Farewell
The MVDSchool and CCDC Workshop on Small Molecule Crystallography counted with the participation of Lecturers (front row) Vojtech Jancik, Javier Ellena, Ilaria Gimondi, Yinka Olatunji-Ojo, Natalia Alvarez, Ashley Schmidt, Florencia Di Salvo and Leopoldo Suescun and it was attended by 30 participants from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, México and Uruguay.
The local organizers, Natalia Alvarez, Santiago Rostán, Noelia Méndez and Leopoldo Suescun thank the institutions Facultad de Química - Udelar, the CCDC, IUCr, LACA and PEDECIBA and partner companies Bruker and Anton Paar for their support and generous contributions.
Welcome
After four Small Molecule Crystallography Schools organized by Facultad de Química, Universidad de la República in Montevideo, Uruguay (1994, 2014, 2016 and 2018) we are excited to welcome you to the Montevideo School on Small Molecule Crystallography - MVD School 2026 and Cambridge Crystallographic Data Centre (CCDC) Workshop to be held between the 23rd and 28th, February 2026.
The official language of the School is English but assistance in Spanish and Portuguese will be provided to those needing it.
- Topic 1 (23 Feb) – Crystallography overview (2.5 hours)
- Topic 2 (23-24 Feb) – Symmetry (4.5 hours)
- Topic 3 (23 Feb) – Crystallization, crystals handling (3 hours)
- Topic 4 (24-25 Feb) – Diffraction Physics (4 hours)
- Topic 5 (25 Feb) – Structure determination: The phase problem (2.5 hours)
- Topic 6 (25-26,28 Feb) – Structural refinement (7.5 hours)
- Topic 7 (27 Feb) – Structure reporting and analysis (8.5 hours)* in CCDC Workshop
- Topic 8 (24-26 Feb) – Practical use of Diffractometer and Control Software (8 hours)
- Topic 9 (26-28 Feb) – Hands-on activities (5 hours)
- *CCDC Workshop (27 Feb) – CSD tools for structural visualization and analysis
Individual tutoring will run throughout the whole School for beginner and advanced participants.
General Information
The Montevideo School on Small Molecule Crystallography is a one-week intensive course aimed at graduate students, post-docs and early-career researchers who wish to strengthen their practical and theoretical skills in single-crystal X-ray diffraction. Morning lectures will cover symmetry, structure solution and refinement, while afternoons are dedicated to hands-on tutorials using the Bruker D8 VENTURE diffractometer and state-of-the-art software and real data sets.
The school will be hosted at Anexo J. P. Sáenz of Facultad de Química of Montevideo, Uruguay, from 23 to 28 February 2026. A social programme and oral presentations will foster networking in a relaxed, friendly atmosphere.
Participants are invited to bring their own crystals for data collection and structure determination, refinement and analysis during the School.
Important dates
Registration
Registration for the school will be open until all available seats are filled or the deadline 15 February 2026. Please contact the organizing committee a MVDSchool@fq.edu.uy if you have questions. In case the number of registered applicant surpases the available seats before the financial support deadline (23 December) a selection will be made based on prior experience, gender and regional balance.
The organization of the School will be able to offer a number of Young Scientist Awards covering local expenses (lodging and meals) for the duration of the School.
Use the form below to register with/without financial support request. Applications for Young Scientists Awards will require a letter of recommendation/support from advisor/senior researcher (except young professors) and a motivation letter from the applicant (to be uploaded to the form).
REGISTRATION FORM
Programme
The provisional schedule is outlined below; slight adjustments may occur.
CCDC Workshop (Topic 7 - 27 feb) detailed schedule:
- 8:00 - 9:30 – Introduction to the CSD; searching the CSD.
- 9:30 - 11:00 - Structure visualisation, including functionality for symmetry and for disorder.
- 11:15 - 12:45 – Assessing molecular geometry with Mogul.
- 14:00 - 15:30 – Advanced analysis of interactions using CSD-Materials functionality Part I.
- 15:30 - 17:00 – Advanced analysis of interactions using CSD-Materials functionality (Part II) and challenge time.
- 17:15 - 18:45 – Particle informatics tools and wrap up.
- All sessions will include time for hands-on practice with the software.
An oral presentation sessions on Sat, Feb 28 will give an opportunity to discuss your own research and results obtained during the school and receive constructive feedback.
Organizers
Local Organizing Committee:
- Leopoldo Suescun – Associate Professor, Cryssmat-Lab / DETEMA, Facultad de Química, Universidad de la República
- Natalia Álvarez – Assistant Professor, Área de Química Inorgánica / DEC, Facultad de Química, Universidad de la República
- Noelia Méndez – Laboratory Assistant, Área de Fisicoquímica / DETEMA, Facultad de Química, Universidad de la República
- Santiago Rostán – Assistant Professor, Área de Química Inorgánica / DEC Facultad de Química, Universidad de la República
Lecturers (*International Organizing Committee):
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Dr Javier A. Ellena*
Associate Professor, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Instituto de Física de Sao Carlos, Sao Carlos, SP, Brazil
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Dr Florencia Di Salvo*
Assistant Professor, DQIAQF/INQUIMAE-CONICET, FCEN, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina
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Dr Vojtech Jancik*
Associate Professor, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Toluca, México
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Dr Natalia Álvarez*
Assistant Professor, Área de Química Inorgánica / DEC, Facultad de Química, Universidad de la República, Uruguay
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Dr Ashley Schmidt
Bruker AXS, Madison, WI, USA
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Dr Ilaria Gimondi*
Training, Education and Outreach Officer, Cambridge Crystallographic Data Center, Cambridge, UK.
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Dr Yinka Olatunji-Ojo
User Support Scientist, Cambridge Crystallographic Data Center, Cambridge, UK.
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Dr Leopoldo Suescun*
Associate Professor, Cryssmat-Lab / DETEMA, Facultad de Química, Universidad de la República, Uruguay
Support and Policies
We gratefully acknowledge the support of:
International Union of Crystallography
Cambridge Crystallographic Data Centre
Bruker Corporation
Agencia Nacional de Investigación e Innovación (proyecto PEC_2024_181976)
Anton Paar GmbH
Latin American Crystallographic Association
Programa de Desarrollo de las Ciencias Básicas
Contacts
For enquiries: mvdschool@fq.edu.uy
MVD School Organizing Committee
Facultad de Química, Universidad de la República
Gral. Flores 2124, Montevideo 11800, Uruguay