Molecular Engineering of Soft Materials Symposium
December 10, 2025
8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. ET
5201 Scott Hall
Molecular Engineering of Soft Materials is an interdisciplinary field that designs and controls the structure, properties, and function of soft materials by understanding and manipulating their molecular-level interactions. It involves applying principles from physics, chemistry, and biology to create novel materials, such as polymers, gels, colloids, and biological systems, with applications in medicine, energy, consumer products, and robotics. Key approaches include molecular design, directed self-assembly, and the study of emergent properties from the micro- to macro-scale.
The symposium will highlight cross-disciplinary research across CMU departments, with the goal of advancing soft materials research. We welcome CMU faculty, staff, postdocs, and students with an interest in soft materials research to join us for a day of faculty talks and a student poster session.
Symposium Schedule
8:30 AM - 9:00 AM: Registration & Breakfast
9:00 AM - 9:05 AM: Welcome & Opening Remarks, Bruce Armitage
9:05 AM - 9:20 AM: Soft Materials Research Overview - Chemistry, Newell Washburn
9:20 AM - 9:35 AM: Soft Materials Research Overview - Chemical Engineering, Bob Tilton
9:35 AM - 9:50 AM: Soft Materials Research Overview - Materials Science & Engineering, Thomas O'Connor
9:50 AM - 10:15 AM: Faculty Foci - Session 1
10:15 AM - 10:30 AM: BREAK
10:30 AM - 11:20 AM: Faculty Foci - Session 2
11:20 AM - 11:35 AM: BREAK
11:35 AM - 12:00 PM: Faculty Foci - Session 3
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM: LUNCH
1:00 PM - 2:30 PM: Student and Postdoc Posters
2:30 PM - 3:00 PM: Breakout Discussions - Student groups & Faculty groups
3:00 PM - 3:30 PM: Breakout Reporting
3:30 PM - 3:40 PM: PPG Remarks
3:40 PM - 3:50 PM: Closing Remarks
3:50 PM - 5:00 PM: Reception
Hosted by:
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Chemistry Department
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Chemical Engineering Department
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Materials Science and Engineering Department
Sponsored by:
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PPG Foundation
Upcoming Events
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February 6 2026
10:00 AM ET
Materials Science and Engineering
Mechanical properties of materials: Multiscale modeling, neural operators and experimental inference, presented by Kaushik Bhattacharya, California Institute of Technology
CUC McConomy Auditorium
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February 13 2026
10:00 AM ET
Materials Science and Engineering
Interfacial Fracture in Soft Polymer Networks: Revisiting Gent's Picture, presented by Gabriel Sanoja Lopez, University of Texas, Austin
CUC McConomy Auditorium
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February 20 2026
10:00 AM ET
Materials Science and Engineering
High-Fidelity Atomistic Simulations of Chemistry-Microstructure Interactions in Metals, presented by Rodrigo Freitas, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
CUC McConomy Auditorium
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February 25 2026
2:00 PM ET
Faculty Insights with Mario Berges
Please join us for CMU Engineering's virtual program, “Faculty Insights: A 20 Minute Briefing.” In this series, faculty will share insights into their research, its impact, and provide perspective for the future of the field.
Virtual, link provided to registrants
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February 27 2026
10:00 AM ET
Materials Science and Engineering
presented by Tim Weihs, Johns Hopkins university
CUC McConomy Auditorium
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March 13 2026
10:00 AM ET
Materials Science and Engineering
presented by Rachel Goldman, University of Michigan
CUC McConomy Auditorium