Noticias en español
- Following a successful first edition in Rio de Janeiro in 2023, this year’s event was co-organized by the CMM of the University of Chile.
Between Monday, January 19, and Friday, January 23, 2026, the Federico Santa María Technical University (UTFSM) in Valparaíso became the epicenter of research in the field with the celebration of the 2nd Latin American Congress on Industrial and Applied Mathematics, LACIAM 2026.
This internationally renowned congress, co-organized by the Mathematical Modeling Center (CMM) of the University of Chile, has as its main objective to bring together researchers and students from Latin America and the rest of the world dedicated to applied mathematics and its industrial applications.
The event sought to create a robust platform for discussing the latest advances in the field and fostering new collaborations among participating research groups, continuing the success of its first edition held in Rio de Janeiro in 2023.
Structured into 18 thematic sessions, the LACIAM 2026 program is designed to be broad and inclusive, featuring plenary talks, mini-courses, specialized thematic sessions, poster sessions, and panel discussions.
One of the most notable features of the event was the participation of a select group of ten world-renowned plenary speakers from leading institutions in countries such as the United Kingdom, the United States, and universities in Chile and Argentina:
- Roberto Cominetti, Pontificia U. Católica de Chile, Chile
- José Carrillo de la Plata, University of Oxford, United Kingdom
- Sara Del Valle, Los Alamos National Laboratory, United States
- Liliana Forzani, National University of the Littoral, Argentina
- Juan Carlos Galvis, National University of Colombia, Colombia
- Kristin Lauter, Meta AI Research (FAIR), University of Washington, United States
- Mariana Olvera-Cravioto, University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, USA
- Julio Rossi, Torcuato di Tella University, Argentina
- Claudia Sagastizabal, University of Campinas & CeMEAI, Brazil
- Gunther Uhlmann, University of Washington, USA, and Pontifical Catholic University, Chile
In addition, LACIAM 2026 featured two distinguished speakers who gave interesting courses for students and researchers: Ricardo Nochetto (University of Maryland, USA) and Luis Gustavo Nonato (University of São Paulo, Brazil), who shared their knowledge in three-session courses on Numerical Analysis and Artificial Intelligence, respectively.
The conference was organized by CMM researcher Dr. Luis Briceño Arias (chair, UTFSM) and Dr. Cristopher Hermosilla (co-chair, UTFSM), along with a local organizing committee that includes representatives from the Catholic University of the Most Holy Conception, the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, the Catholic University of Maule, and the University of Chile, with the collaboration of international academics.
“LACIAM was born out of the conviction that science advances when it is shared and built collaboratively. In a complex global context, strengthening scientific cooperation in Latin America is essential to assert our voice and generate solutions from our own realities”, Dr. Briceño said. “This conference seeks to consolidate existing links and, above all, create new connections that bring academia, industry, and society closer together. We firmly believe in the capacity of the Latin American scientific community to generate knowledge with local impact and global reach”.
For his part, Dr. Hermosilla highlighted that “LACIAM 2026 marks a historic milestone in terms of networking and outreach, having incorporated the participation of mathematics teachers from the municipality of Viña del Mar, who have been invited with full funding. This initiative has made it possible to expand the traditional scope of an academic conference of this nature, creating a valuable space for exchange between the scientific community and the local educational sphere”.
The Scientific Committee, meanwhile, included prominent international academics. “I am grateful for the opportunity to participate in the preparation of the event and the selection of guest speakers,” said Prof. Raimund Bürger, principal investigator at the CMM and professor at the University of Concepción.
“I would like to highlight, in particular, the work done by Professors Briceño and Hermosilla, as the event was very well organized and included several amenities such as welcome and farewell receptions, as well as the opportunity to visit a nearby vineyard.”
“A good job was done in putting UTFSM on the map of venues for scientific mathematics events. That said, I believe that for a conference on applied and industrial mathematics, there is room to strengthen the presence of the industry itself,” he emphasized.
The complete list of CMM members who participated in LACIAM 2026 is as follows:
| Gunther Uhlmann
Raimund Bürger Axel Osses Héctor Ramírez Raúl Tintaya Daniel Remenik José Soto |
Emilio Vilches
Jorge Amaya Luis Briceño (chair) Jéssika Camaño Adriana Piazza Nicolás Barnafi David Torregosa-Belen |
Manuel Solano
Pedro Pérez Rafael Correa Pedro Gajardo Alejandro Jofré Juan José Maulén |
By Iván R. Tobar Bocaz, CMM Communications.
Posted on Jan 30, 2026 in Frontpage, Noticias en castellano
