Scientific Program

General comments: Classes will start on the morning of July 21st and end on the afternoon of Juy 31st. Participants are expected to be in Ajaccio or Cargèse on Monday afternoon, July 20th, and leave Cargèse on Saturday morning, August 1st. The program consists of 90-minute lectures (typically, morning 9-12h and afternoon 13h30-16h30), with ample time for discussions and extended coffee breaks to foster informal exchanges. The school is organized around two main themes, described below.

 A - Essential Background
We will first tackle the fundamentals of soft matter. An introduction to dimensional analysis in Soft Matter will be followed by a series of lectures that cover the two essential building blocks found in soft materials, i.e., polymer physics on the one hand and (attractive or repulsive) colloidal dispersion on the other hand. Moreover, additional lectures will introduce a range of characterization methods - from scattering techniques to low-field NMR, tribology, and rheometry- complemented by sessions on fractional modeling and simulating gel-like materials. Covered topics will include

  • Scaling laws & dimensional analysis in Soft Matter
  • Polymer physics
  • Colloidal dispersion & gels
  • Static & dynamic light scattering
  • Low-field NMR spectroscopy
  • Differential Dynamic Microscopy
  • Tribology
  • Shear & extensional Rheometry
  • Microrheology
  • Fractional modeling
  • Molecular Dynamics Simulation of gel-like materials
     
B - Sensory Perception
In light of the essential background series, this lecture series will delve into the rheological and tribological aspects of sensory-rich processes - from how creams spread on the skin to how food deforms, fractures, and interacts with the tongue. These connections open exciting perspectives on how organisms sense and respond to material properties through touch, texture, and mechanical feedback. Covered topics will include
  • Mechano sensing, physics of touch & contact
  • Physics and mechanics of sensing in brainless organisms (e.g., bioluminescence)
  • Skin and transport phenomena
  • Oral tribology
  • Biomimetic surface design
  • Sensory-satiety relationships
  • The physics of caramels & fudge
  • Novel active ingredient delivery methods for consumer products

 

Two afternoons will be dedicated to poster sessions, providing participants with the opportunity to present their own work, share ideas, and engage directly with lecturers. A detailed schedule will be announced closer to the event.
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