Overview

Workshop Aim:

This workshop aims to provide a platform for cross-scale dialogue and the exchange of modeling strategies, with a particular focus on sustainability. This includes the design of environmentally responsible materials, the development of bio-based or bioinspired solutions, and the modeling of soft matter systems central to energy, health, and circular economy challenges. By identifying open questions and fostering collaboration across modeling communities, this workshop will help advance integrated approaches to tackle both the scientific complexity and the societal urgency of developing sustainable soft materials.

Registration link at the bottom of this page.

Invited Speakers:

• Prof. Mikko Karttunen, University of Eastern Finland, Finland
• Assoc. Prof. Maria Sammalkorpi, Aalto University, Finland
• Prof. Marjolein Dijkstra, Utrecht University, Netherlands
• Prof. Robert Evans FRS, University of Bristol, United Kingdom
• Prof. Joseph M. Brader, University of Fribourg, Switzerland

Organizers:

• Asst. Prof. Alberto Scacchi, University of Turku, Finland (local organizer)
• Prof. Andy Archer, Loughborough University, United Kingdom
• Dr. Dmitry Tolmachev, Aalto University, Finland

Motivation:

Soft matter systems [1] , which include polymers, colloids, surfactants, gels, and biomaterials, play a critical role in sustainable technologies, ranging from biodegradable plastics to renewable energy storage and biomedical devices (see e.g. [2]). Many of these materials are central to efforts towards reducing environmental impact, whether through bio-based replacements for petrochemical products, such as biopolymers, recently reviewed from the multiscale modeling perspective [3], bioinspired functional materials [4], or systems that support circular economy strategies. Their complex behavior emerges across multiple length and time scales, making multiscale modeling essential for both understanding and designing next-generation sustainable materials [5].

While substantial progress has been made in modeling at individual scales, namely atomistic and coarse-grained Molecular Dynamics simulations [6] for molecular insight, mesoscale techniques [7] for collective behavior, and continuum models [8, 9] for macroscopic properties, bridging these levels in a predictive and consistent way remains a major challenge (see e.g. [3, 10, 11]). Key phenomena such as dynamic self-assembly, non-equilibrium responses, and feedback across scales are still difficult to model comprehensively, hindering the development of robust and efficient solutions.

This workshop brings together researchers working across these modeling regimes to exchange ideas, identify open challenges, and explore strategies for integrated multiscale approaches. By fostering collaboration between communities with complementary expertise, we aim to advance multiscale modeling as a powerful tool for addressing complex, real-world soft matter problems, particularly those demanding sustainable, bio-based, or ecologically responsible solutions.

References

[1] R. Castañeda-Priego, M. Pica Ciamarra, S. Corezzi, SK Ghosh and Y. Liu (2024) Editorial: “Reviews in soft matter physics”. Frontiers in Physics 12 :1388370. Doi: 10.3389/fphy.2024.1388370

[2] Special issue “Soft Materials for Energy and Biological Applications” in Materials Today Chemistry (2025). Link: www.sciencedirect.com/special-issue/109F1W38B7M

[3] A. Scacchi, M. Vuorte, M. Sammalkorpi, “Multiscale modeling of biopolymers”, Advances in Physics: X 9 (1):1-55 (2024). Doi: 10.1080/23746149.2024.2358196

[4] S. R. Ede, H. Yu, C. H. Sung, D. Kisailus. “Bio‐inspired functional materials for environmental applications”.  Small Methods  8 (4), 2301227 (2024). Doi: 10.1002/smtd.202301227

[5] J. Fish, G. J. Wagner, S. Keten. (2021). “Mesoscopic and multiscale modeling in materials”.  Nature Materials  20 (6): 774-786. Doi: 10.1038/s41563-020-00913-0

[6] C. Peter, K. Kremer. “Multiscale Simulation of soft matter systems–from the atomistic to the coarse-grained level and back”.  Soft Matter  5 (22):4357-4366 (2009). Doi: 10.1039/B912027K

[7] U. D. Schiller, T. Krüger, O. Henrich. “Mesoscopic modeling and simulation of soft matter”.  Soft Matter 14 (1):9-26 (2018). Doi: 10.1039/C7SM01711A

[8] H. Emmerich, H. Löwen, R. Wittkowski, T. Gruhn, G. I. Tóth, G. Tegze, L. Gránásy. “Phase-field-crystal models for condensed matter dynamics on atomic length and diffusive time scales: an overview”.  Advances in Physics  61 (6): 665-743 (2012). Doi: 10.1088/0953-8984/21/46/464103

[9] M. te Vrugt, H. Löwen, R. Wittkowski. “Classical dynamical density functional theory: from Fundamentals to applications”.  Advances in Physics  69 (2):121-247 (2020). Doi: 10.1080/00018732.2020.1854965

[10] S. Y. Joshi, S. A. Deshmukh. “A review of advances in coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations”.  Molecular Simulation  47 (10-11): 786-803 (2021). Doi: 10.1080/08927022.2020.1828583

[11] M. Te Vrugt, R. Wittkowski. “Metareview: a survey of active matter reviews”.  The European Physical Journal E ,  48 (3): 12 (2025). Doi: 10.1140/epje/s10189-024-00466-z

Links:

Travel Information

Programme Schedule

Partners:

This Workshop is supported by CECAM-FI, the University of Turku profiling area on Sustainable Materials and Manufacturing, SUSMAT, Loughborough University and Aalto University.