Microfluidic and nanofluidic devices provide a convenient platform for fundamental fluid mechanical study, and their applications permeate biological and clinical research, chemical and materials synthesis, and sensor technology. Fluid physics and microdevice application will alternately drive each other - new applications, substrates, and design spaces create new physical questions, and new physical understanding expands our capability for rational system design.

The audience of this Gordon Research Conference is the intersection of those working on understanding fundamental physical and chemical processes and those working to apply this understanding to microfluidic systems. This audience faces a two-fold challenge to vigorously expand the physical understanding of small-scale condensed matter systems while ensuring that this work directly informs impactful microfluidic application. This conference will bring together leading international experts with a broad range of interests and experience, organized around the theme of research that creates improved understanding of physicochemical processes while speaking directly to the microfluidic application space.