Abstract
Quantum Black Holes are characterized by their extreme gravitational fields, requiring both General Relativity and the principles of Quantum Mechanics for a proper description. As such, they serve as ideal "theoretical laboratories" for testing candidate theories of quantum gravity. In the past few years, the field has seen remarkable progress, including the derivation of the Page curve for unitary black hole evolution; exact calculations of supersymmetric quantum black hole entropy; the discovery of amplified quantum effects in near-extremal black holes; and a new understanding of spacetime wormholes as encoding the statistical properties of black hole observables.
These breakthroughs have sparked tremendous excitement, providing fresh insights into the elusive theory of quantum gravity. The goal of this GGI workshop is to bring together leading experts from different subfields to critically assess these advances, develop a coherent picture of the current status, and explore new directions for future research.

The workshop will focus on three key themes:
1. The gravitational path integral — The role of contributing geometries, quantum effects in near-extremal black holes, wormholes, and statistical properties.
2. Microscopic constructions — Black hole microstate counting in gravity and in the dual CFT, and the nature of black hole microstates at finite N.
3. Dynamical questions — Lorentzian interpretations, real-time dynamics, and instabilities.

The GGI provides an ideal environment for in-depth interaction, fostering new collaborations and cross-disciplinary learning. A particular goal of the workshop is to attract and support outstanding junior scientists in this rapidly evolving field. To this end, the workshop will start with a week-long introductory school, and will end with a one-week conference. Junior researchers will be given priority in presenting their work through informal talks throughout the program.

Topics

1. Gravitational path integral as a sum over geometries

• What geometries should contribute, and what is their contribution?

• Spacetime wormhole contributions and statistics of observables in gravity.

• Quantum effects in near-extremal black holes.

• Exact results for quasinormal modes and one-loop determinants.

2. Microscopic constructions

• Microstate counting for supersymmetric black holes.

• New insights on black holes from dual CFTs.

• String condensates.

3. Dynamical questions

• From Euclidean to Lorentzian dynamics: seeing the black hole interior.

• Gravitational instabilities: interplay with microscopics.

Organizers
Nikolay Bobev (KU Leuven)
Davide Cassani (INFN Padova)
Alejandra Castro (DAMTP Cambridge)
Roberto Emparan (ICREA and University of Barcelona)
Luca Iliesiu (UC Berkeley)
Sameer Murthy (King’s College London)
Ashoke Sen (ICTS Bangalore)


Local organizer
Davide Cassani (INFN Padova)

Contact
davide.cassani@pd.infn.it

Related events
GGI Lectures on quantum black holes: from effective to exact methods (Training Week) - Apr 13, 2026

Pathways to Quantum Black Holes: from Effective Theories to Exact Methods (Conference) - May 11, 2026