The 2012 Gordon Research Conference on Energetic Materials will present cutting-edge research in the area of propellants, explosives and pyrotechnics. It brings together scientists from many countries working in government laboratories, research universities and private industry to discuss state-of-the-art research on energetic materials. The meeting is an important venue for presenting cutting edge multidisciplinary fundamental research into the chemistry, physics and materials properties associated with ignition, combustion, detonation, ageing, thermal decomposition, combustion synthesis, and mechanical damage of energetics. 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. The collegial atmosphere of this Conference, with programmed discussion 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.