Scope
Living systems exhibit a fascinating range of dynamic, non-equilibrium behaviours including self-organisation, collective motion, growth and development. Many traditional, and new, concepts in soft matter physics can be applied to gain physical understanding in living matter. This interaction between soft matter physics and living systems has the potential for transformative insights into cell biology, tissue dynamics and driven non-equilibrium behaviour in general, as well as suggesting design principles for new artificial materials and machines that are capable of self-propulsion, self-healing and self-organisation. This program will bring together leading experts and early career researchers from all over the world and Nordic countries to discuss the state of the art in soft & biological active matter, address open questions at the interface between physics and biology, and promote future directions for soft matter physics.
Weekly themes and schedule
Week 1
Physics of Living Matter
Week 2
Topology in Biology
Week 3
Interactions with Complex Environments
Week 4
Future Perspectives in Soft Matter
You can find the schedule and abstracts here.
Program photo from week 3 (credit: Boyi Wang)
Closing fika, 19th August
Invited speakers
• Angelo Cacciuto, Columbia
• Mike Cates, Cambridge
• Patrick Charbonneau, Duke
• Paul Dommersnes, NTNU
• Jörn Dunkel, MIT
• Gerhard Gompper, Julich
• Mogens Høgh Jensen, Niels Bohr Institutet
• Teresa Lopez-Leon, ESPCI Paris
• Corinna Maass, Twente
• Arnold Mathijssen, U Penn
• Ignacio Pagonabarraga, EPFL
• Sriram Ramaswamy, Indian Institute of Science
• Andela Saric, IST Austria
• Anupam Sengupta, Luxembourg
• Tyler Shendruk, Edinburgh
• Anton Souslov, Bath
• Thomas Speck, Mainz
• Joakim Stenhammar, Lund
• Kristian Thijssen, Cambridge
• Giovanni Volpe, Gothenburg
Application/Registration
For participation in the program (invited and non-invited), please apply using the link (Application) in the sidebar at the top. The deadline for applications is 3rd of June. Non-invited participants will be informed by the organizers shortly (1-2 weeks) after the application deadline whether your application has been approved.
The minimum stay for participation in the program is one week, but longer stays are encouraged. Due to space restrictions, the total number of participants is strictly limited. Invited speakers are automatically approved, but still need to register.
Accommodation information
Nordita can offer single and double accommodation in Biz Apartments for all invited speakers, and, for accepted participants after application evaluation. These hotel apartments are designed for long-stay accommodation with fully-equipped kitchens and standard amenities. For more details, see here. Subject to availability, it is also possible to arrange a larger apartment (for families) upon request. Please specify the type of accommodation you would like in the application form, including if you will make your own arrangements. Any special requests should be made using the comments section of the application form.
The program will seek to cover accommodation costs for as many participants as possible, but at this stage we cannot guarantee that full costs will be covered for everyone.
Please note that the program can only cover accommodation costs for participants (including for invited speakers) and all costs for dependents / family need to be met separately.
Nordita does not organise childcare services, but may be able to suggest possibilities.
Travel support
We ask all participants to cover their own travel costs. Limited support may be available for junior researchers only; please request this using the comments field of the application form.
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