Soft Meets Biology

The 2009 Gordon Conference on “Soft Condensed Matter Physics: Soft Meets Biology” will exploit and advance fruitful synergies between condensed matter physics and quantitative biology. The Conference will feature a wide range of topics, potentially including in vivo and in vitro rheology of biological materials, single molecule biophysics, biological applications of microfluidics, the physics of viruses, physical aspects of molecular evolution and gene expression, the physics of biological materials and the motility of biological organisms. Topics in traditional soft matter that might interest biologists and biological topics that might appeal to soft condensed matter scientists will be included as well. Invited speakers will represent a variety of scientific disciplines, ranging from soft condensed matter physics to chemical engineering to the interface with quantitative biology. The Conference will bring together a collection of investigators who are at the forefront of their field, and will provide opportunities for junior scientists and graduate students to present their work in poster format and exchange ideas with leaders in the field. Some poster presenters will be selected for short talks. The collegial atmosphere of this Conference, with programmed sessions as well as opportunities for informal gatherings in the afternoons and evenings, provides an avenue for scientists from different disciplines to brainstorm and promotes cross-disciplinary collaborations in the various research areas represented.