Soft and Living Matter in Complex Environments II

Presentations

• Active nematic pumps in microfluidic systems

  ORAL

  March 18, 2026, 8:00 AM – March 18, 2026, 8:12 AM

  Publication: This work has been accepted for publication in PNAS. A preprint was posted in arXiv:2407.09960

  Presenters

  • Jordi Ignés-Mullol

    • University of Barcelona

  Authors

  • Jordi Ignés-Mullol

    • University of Barcelona

  • Ignasi Vélez-Cerón

    • University of Barcelona

  • Rodrigo C Coelho

    • Centro de Pesquisas Fisicas, Rio de Janeiro

  • Pau Guillamat

    • University of Barcelona

  • Margarida M Telo da Gama

    • Universidade de Lisboa

  • Francesc Sagues

    • University of Barcelona

  View abstract →

• Cancer cell survival in orientational patterns predesigned by liquid crystal networks

  ORAL

  March 18, 2026, 8:12 AM – March 18, 2026, 8:24 AM

  Presenters

  • Oleg D Lavrentovich

    • Kent State University

  Authors

  • Oleg D Lavrentovich

    • Kent State University

  • Vanessa Jirón

    • Kent State University

  • Ali Alqarni

    • Kent State University

  • Manabu Kurokawa

    • Kent State University

  View abstract →

• Topology Control of Cancer Cell Monolayers Density by Liquid Crystal Networks

  ORAL

  March 18, 2026, 8:24 AM – March 18, 2026, 8:36 AM

  Presenters

  • Pedro R Lowenstein

    • University of Michigan

  Authors

  • Pedro R Lowenstein

    • University of Michigan

  • Anna E Argento

    • University of Michigan

  • Daiana E Perez Visnuk

    • The University of Michigan
    • University of Michigan

  • Cuong Ha

    • The University of Michigan

  • Ali Alqarni

    • Kent State University

  • Oleg D Lavrentovich

    • Kent State University

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• Multistable dynamics of an elastic filament with off-tangent self-propulsion

  ORAL

  March 18, 2026, 8:36 AM – March 18, 2026, 8:48 AM

  Publication: arXiv:2510.08323 [cond-mat.soft]

  Presenters

  • Daniel A Beller

    • Johns Hopkins University

  Authors

  • Daniel A Beller

    • Johns Hopkins University

  • Chanania Steinbock

    • Johns Hopkins University

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• Spatial Control of Active Flows through Patterns of Activity on Filaments

  ORAL

  March 18, 2026, 8:48 AM – March 18, 2026, 9:00 AM

  Presenters

  • Romer Rosales-Hasek

    • University of California, Santa Barbara

  Authors

  • Romer Rosales-Hasek

    • University of California, Santa Barbara

  • Layne B Frechette

    • Brandeis University

  • Dimitrios Krommydas

    • University of California, Santa Barbara

  • Zvonimir Dogic

    • University of California, Santa Barbara

  • Cristina Marchetti

    • UC Santa Barbara

  • Aparna Baskaran

    • Brandeis University

  • Michael F Hagan

    • Brandeis University

  • Dimitrios Krommydas

    • University of California, Santa Barbara

  View abstract →

• Modeling density variations in microtubule-based active nematics

  ORAL

  March 18, 2026, 9:00 AM – March 18, 2026, 9:12 AM

  Presenters

  • Kevin A Mitchell

    • University of California, Merced

  Authors

  • Kevin A Mitchell

    • University of California, Merced

  • Sean Ricarte

    • UC Merced

  • Brandon Klein

    • Johns Hopkins University

  • Daniel A Beller

    • Johns Hopkins University

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• Exploring a model of density variations in microtubule-based active nematics

  ORAL

  March 18, 2026, 9:12 AM – March 18, 2026, 9:24 AM

  Presenters

  • Sean Ricarte

    • UC Merced

  Authors

  • Sean Ricarte

    • UC Merced

  • Brandon Klein

    • Johns Hopkins University

  • Daniel A Beller

    • Johns Hopkins University

  • Kevin A Mitchell

    • University of California, Merced

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• Dynamics of a free finite-sized object in a confined active nematic suspension

  ORAL

  March 18, 2026, 9:24 AM – March 18, 2026, 9:36 AM

  Publication: Planned paper: Free object behavior in a wall-constrained nematic in dense active suspension

  Presenters

  • Min Zhu

    • University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

  Authors

  • Min Zhu

    • University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

  • Jonathan Ben Freund

    • University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

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• Collective Behavior of Motile Rods in Active Nematics

  ORAL

  March 18, 2026, 9:36 AM – March 18, 2026, 9:48 AM

  Presenters

  • Abhishek Sharma

    • Indian Institute of Technology, Mandi (IIT)

  Authors

  • Abhishek Sharma

    • Indian Institute of Technology, Mandi (IIT)

  • Harsh Soni

    • Indian Institute of Technology, Mandi (IIT)

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• Taming polymorphism of tubule self-assembly using templated growth

  ORAL

  March 18, 2026, 9:48 AM – March 18, 2026, 10:00 AM

  Presenters

  • Sirui Liu

    • Brandeis University

  Authors

  • Sirui Liu

    • Brandeis University

  • William B Rogers

    • Brandeis University

  • Thomas E Videbæk

    • Brandeis University

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• Confinement-induced self-organization of self-propelled cell-like "flexicles"

  ORAL

  March 18, 2026, 10:00 AM – March 18, 2026, 10:12 AM

  Presenters

  • Philipp W Schonhofer

    • Univ Mich
    • University of Michigan

  Authors

  • Philipp W Schonhofer

    • Univ Mich
    • University of Michigan

  • Sharon C Glotzer

    • University of Michigan

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• Bacterial chemotaxis to a finite localized source

  ORAL

  March 18, 2026, 10:12 AM – March 18, 2026, 10:24 AM

  Presenters

  • Meera Ramaswamy

    • Princeton University
    • University of Minnesota

  Authors

  • Meera Ramaswamy

    • Princeton University
    • University of Minnesota

  • Ipsita Tingi

    • Princeton University

  • Jenna Anne Ott

    • Princeton University

  • Yaxin Duan

    • Princeton University

  • Sujit S Datta

    • California Institute of Technology

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• Data-driven insights into reversible shear adhesion in space-like environments

  ORAL

  March 18, 2026, 10:24 AM – March 18, 2026, 10:36 AM

  Presenters

  • Gabriela M Lana

    • University of Massachusetts Amherst

  Authors

  • Gabriela M Lana

    • University of Massachusetts Amherst

  • Nolan Miller

    • University of Massachusetts Amherst

  • Jennifer R Quigley

    • University of Massachusetts Amherst

  • A B M Tahidul Haque

    • University of Alabama

  • Zhizhen Zhang

    • University of Massachusetts Amherst

  • Markos Katsoulakis

    • University of Massachusetts Amherst

  • Alfred J Crosby

    • University of Massachusetts Amherst

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• Precise placement of DNA origami on patterned surfaces

  ORAL

  March 18, 2026, 10:36 AM – March 18, 2026, 10:48 AM

  Presenters

  • Yuanchuan Shao

    • Duke University Department of Biomedical Engineering
    • Duke University

  Authors

  • Yuanchuan Shao

    • Duke University Department of Biomedical Engineering
    • Duke University

  • Gaurav Arya

    • Duke University

  View abstract →