Learning from Nature to Transform Technology through Liquid Crystal Science

From displays, to materials actuation, biosensing, and even the nucleic acid bundles inside a viral capsid, liquid crystal ordering has enabled marvels in nature as well as numerous transformations in scientific, medical, and technological domains. The 2023 Gordon Research Conference on Liquid Crystals (LCs) will gather a diverse community of scientists who are pushing the boundaries of theory, experiments, and applications of liquid crystals. This meeting will feature research at the intersection of materials science, engineering, biology, chemistry, and physics, that is redefining and reinvigorating the field of liquid crystals. Topics include, but are not limited to, computational and theoretical advances in active matter, biosensors exploiting the exquisite responsiveness of liquid crystals, liquid crystal elastomers and soft robotics, synthetic and natural structural color, pharmaceuticals, and energy materials.

Conference speakers and discussion leaders sample the full spectrum of creative liquid crystal researchers, from well-established authorities to junior innovators, with contributions from engineering, the life sciences, and industry. The conference will provide an environment that is welcoming for networking, establishing collaborations, as well as informal discussions among speakers, discussion leaders, postdocs, and students.

The GRC will be preceded by a two-day Gordon Research Seminar (GRS), which is a fantastic opportunity for students and postdocs to take leadership in promoting exchange of the latest findings in liquid crystal research among their peers.