From 7 to 11 September 2026, the 15th International Workshop on the Physics of Excited Nucleons (NSTAR 2026) was held in Seville, Spain. The meeting brought together nearly 200 researchers in particle and nuclear physics from around the world. Nanjing University, through the Institute for Nonperturbative Physics (INP), School of Physics, served as a co-organizer of the workshop. Prof. Craig D. Roberts, School of Physics, Nanjing University, served on both the Local Organizing Committee and the International Advisory Committee.

NSTAR is a major international meeting series devoted to excited nucleons, baryon spectroscopy and structure. NSTAR 2026 covered experimental and theoretical studies of nucleon and baryon excitations, including meson photo- and electroproduction, baryon spectroscopy and structure, transition and timelike form factors, lattice QCD and continuum Schwinger function methods, effective field theory, neutrino scattering, and future experimental facilities. The workshop emphasized direct interaction between experiment and nonperturbative QCD theory, with the goal of advancing understanding of strong-interaction dynamics and the emergence of baryons from quark and gluon degrees of freedom.

Group photo of NSTAR 2026 participants

During the workshop, Prof. Craig D. Roberts delivered the plenary talk “Insights into N* resonances using Continuum Schwinger Function Methods,” presenting recent progress in applying continuum Schwinger function methods to nucleon excitations. He also joined the Early (Academic) Career Event, discussing research environments and academic career development from an international perspective. Assistant Prof. Minghui Ding presented “Transverse-Momentum Structure of Light Pseudoscalar Mesons in Continuum Schwinger Function Methods,” reporting recent work on the transverse-momentum structure of light pseudoscalar mesons.

Plenary talk at NSTAR 2026

Co-organizing and supporting institutions displayed at the venue

Co-organizing NSTAR 2026 and contributing to its scientific program form part of INP’s continuing effort to expand its international research network. In 2023, INP members co-organized the international workshop “Parton Distribution Functions at a Crossroad” with the European Centre for Theoretical Studies in Nuclear Physics and Related Areas (ECT*) and other partners. In 2025, INP members also co-organized the “International Conference on the Structure of Baryons (Baryons 2025)” in collaboration with Korean high-energy physics institutions and other international partners. In October 2026, INP members will co-organize the workshop “Theoretical Motivations and Empirical Evidence for Diquark Correlations in Hadrons” with ECT*. Through sustained engagement in international scientific activities, INP continues to strengthen long-term collaborations in nonperturbative QCD, hadron structure, and emergent hadron mass, while broadening opportunities for early-career researchers to engage with the international community. These efforts also support the internationalization of Nanjing University and the School of Physics and enhance their global academic visibility.