Preceding the conference banquet, the ceremonial Ioannes Marcus Marci Session will take place. The Ioannes Marcus Marci Lecturer 2026 will be Professor Reinhard Genzel, Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics, Munich. His career is deeply rooted in pioneering infrared spectroscopy and high-resolution imaging. Prof. Genzel’s expertise lies in developing advanced, ground-based astronomical instruments to study the infrared emission from galactic centers. Following his discovery of a supermassive compact object at the center of our galaxy, together with Roger Penrose and Andrea Ghez, he was named to be the Nobel Laureat in Physics 2020.