The 60th Anniversary of the International Academy of Wood Science (IAWS) was held from June 1st to 4th, 2026, in Zurich, Switzerland, hosted by ETH Zurich and EMPA. The conference brought 113 participants (including IAWS fellows and Non-fellows) together from 20 countries. Overall, the conference organized seven sessions on wood anatomy and structure, novel materials derived from wood, timber engineering, wood processing, wood protection and mycology, material properties, wood AI and sustainable utilisation. In total, 66 oral presentations and 29 posters were presented. IAWA and IAWS have maintained a strong collaborative relationship over the years. More than 26 IAWA members attended this conference, and 14 of them reported their research across sessions. Wood anatomy was framed as an important bridge between cultural heritage conservation, materials science and timber structure, and how quantitative wood anatomy (QWA) and advanced imaging methods can provide important support for the development of wood science. The IAWS fellows held their general meeting on June 3rd at main building of ETH. For 2026 to 2029, Ingo Burgert plays the role of IAWS President. To date, the academy has 630 fellows ever elected and 421 known to be alive, across 47 countries. Herein, 14 fellows were elected in 2025. 

Further details on the conference are available at https://www.iaws-web.org/.