Participants in this year’s Soft Matter for All symposium.

Soft Matter for All Updates

The Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers (MRSECs) of Princeton University and the University of Delaware are hosting a one-day symposium to promote early-career researchers in the field of Soft and Living Matter, with a focus on those from under-represented groups.

Organized by: Sujit DattaRodney PriestleyHoward Stone (Princeton) and Kimberly BothiThomas EppsLaShanda Korley (Delaware).
Supported by: NSF MRSEC 2011750 (PCCM) and 2011824 (CHARM); Princeton DFR, PRISM, MAE, CBE, SEAS, DOF, Graduate School.


Agenda. This virtual event will be on Friday, October 15, 2021 and will feature a keynote lecture by Julia Kornfield (Caltech) and presentations from those selected. All times are Eastern Time.

9:45-10 AM: Opening remarks
10 AM-12 PM: Talks from selected speakers on rheology and colloidal soft matter

  • Camille Scalliet, University of Cambridge, How does a deeply supercooled liquid flow close to the glass transition?
  • Crystal Owens, MIT, Quantifying dissolution of cellulose in ionic liquids towards recycling of natural textiles
  • Jordan Shivers, Rice, Strain-induced critical slowing of stress relaxation in disordered networks
  • 10 min break
  • Rishabh More, Purdue, Unifying disparate rate-dependent rheological regimes in non-Brownian suspensions
  • Héctor Manuel López de la Cerda Ríos, Northwestern, Metallization of colloidal crystals
  • Ahmed Al Harraq, LSU, Magnetic control of short-range attraction vs long-range repulsion
  • 20 min discussion and Q&A

12-1 PM: Keynote lecture by Julia Kornfield (Caltech) + 15 min Q&A
1-1:45 PM: Break
1:45-3 PM: Talks from selected speakers on biological soft matter

  • Gonca Erdemci-Tandogan, University of Toronto, Role of cellular rearrangement time on tissue mechanics
  • Meisam Zaferani, Cornell, Rheological properties of the environment regulate sperm navigation by controlling the rolling component of motility
  • Kayla Wolf, Harvard, A mode of cell adhesion and migration facilitated by CD44-dependent microtentacles
  • Olga Shishkov, CU Boulder, Internal structure of honey bee swarms
  • 15 min discussion and Q&A

3-3:15 PM: Break
3:15-5 PM: Talks from selected speakers on polymeric soft matter

  • Santiago Correa, Stanford, Precisely coordinating the power of the immune system through supramolecular soft biomaterials
  • Keturah Bethel, Clemson, Investigating the network structure and transport properties of lignin-based composites
  • Shaoting Lin, MIT, Fracture and fatigue of ideal polymer networks
  • Shawn Martey, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Hybrid Chemo-Mechanical Plastics Recycling: Solvent-free, High-speed Reactive Extrusion of Low-Density Polyethylene
  • Yangju Lin, Stanford, Dynamic Enamine-one Bonds Enabled Sustainable Polymeric Materials
  • 30 min discussion and Q&A

To register for 2021 Soft Matter for All, click here.

Soft Matter Collaborative Events

The NSF Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers (MRSECs) of Princeton University, University of Chicago, and University of Delaware will hold symposia and career workshops geared for early career researchers in Soft and Biological Matter during Fall 2021. All events will be virtual.

There are three independent events:

  • September 23-24, 2021: Rising Stars in Soft and Biological Matter,
    organized and hosted by the University of Chicago MRSEC
    (more information here)
  • October 15, 2021: Soft Matter For All,
    jointly organized and hosted by the Princeton and Delaware MRSECs
    (register here)
  • November 4, 2021: Career Development Workshops (more information forthcoming)

The symposia are intended to promote early-career development of researchers working in exciting new directions in the field of Soft and Biological Matter. Another goal is to increase the diversity of researchers in the field; we particularly welcome applications and nominations for the symposia from researchers who come from under-represented groups. Those selected to participate in the symposia will receive an honorarium. No application is necessary for the Career Development Workshop, which is open to all who are interested.

The symposia have distinct formats: The first (U. Chicago) will feature talks and discussion over two days, while the second (Princeton and Delaware) will feature keynote lectures, talks, and discussion over one day. A Career Development Workshop will follow, specifically for undergraduates, graduate students, and postdocs interested in soft matter. To learn more about 2020 Soft Matter for All, visit the archived agenda here.