From 10 to 16 July 2022, the XVIII International Conference on Symmetry Methods in Physics (SYMPHYS-XVIII) is taking place in Yerevan, Armenia. The Conference is organized by the International Centre for Advanced Studies after A. N. Sissakian at Yerevan State University in collaboration with the Bogoliubov Laboratory of Theoretical Physics of the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research.

The SYMPHYS-XVII Conference aims to bring together scientists who have participated in modern research on group theoretical methods in physics. The scientific programme of the SYMPHYS-XVII Conference covers the following topics:

• Foundations of quantum mechanics;
• Integrable and superintegrable models;
• Symmetries of differential, difference, and nonlinear equations;
• Supersymmetry in Quantum Mechanics and gauge theories;
• Superstrings, Cosmology, and Quantum gravity;
• Lie groups, representation theory and special functions;
• Quantum optics, coherent states and Wigner functions;
• Symmetries in Condensed Matter Physics and Statistical Physics;
• Symmetry in particle, molecular, atomic and nuclear physics.

One of the main organizers of the SYMPHYS conference series, Georgi Samvelovich Poghosyan, turns 70 today, on the opening day of the conference. In honour of the anniversary, Georgi Poghosyan was presented with a congratulatory address on behalf of the JINR Directorate. Currently, Georgi Poghosyan is the Director of the International Centre for Advanced Studies after A. N. Sissakian at Yerevan State University and until recently has been a member of the JINR Scientific Council from Armenia.

Professor Ya. A. Smorodinsky organized the first five Conferences of this series. He is an outstanding theoretical physicist who made a significant contribution to elementary particle physics, as well as to the research on various aspects of symmetries in physics. The events took place in Obninsk from 1986 to 1991.

The next eight Conferences were organized under the auspices of A. N. Sissakian. A. N. Sissakian is a famous theoretical physicist who made a significant contribution to high energy physics and to the research on various aspects of dynamical symmetries in physics. His whole life was devoted to the Joint Institute of Nuclear Research, where he worked his way up from a junior researcher to the Director of the Institute. The last four Conferences took place in Tsaghkadzor, Armenia in 2010, Yerevan and Dubna in 2011, Dubna in 2014, and Yerevan in 2017.