Dark Side of the Universe 2016

The renowned Dark Side of the Universe (DSU) series of workshops aims to bring together a wide range of theorists and experimentalists. It covers topics from astroparticle physics and cosmology, including dark matter, dark energy, cosmic rays, the cosmic microwave background, physics beyond the standard models of particle physics and cosmology, and neutrino physics. The workshops thus cover very active research areas that have produced and continue to produce exciting results, addressing some of the biggest mysteries in science. They allow experimentalists and theorists from different areas to exchange the latest results and ideas. An important aspect is to expose PhD students and young postdoctoral researchers to an international environment and enable them to present their research. The workshop has been taking place annually since 2005, each year in a different country. DSU 2016 in Bergen will be the first DSU event in a Nordic country. The selection of a Norwegian institution as organizer, by the international advisory committee, must thus already be considered a great success in view of serious competitors at the international level. This positive evaluation of the proposal of DSU 2016 in Bergen was the result of a very good international visibility of the Norwegian dark matter community, based on a strategic alliance between the universities of Bergen and Oslo, with a significantly increased recent activity not the least due to a number of strategic hirings during the last few years.