IRUG 15th International Conference and Workshop

26-29 September 2023, Tokyo, Japan

The conference has begun!

Registration for the IRUG 15 Conference and Workshop is now closed.

The conference organization is led by Boris Pretzel and Masahiko Tsukada on behalf of the Conservation Science Laboratory at Tokyo University of the Arts ("Geidai") and The Tokyo National Research Institute for Cultural Properties ("Tobunken"), with the aid and support of the IRUG Board of Directors. It features a workshop covering reflectance infrared techniques, focusing on data acquisition, processing, and interpretation, led by Dr. Marcello Picollo (Senior Researcher at IFAC-CNR), aided by Dr. Suzan de Groot (RCE, The Netherlands) and Professor Manfred Schreiner (Akademie der Bildenden Künste, Austria).

The keynote talk, covering aspects of the theory and challenges of reflectance mode infrared spectroscopy, will be given by Dr. James A. de Haseth, Emeritus Professor of Chemistry at the University of Georgia and co-author of the classic reference Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometry. The abstract for the keynote talk is found here.

All talks and the workshop will be held at Tobunken, 13-43 Ueno Park, Taito-ku, Tokyo, 110-8713. The conference schedule, including a table of oral presentations and a table of poster presentations can be found here.

IRUG is indebted to its corporate sponsors for the conference, without whom the conference would not be possible. The Silver level sponsor IRUG15 is Thermo Fisher Scientific, with Bronze level sponsorships from (in alphabetical order) Bruker, Nanophoton, PhotoThermal / Nihon Thermal Consulting, Shimadzu, and ST Japan. We thank all of our sponsors for their generosity and look forward to welcoming them to the conference.

Links to conference information and forms are posted below. Information is updated and augmented periodically *last update 21 September 2023.

[Ctrl]+Click for:
Initial call for the conference with additional information
Suggestions for hotels

**NEW** Maps for walking from Ueno, Nippori, and Nezu stations to Tobunken (the conference venue)

**NEW** A google form for prebooking spaces on tours Sake tasting and tea ceremony event booking is closed (sorry - but if you want to attend either of these events (with additional charge), please ask at reception in case spaces can be found). The guided walk and orientation tour at Ueno Park is also now at capacity. A few spaces remain for the Thursday afternoon tour of the Tobunken laboratories. The tours for two of the sponsors' facilities, Shimadzu and Thermo Fisher, are still available for booking. We also have some complimentary tickets for the Tokyo National Museum. Please check the form and please verify your bookings at registration.

We look forward to welcoming you to the conference.

IRUG Statement on the War in Ukraine

The Board of Directors of IRUG, an international scientific and cultural heritage community, stands in solidarity with the people of Ukraine. We believe that science and cultural heritage flourish in a world where diverse cultures co-exist peacefully. We, therefore, condemn the Russian military invasion of Ukraine with its subsequent loss of precious life and destruction of cultural heritage. During and after this conflict, the IRUG Board will seek to support our members who have been impacted.