August 17 - 21, 2026, Kyoto, Japan
18th Orthogonal Polynomials, Special Functions and Applications – OPSFA-18
News
- February 2, 2026: The application procedure for financial support is now available.
- February 1, 2026: Abstract submission is now open. Please follow the instructions to submit your abstract.
- October 31, 2025: Please note that registration will open on February 21, 2026 (previously scheduled for December 1, 2025).
About
18th International Symposium on Orthogonal Polynomials, Special Functions and Applications (OPSFA-18)
Where
When
Monday afternoon 17 August to Friday 21 August 2026
OPSFA-18 is the eighteenth in a series of biennial conferences devoted to Orthogonal Polynomials, Special Functions and Applications, with a special focus on topics such as integrable systems, random matrix theory, Painlevé equations, exact WKB analysis, stochastic models, and other related areas. Contributions on additional related topics are also highly encouraged.
Since 1984, several conferences have been held where orthogonal polynomials, special functions, and their applications have been the main subjects. The first OPSFA conference took place in Bar-le-Duc, France, October 15-18, 1984. Initially the conferences were held in Europe but now they take place on various continents.
OPSFA-18 will be held at Hardy Hall on the Muromachi Campus of Doshisha University, located in central Kyoto, behind the historic Kyoto Imperial Palace, from Monday afternoon, August 17 – Friday, August 21, 2026. The campus is easily accessible—just a few minutes’ walk from Imadegawa Station on the Karasuma Subway Line, with direct access from Kyoto Station in about 10 minutes.
Important Dates
Notice: Due to technical reasons, the opening date for registration has been changed. The submission schedule remains unchanged, and you may submit your abstract before registration opens. We apologize for any inconvenience caused and appreciate your understanding.
All deadlines are shown in GMT-12.
- Registration opens February 21, 2026
- Early bird registration deadline: May 31, 2026
- Final deadline: July 15, 2026
- Talk/poster submission opens February 1, 2026
- Final deadline: May 15, 2026
- Financial support application deadline: April 15, 2026
- Notification of financial support: May 1, 2026
Committees
Organizing Committee
- Satoshi Tsujimoto (Chair, Kyoto University)
- Hiroshi Miki (Co-Chair, Doshisha University)
- Benoit Collins (Kyoto University)
- Kazuki Maeda (University of Fukuchiyama)
- Satoru Odake (Shinshu University)
- Yoshitsugu Takei (Doshisha University)
- Teruhisa Tsuda (Aoyama Gakuin University)
- Luc Vinet (Université de Montréal)
Scientific Committee
- Jan de Gier (University of Melbourne)
- David Gómez-Ullate (IE University)
- Alexander Its (Indiana University)
- Erik Koelink (Radboud Universiteit)
- Ana Loureiro (University of Kent)
- Andrei Martínez-Finkelshtein (Baylor University, University of Almería)
- Hiroshi Miki (Doshisha University)
- Inés Pacharoni (FaMAF, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba)
- Pablo Román (Universidad Nacional de Córdoba)
- Satoshi Tsujimoto (Kyoto University)
- Luc Vinet (Université de Montréal)
Steering Committee
- Howard Cohl (Elected SIAG/OPSF member)
- Teresa Pérez (representative from OPSFA-17, Spain)
- Luc Vinet (representative from OPSFA-16, Canada)
- Ana F. Loureiro (representative from OPSFA-14, UK)
Scientific Programme
The scientific programme of OPSFA-18 will consist of plenary lectures, thematic sessions, and a poster session.
Plenary Speakers
The plenary lectures will be given by leading experts in orthogonal polynomials, special functions, and related areas of mathematics and physics, presenting recent developments and perspectives in their fields.
- Gábor Szegő Prize Laureate (to be announced)
- Dan Dai (City University of Hong Kong, China)
- Jan Felipe van Diejen (University of Santiago, Chile)
- María Angeles García-Ferrero (ICMAT, Spain)
- Manuela Girotti (Emory University, USA)
- Kohei Iwaki (the University of Tokyo, Japan)
- Rinat Kedem (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA)
- Greta Panova (University of Southern California, USA)
- Makiko Sasada (the University of Tokyo, Japan)
- Guilherme Silva (University of São Paulo, Brazil)
- Yasuhiko Yamada (Kobe University, Japan)
Thematic Sessions and Poster Session
In addition to the plenary lectures, the scientific programme of OPSFA-18 will feature a series of thematic sessions and a poster session, covering a broad range of topics in orthogonal polynomials, special functions, and their applications.
Thematic sessions will be held in parallel, and all talks will be allotted 30 minutes (including discussions). Each thematic session is coordinated by one or more coordinators appointed by the Organizing Committee and aims to provide a coherent framework for contributed talks, fostering interaction and collaboration among participants working on related areas. All contributed talks must be submitted with the authors’ preferred thematic session. Contributed talks will be assigned to the most relevant session based on their abstracts. All contributed talk submissions will be reviewed by the Organizing Committee, and acceptance will be communicated after the submission deadline.
The poster session will be held in order to encourage discussion among attendees. It will provide an additional opportunity for participants—especially PhD students and early-career researchers—to present their recent work and exchange ideas in an informal setting.
No separately organised mini-symposia are planned for OPSFA-18. All contributed presentations will be included within the thematic or poster sessions coordinated by the Organizing Committee. Each participant will be allowed to give only one presentation at the conference, either plenary, contributed talk, or poster.
List of Thematic Sessions
- Painlevé and Integrable Systems (Coordinator: Alexander Its)
- Random Matrices and Probability (Coordinator: Thomas Bothner)
- Exact WKB Analysis and Related Topics (Topological Recursion, Conformal Blocks, Beta-Ensembles) (Coordinator: Andrei Prokhorov)
- Orthogonal Polynomials, Mathematical Physics, and Interacting Particle Systems (Coordinator: Sarah Post)
- Algebraic Combinatorics (Coordinator: Hajime Tanaka)
- Combinatorics, q-Series, Partitions, and Number Theory (Coordinator: Shuhei Kamioka)
- Quantum Walks and Quantum Information (Coordinator: Ada Chan)
- Asymptotics of Orthogonal Polynomials and Special Functions (Coordinator: Andrei Martínez-Finkelshtein)
- Multiple Orthogonal Polynomials (Coordinator: Walter Van Assche)
- Matrix Orthogonal Polynomials (Coordinators: Pablo Román, Erik Koelink)
- Orthogonal Polynomials on the Unit Circle (Coordinator: Alexei Zhedanov)
- Exceptional Orthogonal Polynomials (Coordinators: David Gómez-Ullate, Robert Milson)
- Multivariate Special Functions (Coordinator: Nicolas Crampé)
- Representation Theory and Special Functions (Coordinator: Luc Vinet)
- General Orthogonal Polynomials, Hypergeometric and Special Functions (including Mathieu, Lamé, Heun, etc.) (Coordinator: Kouichi Takemura)
- Applications of Orthogonal Polynomials and Special Functions – Interdisciplinary Topics (including Numerical Analysis, Data Science, Machine Learning, etc.) (Coordinators: Satoshi Tsujimoto, Hiroshi Miki)
Submission of Contributed Talks and Posters
Participants are invited to submit contributed talks or posters under one of the above thematic sessions at the time of registration. The final allocation of oral and poster presentations will be made by the Organizing Committee based on the abstracts received and the overall programme structure.
Instructions for Submission
Please use the following LaTeX template:
The abstract should be no more than one A5 page in landscape format.
All submissions must be made through the registration system. Note that abstract submission is possible before registration opens on February 21, 2026. First, create your user account and log in to the system. After logging in, go to the “Abstract Submission” page, fill in the required information (including your preferred theme from the list above), and upload both the abstract PDF file and the LaTeX source file. Selecting a theme (session) is required even for poster presentations.
Note 1: Although the submission system allows the corresponding author, presenter, and contact person to be specified separately, please assign all of these roles to the same person (the submitter) for administrative convenience.
Note 2: Abstract submission is limited to one submission per participant. In the event of multiple submissions, only the first submission will be considered valid. On the other hand, you may be listed as a co-author on other submissions.
The final deadline for abstract submission is May 15, 2026 (GMT-12).
Registration
Registration will open on February 21, 2026.
If you wish to request visa support or apply for financial support, please refer to the relevant information.
Registration Fees
Only credit card payments are accepted. All amounts are in Japanese yen, JPY.
- [Early bird] General (until May 31) ¥ 43,000
- [Early bird] Reduced (until May 31) ¥ 24,000
- [Regular] General (June 1 – July 15) ¥ 58,000
- [Regular] Reduced (June 1 – July 15) ¥ 44,000
The reduced fee is available to participants who meet any of the following criteria.
- Students
- Early Career Researchers within five years after obtaining their Ph.D., counted from April 1, 2026
- Researchers from developing countries listed here
The registration fee covers the Welcome Party, coffee breaks, and lunches from Tuesday to Friday.
Accompanying persons do not need to pay the registration fee, nor do they need to register, unless they attend the banquet. Note that lunches will not be provided for accompanying persons.
Registration is required regardless of whether you intend to give a talk. If you would like to give a talk, please follow the instructions given in the above.
Banquet Fees
To attend the banquet on Wednesday, the following additional fee is required. The reduced fee is available to participants who meet the same criteria as above.
- [General] ¥ 12,000
- [Reduced] ¥ 6,000
- Accompanying persons: ¥ 10,000 per person
The banquet fee can be added later via the registration update page. The deadline for doing so is July 31, 2026 (GMT-12). In this case, due to system constraints, the full amount previously paid will first be refunded to your credit card, and a new payment will then be processed. Please note that, depending on your credit card issuer, it may take some time to appear.
Cancellation
The registration fee is refundable until July 15, and the banquet fee until July 31. If you wish to cancel, please complete the procedure through the registration system. Please note that, in principle, no refunds will be made after these deadlines.
Information
Kyoto : Venue and Access
Hardy Hall, Muromachi Campus, Doshisha University, Kyoto, Japan
Kyoto is well connected to major cities in Japan by frequent and efficient transportation options:
(1) From Kansai International Airport (KIX), it takes approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes to reach Kyoto Station by JR Haruka train.
(2) From Osaka Itami Airport (ITM), it takes around 1 hour to Kyoto Station by limousine bus.
(3) From Tokyo Station, it takes about 2 hours and 15 minutes to Kyoto Station by JR Shinkansen (bullet train).
The conference will take place at Hardy Hall on the Muromachi Campus of Doshisha University, located in central Kyoto behind the historic Kyoto Imperial Palace. The campus is easily accessible—just a few minutes’ walk from Imadegawa Station on the Karasuma Subway Line, with direct access from Kyoto Station in about 10 minutes.
As one of Japan’s most historic cities, Kyoto is renowned for its rich cultural heritage, featuring beautiful temples, shrines, and traditional gardens. The city is also known for its distinctive local cuisine, including kaiseki (traditional multi-course meal), yudofu (tofu hot pot), and a wide variety of matcha-based sweets.
Accommodation
Please note that the first day of the conference is scheduled to begin in the afternoon. Therefore, staying in Osaka, Tokyo, or another city on the night of the 16th and traveling to Kyoto on the morning of the 17th is also a feasible option.
A limited number of hotel rooms are available (only single rooms). Reservations will open on February 21. Please make your reservation and payment through the registration system if you wish to use this option.
Visa
Please refer to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs website below to check whether a visa is required for your entry into Japan.
If a visa is required, please answer “Yes” to the Visa Support Request question during registration. We will then contact you by email with further instructions.
Financial Support
Limited financial support will be available, primarily for early-career researchers* and students who will be giving presentations. This support may include, where possible, partial travel assistance, as well as a limited number of reduced registration fees and accommodation grants. Please note that the Organizing Committee will make the selection. Applicants are kindly requested to submit their abstract through the registration system and to email a CV and a brief statement describing their circumstances to contact@opsfa18.com by April 15, 2026. Student applicants should also include a recommendation letter. The outcome of the selection will be communicated by May 1, 2026.
* Early Career Researchers: Researchers within five years after obtaining their Ph.D., counted from April 1 2026.
