Following the success of the 2024 edition of Soft Matter: From Fundamentals to Foods, the 2026 Summer School will bring together leading researchers and early-career scientists around the theme of Soft Matter and Sensory Perception. The program will maintain a strong foundation in soft matter physics—encompassing colloids, polymers, gels, and key techniques such as scattering, tribology, and rheometry—while expanding into how these material properties influence sensory experiences, including touch, texture, and flow. 

A distinctive feature is the hands-on component, where students perform tabletop experiments alongside data analysis sessions, including fractional modeling. Primarily targeting PhD students and postdocs, the school aims to foster interdisciplinary thinking and collaborative exchanges within a vibrant scientific community. Through lectures, demos, and informal interactions, participants will gain tools and inspiration to tackle emerging challenges at the interface of soft matter, sensory science, and engineering.

Organizing Committee

• Emanuela Del Gado (Georgetown Univ.)
• Thibaut Divoux (CNRS, ENS de Lyon)
• Gareth H. McKinley (MIT)
  
• Laurence Ramos (CNRS, L2C Montpellier)