Conference Description
The Liquid Crystals GRC is a premier, international scientific conference focused on advancing the frontiers of science through the presentation of cutting-edge and unpublished research, prioritizing time for discussion after each talk and fostering informal interactions among scientists of all career stages. The conference program includes an array of speakers and discussion leaders from institutions and organizations worldwide, concentrating on the latest developments in the field. The conference is five days long and held in a remote location to increase the sense of camaraderie and create scientific communities, with lasting collaborations and friendships. In addition to premier talks, the conference has designated time for poster sessions from individuals of all career stages, and afternoon free time and communal meals allow for informal networking opportunities with leaders in the field.
The theme of this conference echos the famous definition of liquid crystals as "the delicate phase of matter" by P.J. Collings. Being a "delicate" phase, liquid crystals need accurate control but allow for great responsiveness to stimuli and tunability. The conference will explore this aspect of liquid crystal science in three main domains: biology, materials science and technology. Liquid crystalline order in biology has been a major theme in the last 10 years, as more and more evidence has shown its importance in biological processes such as morphogenesis and cell migration. Liquid crystals are also at the basis of materials such as liquid crystal elastomers, which thanks to theoretical and experimental advances can now be used for soft actuators and highly damping materials. Finally, the discovery of the ferroelectric nematic phase less than 10 years ago and the advancement of AR/VR technologies have opened new possibilities in liquid crystal-based technologies.
The conference aims to bring together an interdisciplinary group including physicists, chemists, biologists, material scientists and engineers, to explore liquid crystals with theory, numerical modeling and experiments, and to combine fundamental studies and novel applications.
The conference chair is currently developing their preliminary program, which will include 9 sessions and the names of the invited speakers and discussion leaders for each of these sessions. The preliminary program will be available by September 30, 2026. Please check back for updates.
