PSL Soft and Living Matter days 2026: three days of scientific exchange and interdisciplinary collaboration

From July 6 to 8, 2026, the 6th edition of the PSL Soft and Living Matter days brought together researchers, PhD students and postdoctoral fellows at the Institut Pierre-Gilles de Gennes (IPGG) from several PSL institutions, including ESPCI Paris – PSL, Chimie ParisTech – PSL, École normale supérieure – PSL, Mines Paris – PSL, as well as the Institut Curie.

This edition marked a new milestone for the event, which is now organized by the Metasoft Matter Major Research Program, coordinated by ESPCI Paris – PSL. The program aims to strengthen interdisciplinary research at the interface of soft matter, living systems, chemistry, physics and engineering.

With an average of 100 registered participants per day, the PSL Soft and Living Matter Days once again demonstrated the strong interest of the PSL community in these research areas. The scientific program featured 12 invited lectures, contributed oral presentations and 25 posters, showcasing the breadth and vitality of research conducted across Université PSL. Topics ranged from active matter and biophysics to advanced materials, plasma chemistry, electrochemistry and mechanics, highlighting both the diversity of approaches and the inherently interdisciplinary nature of the field.

Throughout the three-day meeting, scientific sessions, flash talks, poster presentations and numerous informal discussions fostered exchanges between researchers from a wide range of disciplines, helping to spark new ideas and collaborations.

The conference also welcomed three international invited speakers: Denise Petri (University of São Paulo), Muhittin Mungan (Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf) and Subramanyan Varanakkottu (National Institute of Technology Calicut) whose contributions brought an international perspective and further enriched the scientific program.

In 2027, the PSL Soft and Living Matter Days will give way to a summer school on soft and living matter, organized by the Metasoft Matter Major research program. The conference will return in 2028, continuing its mission of bringing together the PSL community around interdisciplinary research on soft and living matter.