Copyright Albrecht Voss
Welcome to Leipzig
This third GAeF START conference on aerosol science will be hosted by the Leibniz Institute for Tropospheric Research (TROPOS) in Leipzig on 10 and 11 March 2026. The aim of GAeF is to organize a high-quality scientific conference that fosters interaction and exchange among GAeF members. During GAeF START 2026 the next GAeF PhD Awards will be granted.
One of the highlights will be tandem talks by invited speakers, addressing a specific topic from two perspectives in order to blend the boundaries of the different research fields in aerosol sciences. The meeting will be held in a single session format (no parallel sessions), so that all participants will have the opportunity to learn about the newest developments in the entire range of aerosol science. Ample space and time will be provided for interactive sessions. The scientific exchange will be rounded off by the ceremony of the GAeF PhD awards in the evening of 10 March 2026.
So don't miss the opportunity to join START 2026.
With a history going back almost 1,000 years, Leipzig is famous as a city of culture and trade, history and music. It is the site of the Peaceful Revolution of 1989. Passageways and exhibition halls evoke the city's tradition as a centre for trade fairs, which goes back over many centuries. Significant artists worked here, like Johann Sebastian Bach, Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy, Robert and Clara Schumann. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, who was a student in Leipzig, named the City „Little Paris“.
Organizational
The START Conference is an event exclusively for GAeF members!
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Registration | Regular – tbd
Registration | Student – tbd
The following services are included in the registration fee:
· Access to all lectures and sessions
· Conference materials
· Coffee breaks and snacks
· Business Lunch on both days
· Conference Dinner with PhD Award Ceremony on 10.03.2026
Program Overview
Venue, Accomodation and Travel
The venue “Mülisaal” is located near to the train station “Oberwinterthur”. Most hotels in Winterthur are located within the city center and in walking distance to the main train station (“Winterthur”). With a public transport ticket, you can travel to “Oberwinterthur” by train (approx. 3 min) or by bus (lines 1, 5 or 10: approx. 12 – 15 min every 7 min). You can also take the bus 680 to the station “Winterthur, Hegifeld” (10 min every 30 min).
Hotel recommendations in Winterthur:
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Hotel Wartmann (http://www.wartmann.ch), 3 Stars, near to main train station but still quiet rooms, fair price, cash-free hotel;
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Park Hotel Winterthur (https://www.phwin.ch), 4 Stars, bus line 1 station in front of hotel (< 10 min to venue), usually well booked;
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Business Hotel Banana City (http://www.bananacity.ch), 4 Stars, 7 min walking distance to main train station, simple but quiet hotel, good breakfast.
All hotels in Winterthur charge a city tax (3.5 CHF/day). Depending on the used booking platform you may have to pay it during check-in.
Hotel recommendations in Zurich:
The train connections between Winterthur and downtown Zurich are excellent (approx. 30 min by train). Several trains feature direct connections between “Oberwinterthur” and train stations in Zurich (e.g. S11 and S24). Along these lines, there are many hotels in the vicinity of “Zürich HB” (main station), “Zürich Stadelhofen”, “Zürich Oerlikon” and “Zürich Flughafen” (airport).
Hotels in other cities:
There are also regular direct trains from “Oberwinterthur” to “Stein am Rhein” (37 minutes by S29 to this historic town at the Rhine River) and to “Frauenfeld” (12 minutes by S30 to the capital of canton Thurgau). Both cities feature a range of nice hotels.
Travel mode:
Overall, it is highly recommended to use public transport for your travel. The parking fees are usually rather high (>25 CHF per day in Winterthur) and the nearest parking is several hundred meters from the venue. You can buy tickets online or at every bus or train station. Please check the timetables of the Swiss Train System under https://www.sbb.ch or with the SBB Mobile App. Some of the Winterthur hotels offer free bikes for their guests.
Don’t get lost:
Attention, the bus and train station naming in Winterthur contains a trap: located next to the venue are the train station “Oberwinterthur” and the bus stops “Oberwinterthur, Bahnhof” and “Winterthur, Hegifeld”. However, avoid the destination “Winterthur, Oberwinterthur”, which is at the end of bus line 1 and over 1 km away from the venue!