Scientific Program

SCOPE

The aim of the conference was to provide an open discussion about the new challenges to Liquid Crystal researchers in the forthcoming years. The discussion highlighted new issues and new trends of Liquid Crystal  science and technology, and related phenomena in different areas of science, and pointed out new developments and associated techniques.

PROGRAM

The scientific program included an opening lecture by Professor Mark Warner (University of Cambridge, U.K.), a number of plenary, keynote and invited lectures by distinguished scientists (see below) highlighting selected topics and new developments in the field, and contributed oral and poster communications which addressed virtually all aspects of LC science and technology and related phenomena. The main lines of the program included the following topics:

• A - Molecular design and synthesis of new materials

• B - Ordering, structure and defects

• C - Displays and new devices and applications

• D - Surfaces, interfaces and confinement phenomena

• E - Ferroelectric and anti-ferroelectric LCs

• F - Modelling and numerical simulation

• G - Active LCs, chirality, and biological systems

• H - LC nanoscience, molecular self-assembly, and colloidal systems

• I - Dynamic properties and rheology

• J - LC optics and photonics

• K - LC polymers, elastomers and gels

Invited speakers

The following scientists have accepted to give invited talks:

Opening and Plenary Lectures:

• Igor Musevic - Jozef Stefan Institute, Ljubljana, Slovenia

• Harald Pleiner - Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research, Mainz, Germany

• Jacques Prost - ESPCI and Institut Curie, Paris, France

• José Luis Serrano - University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain

• Mark Warner - University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom [Opening Lecture]

Keynote and Invited Lectures

• Alexander Emelyanenko - Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia

• Alexey Eremin - Magdeburg University, Magdeburg, Germany

• Daniel Guillon - CNRS and University Louis Pasteur, Strasbourg, France

• Geoffrey Luckhurst - University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom

• Philippe Martinoty - CNRS and University Louis Pasteur, Strasbourg, France

• Georg Mehl - University of Hull, Hull, United Kingdom

• Peter Palffy-Muhoray - Kent State University, Kent, Ohio, USA

• Demetri Photinos - University of Patras, Patras, Greece

• Antonino Polimeno - University of Padova, Padova, Italy

• Takahiro Seki - Nagoya University, Nagoya, Japan

• Valery Shibaev - Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia

• Yuka Tabe - Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan

• Margarida Telo da Gama - University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal

• Eugene Terentjev - University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom

• Epifanio Virga - University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy

• Claudio Zannoni - University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy