surveys: origin of GCs and their role in the assembly of the Milky Way
  • Extra-Galactic and high-redshift globular clusters
• Modelling of Globular Clusters:
  • N-body and Monte Carlo simulations of GCs: current state-of-the-art, limitations, and future directions
  • Cosmological simulations: globular cluster formation and evolution in cosmological simulations
• Stellar Remnants in Globular Clusters:
  • Black holes, neutron stars, white dwarfs, and binaries: latest models and observational advances
  • Their role in shaping cluster evolution through retention, ejection, and as gravitational-wave progenitors
• Tidal Tails and Stellar Streams:
  • Modelling: predicting the disruption and debris of GCs
  • Observations: detecting streams and tails around the Milky Way and beyond
• Next-Generation Facilities:
  • Rubin LSST, Euclid, Roman, 4MOST, ELT, and WEAVE as tools to unlock new insights into star cluster populations across environments

Invited speakers

TBD

Scientific organisers

• Giacomo Cordoni (Australian National Univesity)
• Alessandra Mastrobuono-Battisti (University of Padova)
• Emanuele Dondoglio (INAF-Padova)
• Ricardo Schiavon (Liverpool John Moores University)
• Sara Rastello (University of Barcelona)
• Corinne Charbonnel (University of Geneva)
• Marta Reina-Campos(Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics and McMaster University)
• Zhen Yuan (Nanjing University)

Contact

• Giacomo Cordoni: giacomo.cordoni @ anu.edu.au
• Emanuele Dondoglio: emanuele.dondoglio @ unipd.it
• Alessandra Mastrobuono-Battisti: alessandra.mastrobuono @ unipd.it