Scope

Density functional theory (DFT) has made an unmatched contribution by providing first-principles atomistic insights to chemistry, condensed matter physics, materials science, and many other fields. However, most commonly used density functional approximations (DFAs) suffer from some well-known failures, including the incapability to correctly describe charge-transfer processes, weak dispersion interactions and strongly interacting scenarios. Recent effort attempting to cover such intricate many-body effects in DFT has initiated many new concepts at varying theoretical levels, and has led to a bunch of new concepts and insights, as well as new DFAs. Some of these developments can be viewed as a merger of wavefunction theories of quantum chemistry and DFT.

The symposium will cover the recent progress in DFT by inviting well-known international experts as well as young researchers who have already significantly contributed to the field. We expect this symposium to attract a diverse audience: those involved in method developments, practical DFT practitioners, as well as theoreticians in wave-function theory, quantum Monte Carlo, GW, and other fields.

Please note that while the invited lectures will have a focus on new concepts and developments in DFT and beyond, the symposium will cover the general field of computational materials and electronic structure theory.