The first international SCGC-2026 conference on graph theory and combinatorics was held in Akademgorodok

From August 11 to 14, the Siberian International Conference on Graph Theory and Combinatorics was held at Novosibirsk State University – Siberian International Conference on Graph Theory and Combinatorics, SCGC-2026. This is the first event of such scale entirely dedicated to graph theory and combinatorics that took place in Novosibirsk Akademgorodok: the conference featured 24 invited speakers from seven countries — England, Hungary, Spain, China, Russia, Slovenia, and South Korea. The participants spent two more days, on August 15 and 16, in informal communication and discussions of future joint research.

Organizers SCGC-2026 spoke out Mathematical Center in Akademgorodok, Novosibirsk State University and S. L. Sobolev Institute of Mathematics, SB RAS, the conference was held with the support of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation. The idea was proposed and brought to life by a senior lecturer at NSU, a research associate at the Sobolev Institute of Mathematics Hamidreza Golmohammadi. He told the NSU press service how SCGC was born, why Akademgorodok was chosen for it, and how graph theory is useful far beyond the walls of mathematics departments.

From idea to international forum

— My research focuses on graph theory, and I have always wanted to organize a large conference featuring well-known graph theory scholars from different countries, — tells Hamidreza Golmohammadi. — Last year, I decided to bring this idea to life: I submitted an application through the Mathematical Center in Akademgorodok, and after its approval, I began organizing the conference in collaboration with the Mathematical Center of NSU and the S. L. Sobolev Institute of Mathematics of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

All scientific sessions took place in the new building of NGSU’s stream lecture halls, which belongs to the second phase objects of the modern campus and opened in 2025. The program was arranged in a format familiar to major international conferences — 50-minute plenary presentations by invited scientists and 25-minute presentations by other participants. The conference was conducted entirely in English.

Science Without Borders

— Our goal is to provide scientists with a platform to present the latest results, exchange ideas, establish scientific connections, and explore directions for future research in order to promote the development of research in graph theory and combinatorics, — explains Hamidreza Golmohammadi.

He compiled the list of invited speakers together with the scientific committee:

— I tried to invite well-known scientists from various fields of graph theory — they are the best in their specialization. I also consulted the scientific committee regarding the selection of invited speakers.

The result of this work is participants from seven countries around the world.

— This is a wonderful opportunity for developing international scientific cooperation between NSU and universities from different parts of the world, — emphasizes the organizer.

Why Akademgorodok specifically

The choice of location for the very first SCGC in history was not accidental.

— Akademgorodok is a unique scientific place in Russia, surrounded by institutes, a university, and a forest. It is a very quiet and peaceful place. Scientists usually like such places — they find them attractive., — Golmohammadi explains. — On the other hand, NSU is a well-known university in the world, and scientists know about it. I think these reasons are enough to organize international conferences.

The program was complemented by informal meetings: on August 12, guests were invited to a conference dinner at the Georgian restaurant “Khleb i Nino”, and after the main sessions concluded, participants were offered tours of the NSU dome and the scientific-educational center “Evolution of the Earth.”

The main result — new connections

When asked about the main outcome of the first SCGC episode, Golmohammadi answers without hesitation:

“The most important thing is that scientists from different countries got to know each other and agreed on further scientific cooperation.”

According to him, concrete results have already appeared: he himself was invited to visit Chinese universities, and the organizer of a well-known annual conference MOTOR (Mathematical Optimization Theory and Operations Research), who attended SCGC-2026, in turn invited one of the speakers from England to speak at MOTOR next year — the conference will be held in Nizhny Novgorod.

The conference will become annual

The organizers do not plan to stop at the first issue.

— We plan to hold this conference regularly, annually, — says Golmohammadi. — The second event will take place at Shandong University, in the Chinese city of Jinan. Most likely, the third conference will again be held in Akademgorodok or in another city in Russia.

Simply put: what graph theory is for

Participants of SCGC-2026 discussed tasks that sound abstract to an outsider — but, according to Golmokhammadi, they are structured much more simply than they seem:

— Graph theory and combinatorics are mathematical sciences focused on finding optimal paths, connections, and combinations. They help solve chaotic real-life problems: from planning routes in a navigator to protecting data on the internet.

A graph is a diagram made up of points and the lines connecting them, which allows you to see a unified network in any system. Navigators use graphs to plot the shortest route and avoid traffic jams, and recommendation algorithms on social networks employ them when suggesting new friends or interesting videos; logistics is also built on graphs, as transport companies deliver goods to various addresses with minimal fuel costs.

Combinatorics studies how to select, combine, and rearrange items from a set of options — from counting possible combinations of characters in a secure password to creating schedules for classes or work shifts so that no conflicts occur.

The first SCGC concluded on August 14, but its results go far beyond the presented reports and discussions. According to Golmokhammadi, one of the key outcomes of the meeting was the formation of new professional connections between scientists from seven countries. This collaboration will continue beyond Akademgorodok: through correspondence, joint articles, and other conferences. The next stage will be a meeting in Jinan, where participants will be able to continue the scientific dialogue started in Akademgorodok and discuss new directions for joint work.