Friday Feb. 6th, 2026
8:30 AM - 5:00 PM
University of Pennsylvania
Singh Center for Nanotechnology
NCS20 is now over! Thank you everyone for your participation, and be on the lookout for announcements on NCS21 which will be hosted at Yale University summer 2026. NCS22 will likely be hosted at Penn once again in January/February 2027.
About
The Northeast Complex Fluids and Soft Matter (NCS) workshops bring together researchers working on the science and engineering of complex fluids and soft matter, including polymers, granular materials, biomaterials, colloids, foams, and liquid crystals, to exchange ideas and foster collaborations. The workshops host a mix of invited talks, short presentations, and networking time. The 2026 winter workshop will be held at the University of Pennsylvania on Friday, Feb 6th, 2026 starting at 8:30 AM and lasting the entire day until 5:00 PM. Abstracts were due Feb 3, and submission is now closed. Registration is free but is now closed as of 5 PM on Feb 5th.
Organizers
& Contact
Samantha McBride - sammcb@seas.upenn.edu
Arnold Mathijsen - amath@sas.upenn.edu
Paulo Arratia - arratia@seas.upenn.edu
Invited Speakers
Dan Pabst – Melitta
Wen Zhang – New Jersey Institute of Technology
Peter Olmsted – Georgetown University
Yoichiro Mori – University of Pennsylvania
Victoria Muir - University of Delaware
Itamar Kolvin - Georgia Tech
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Agenda
The full agenda can be found below. This will be an all day event starting with breakfast and registration at 8:30 AM, introductory remarks at 9:00 AM, six longer invited presentations with short (5 minute) flash presentations from participants. Lunch and a poster session will occur around noon, and there will be plenty of coffee breaks for networking. Coffee breaks will feature Melitta coffee thanks to their kind sponsorship! The workshop will end at 5:00 PM.
Schedule at-a-glance
Travel
The Singh Center for Nanotechnology is located at 3205 Walnut St in Philadelphia, PA. The campus is a short (10-15 minute) walk from the 30th St Amtrak train station. All buildings on Penn's campus require card access, and we will prepared as early as 8:15 AM to allow participants into the building.
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Driving & Parking. If you drive, we encourage you to consider leaving early to account for Philadelphia morning traffic and to ensure you get a spot in the public garage. We recommend the Chestnut 34 Garage, whose entrance is on 34th street.​ For other parking options, see here.