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Soft Condensed Matter Physics

Gordon Research Conference

Squishy, Living, and Adaptive Matter

August 10 - 15, 2025

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GRC Education Requirements: Undergraduates or those who have not obtained a bachelor's degree in science/engineering (or acceptable equivalent) are not eligible to apply to attend Gordon Research Conferences or Seminars.

Chairs

and

Vice Chairs

and

Colby-Sawyer College

541 Main Street

New London, New Hampshire, United States

Venue and Travel Information

Application Information

Applications for this meeting must be submitted by July 13, 2025. Please apply early, as some meetings become oversubscribed (full) before this deadline. If the meeting is oversubscribed, it will be stated here. Note: Applications for oversubscribed meetings will only be considered by the conference chair if more seats become available due to cancellations.

Conference Description

The Soft Condensed Matter Physics 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scientific conference focused on advancing the frontiers of science through the presentation of cutting-edge and unpublished research, prioritizing time for discussion after each talk and fostering informal interactions among scientists of all career stages.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 a diverse range 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.

This year the conference will also include short talks selected from abstracts submitted by participants.

Related Meeting

This GRC will be held in conjunction with the "Soft Condensed Matter Physics" Gordon Research Seminar (GRS). Those interested in attending both meetings must submit an application for the GRS in addition to an application for the GRC. Refer to the associated GRS program page for more information.

Conference Program

Sunday
2:00 pm - 9:00 pm	Arrival and Check-in
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm	Dinner
7:30 pm - 7:40 pm	Introductory Comments by GRC Staff / Welcome and Introduction from the Chairs
7:40 pm - 9:30 pm	Keynote Session: Experiment and Theory of Soft Matter Physics Discussion Leader:
7:40 pm - 8:20 pm	"Biomimetic Transport and Self-assembly of Soft Sheets into Complex 3D Structures"
8:20 pm - 8:35 pm	Discussion
8:35 pm - 9:15 pm	"Phases, Phase-Transitions, and Strange Defects in Colloidal Thin Films"
9:15 pm - 9:30 pm	Discussion
Monday
7:30 am - 8:30 am	Breakfast
9:00 am - 12:30 pm	Soft Matter in Space and on Earth Discussion Leader:
9:00 am - 9:30 am	"Structure and Force Signatures of Creep in Granular Media"
9:30 am - 9:45 am	Discussion
9:45 am - 9:55 am	Short Talk Selected from Poster Abstracts
9:55 am - 10:00 am	Discussion
10:00 am - 10:10 am	Short Talk Selected from Poster Abstracts
10:10 am - 10:15 am	Discussion
10:15 am - 10:45 am	Coffee Break
10:45 am - 11:15 am	"Tuning Yield-Point of a Sheared Colloidal Glass by Encoding Mechanical Memories"
11:15 am - 11:30 am	Discussion
11:30 am - 11:40 am	Short Talk Selected from Poster Abstracts
11:40 am - 11:45 am	Discussion
11:45 am - 12:15 pm	"Granular Materials and Rigidity: From the Lab to the Earth and Beyond"
12:15 pm - 12:30 pm	Discussion
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm	Lunch
1:30 pm - 4:00 pm	Free Time
3:00 pm - 4:00 pm	The GRC Power Hour™ The GRC Power Hour™ is designed to address the interests and needs of all scientists and the challenges they face in their careers. Specifically, the program promotes meaningful conversations amongst colleagues of all career stages about barriers to career advancement and strategies to support the professional growth of all members of the community. The GRC Power Hour™ is open to all conference participants. Organizer:
4:00 pm - 6:00 pm	Poster Session
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm	Dinner
7:30 pm - 9:30 pm	Transport at Various Scales Discussion Leader:
7:30 pm - 8:00 pm	"Active Bacterial Transport in Complex Media"
8:00 pm - 8:10 pm	Discussion
8:10 pm - 8:40 pm	"Feeling the Crowd: Bursting and Glassiness in Squishy Active Matter"
8:40 pm - 8:50 pm	Discussion
8:50 pm - 9:20 pm	"Particle Transport in Solutions of Charged Polymers"
9:20 pm - 9:30 pm	Discussion
Tuesday
7:30 am - 8:30 am	Breakfast
9:00 am - 12:30 pm	Biological Active Materials Discussion Leader:
9:00 am - 9:30 am	"Growing, Shrinking, and Energy-Consuming Soft Matter"
9:30 am - 9:45 am	Discussion
9:45 am - 9:55 am	Short Talk Selected from Poster Abstracts
9:55 am - 10:00 am	Discussion
10:00 am - 10:10 am	Short Talk Selected from Poster Abstracts
10:10 am - 10:15 am	Discussion
10:15 am - 10:45 am	Group Photo / Coffee Break
10:45 am - 11:15 am	"Memory as Activity: Pattern Formation in Conserved Scalar Fields"
11:15 am - 11:30 am	Discussion
11:30 am - 11:40 am	Short Talk Selected from Poster Abstracts
11:40 am - 11:45 am	Discussion
11:45 am - 12:15 pm	"Characterizing Symmetry Transitions in Systems with Dynamic Morphology"
12:15 pm - 12:30 pm	Discussion
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm	Lunch
1:30 pm - 4:00 pm	Free Time
4:00 pm - 6:00 pm	Poster Session
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm	Dinner
7:30 pm - 9:30 pm	Self-Assembly in Biological and Synthetic Materials Discussion Leader:
7:30 pm - 8:00 pm	"Disassembly of Viral Particles: The Genome’s Role in Stability and Uncoating"
8:00 pm - 8:15 pm	Discussion
8:15 pm - 8:25 pm	Short Talk Selected from Poster Abstracts
8:25 pm - 8:30 pm	Discussion
8:30 pm - 8:40 pm	Short Talk Selected from Poster Abstracts
8:40 pm - 8:45 pm	Discussion
8:45 pm - 9:15 pm	"Protein Phase Shifting in and out of Equilibrium"
9:15 pm - 9:30 pm	Discussion
Wednesday
7:30 am - 8:30 am	Breakfast
9:00 am - 12:30 pm	Learning and Memory in Materials and Biology Discussion Leader:
9:00 am - 9:30 am	"Peeling a Thin Sheet off a Liquid Interface"
9:30 am - 9:45 am	Discussion
9:45 am - 10:15 am	"Dynamics of Inflammatory Response"
10:15 am - 10:30 am	Discussion
10:30 am - 11:00 am	Coffee Break
11:00 am - 11:30 am	"Memory Destruction in Matter"
11:30 am - 11:45 am	Discussion
11:45 am - 12:15 pm	"Bees as Builders and Building Blocks of Self-Assembled Structures"
12:15 pm - 12:30 pm	Discussion
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm	Lunch
1:30 pm - 4:00 pm	Free Time
4:00 pm - 6:00 pm	Poster Session
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm	Dinner
7:30 pm - 9:30 pm	Behavior and Robotics Discussion Leader:
7:30 pm - 8:00 pm	"Nematic Order in Cell Layers: From the Role of Topological Defects to the Development of Actuators"
8:00 pm - 8:10 pm	Discussion
8:10 pm - 8:40 pm	"Cracking Neural Computations of a Simple Brain"
8:40 pm - 8:50 pm	Discussion
8:50 pm - 9:20 pm	"Adaptability Through Control in Robotic and Active Systems"
9:20 pm - 9:30 pm	Discussion
Thursday
7:30 am - 8:30 am	Breakfast
8:30 am - 9:00 am	Business Meeting Nominations for the Next Vice Chair(s); Complete the GRC Evaluation Forms; Election of the Next Vice Chair(s)
9:00 am - 12:30 pm	Active Biomaterials Discussion Leader:
9:00 am - 9:30 am	"Chaotic Advection in Confined Active Flows"
9:30 am - 9:45 am	Discussion
9:45 am - 10:15 am	"Energetic Costs of Cytokinetic Ring Assembly"
10:15 am - 10:30 am	Discussion
10:30 am - 11:00 am	Coffee Break
11:00 am - 11:30 am	"Emergent Dynamics and Mechanics of Bio-Synthetic Composites"
11:30 am - 11:45 am	Discussion
11:45 am - 12:15 pm	"Engineering Self-Limiting Assembly from DNA Origami to Protein Design"
12:15 pm - 12:30 pm	Discussion
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm	Lunch
1:30 pm - 4:00 pm	Free Time
4:00 pm - 6:00 pm	Poster Session
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm	Dinner
7:30 pm - 9:30 pm	Mechanics and Deformation Discussion Leader:
7:30 pm - 8:00 pm	"Crumple Pairs"
8:00 pm - 8:10 pm	Discussion
8:10 pm - 8:40 pm	"Far from Equilibrium Nematic Colloids"
8:40 pm - 8:50 pm	Discussion
8:50 pm - 9:20 pm	"Slow Dynamics in Multiphase DNA Liquids"
9:20 pm - 9:30 pm	Discussion
Friday
7:30 am - 8:30 am	Breakfast
9:00 am	Departure

Contributors

Conference Links

Conference History Soft Condensed Matter Physics (GRS) Contribute Financially to This Conference

Conference Fees

Similar Conferences

Poster Information

Poster sessions are an integral part of the our conferences, and offer all conferees an opportunity to discuss their research.

Preparing your GRC poster

Funding Opportunities

Financial assistance is available beginning in 2026 for qualified applicants through the Carl Storm Opportunity Fellowships program. Learn more.

Registration Fees

Conferee Single Room:

$990.00

Conferee Shared Room:

$940.00

Conferee Off-Site:

$785.00

Guest Single Room:

$800.00

Guest Shared Room:

$750.00

Guest Off-Site:

$595.00

Child 4-12 yrs Shared Room:

$375.00

Child 4-12 yrs Off-Site:

$298.00

Child Under 4 yrs Shared Room:

Free

Child Under 4 yrs Off-Site:

Free

Bus Arriving:

$62.00

Bus Departing:

$62.00

Additional Fee Info

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Neutron Scattering

April 26 - May 1, 2026

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Soft Condensed Matter Physics (GRS)

August 9 - 10, 2025

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