Users' Meeting Turns Insights into Impacts

The 2026 NSLS-II and CFN Users' Meeting explored the tools that will shape how science is performed in the years to come

May 22, 2026

A group of attendees from the AI Showcase Workshop enlarge

A group of attendees from the AI Showcase Workshop pose for a photo outside of the new Science and User Support Center during a coffee break. (Kevin Coughlin/Brookhaven National Laboratory)

The National Synchrotron Light Source II (NSLS-II) and the Center for Functional Nanomaterials (CFN), two user facilities at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory, collaborate with a global community of thousands of scientists spanning a wide range of disciplines, institutions, and geographic regions. The annual NSLS-II and CFN Users’ Meeting brings this community together at the Lab to discuss current research and opportunities for the future.

The 2026 meeting, held April 21-23 and May 5-6, featured 14 workshops on key areas of nanoscience and synchrotron science, including an AI showcase. A vendor fair with 33 exhibitors, a poster session including contributions from local high school students, and a comprehensive plenary session rounded out the agenda. The plenary included updates from Lab leadership and the DOE Office of Basic Energy Sciences (BES), a keynote presentation by Oleg Gang of Brookhaven Lab and Columbia University, and an awards session.

Of the 512 registered attendees, 94% participated in person, creating the ideal environment for networking, idea exchange, and collaboration. This energy was especially evident during coffee and lunch breaks, post-workshop discussions, and the offsite banquet, where attendees formed teams and competed in a lighthearted pub-style trivia competition.

Staying up to date and Recognizing Achievements

Brookhaven Lab staff joined users at the plenary session, where facility, laboratory, and DOE leadership shared updates, future plans, and broader perspectives. After a keynote talk on programming nanoscale matter from Oleg Gang, users and staff were recognized for their contributions and achievements within their fields and communities.

The Julian D. Baumert Ph.D. Thesis Award was presented to Shengsong Yang, a postdoctoral researcher in chemistry at the University of Chicago, who earned his Ph.D. in 2024 from the University of Pennsylvania. His dissertation, “Chemical Design of Dynamic Nanocrystal Superlattices,” explores the synthesis, assembly, and transformation of functional nanocrystals. His work included advanced scattering studies at multiple NSLS-II beamlines and characterization at CFN.

Benjamin Ocko and Shengsong Yang enlarge

Benjamin Ocko, a beamline scientist at the Soft Matter Interfaces beamline (right) presents postdoctoral researcher Shengsong Yang (left) with the Julian D. Baumert Ph.D. Thesis Award. (Kevin Coughlin/Brookhaven National Laboratory)

The NSLS-II UEC Community Service Award was presented to Erik Johnson, acting deputy director for operations at NSLS-II, in recognition of his many years of leadership and advocacy for the user community. The NSLS-II UEC Outstanding Beamline Scientist Award was presented to Lukas Wehmeier of the Magnetic, Ellipsometric, Time-resolved Infrared and Nanospectroscopies (MET) beamline, honoring his commitment to user support, training, and scientific excellence.

Poster session award winners were also recognized, and the UECs acknowledged outgoing members while welcoming new members as well as members taking on new roles, including newly elected NSLS-II UEC Chair Petra Reinke.

The two UECs thank all exhibitors and sponsors of the 2026 Users’ Meeting, and they look forward to bringing this amazing community together again next year.

Stay tuned to the NSLS-II newsroom for more in-depth coverage of the meeting, including facility updates.