Hands-On Research in Complex Systems School | (smr 4230) (03-14 August 2026)

Administration

Description

The School provides early stage researchers with interactive experiences of hands-on research involving table-top experiments with computer data acquisition and modeling. Participants will also take part in professional development of improved scientific communication in English.

An intensive programme of laboratory experiments, computational modeling, and lectures gives participants immersive experiences with complex systems in the physical and life sciences. Additionally, participants will present their own research in talks and posters with extensive faculty feedback to enhance the presentation quality. The faculty are eminent scientists who have conducted frontier table-top research published in leading international scientific journals.

Topics:

Biological Physics
Optical Physics
Modeling of Biological Systems
Soft Matter Physics
Turbulence/Flow Instabilities
Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence
Numerical Modeling
Maker Movement Techniques
Image Analysis

Speakers:

Fernan Federici, Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, Chile
Jenny Molloy, University of Cambridge, UK
Debjani Paul, Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, India

Bruce Rodenborn, Centre College, USA

Evelyn Sander, George Mason University, USA

Call for applications: The priority will be given to applicants who submit an abstract to present a poster. Please use our TEMPLATE FILE availalbe below for download to format your abstract.

Grants: A limited number of grants are available to support the attendance of selected participants, with priority given to participants from developing countries. There is no registration fee.

Material

Abstract Template Booklet Post.abstracts Final list of Participants Group photo Poster

Hands-On Research in Complex Systems School | (smr 4230)

Go to day

Monday, 3 August 2026

08:30 - 09:00 Registration and administrative formalities

09:00 - 18:30

09:00 Table-top Physics 1h0'

Speaker: Michael Francis Schatz (Georgia Institute of Technology, USA)

10:00 Hands-On 3h0'

Studying the Motor That Powers Bacterial Self-Propulsion 3h0'
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Location: MLab – 201
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Speaker: Teuta Pilizota (University of Cambridge, UK)
Cotranscriptional Production of RNA Condensates Using Digital Microfluidics 3h0'
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Location: MLab – Meeting Room
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Speakers: Jennifer Molloy (University of Cambridge, UK), Francesco Quero (University of Cambridge, UK)
Nonlinear Dynamics and Pattern Formation in Flow Between Concentric Rotating Cylinders 3h0'
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Location: MLab – 115A
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Speakers: Bruce Rodenborn (Centre College, USA), Robert Harper (University of Kentucky, USA)

Microfluidics for Stiffness Measurement of Soft Objects 3h0'

Location: MLab – Office CT

Speakers:

Debjani Paul (Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, India), Tikaram Alma (Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, India)

Optogenetic Field for SelfOrganized Gene Expression Patterns 3h0'

Location: MLab – 103

Speakers:

Fernan Federici (Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, Chile), Alejandro Aravena (Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, Chile)

From Numerical Integration to Physics-Informed Neural Networks 3h0'
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Location: MLab – 102
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Speakers: Maria Liz Crespo (ICTP, Italy), Maynor Ballina (ICTP, Italy)
Identifying Stable Configurations of 3D-Printed Floating Objects 3h0'
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Location: SciFabLab
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Speaker: Evelyn Sanders (George Mason University, USA)

2D Turbulence 3h0'

Location: AGH – UN Room

Speakers:

Michael Francis Schatz (Georgia Institute of Technology, USA), Marc Guasch (Georgia Institute of Technology, USA)

A Tabletop Experiment on Driving a Mechanical Oscillation 3h0'
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Location: AGH – Lundquist
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Speakers: Pietro Cicuta (University of Cambridge, UK), Francesco Varnier (School of Advanced Studies Pisa, Italy)
Molecular Dynamics 3h0'
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Location: AGH – Denardo
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Speaker: Mark Shattuck (The City College of New York, USA)

Computational Modeling 3h0'

Location: AGH – Ecklund

Speakers:

Eric Kostelich (Arizona State University, USA), Rhonda Olson (Arizona State University, USA), Scot Olson (Arizona State University, USA)

13:00 Lunch 1h0'
14:00 Image Analysis 1h0'

Speaker: Mark David Shattuck (The City College of New York, USA)
15:00 Professional Development Workshop 3h30'

Tuesday, 4 August 2026
- 09:00 - 18:30
  - 09:00 Cell Disease and Deformability 1h0'
    
    Speaker: Debjani Paul (Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, India)
  - 10:00 Hands-On 3h0'
    
    Material: Hands-on details
  - 13:00 Lunch 1h0'
  - 14:00 Entrepreneurship 1h0'
    
    Speaker: Teuta Pilizota (University of Cambridge, UK)
  - 15:00 Professional Development Workshop 3h30'
Wednesday, 5 August 2026
- 09:00 - 19:00
  - 09:00 Deformable Particles 1h0'
    
    Speaker: Mark David Shattuck (The City College of New York, USA)
  - 10:00 Hands-On 3h0'
    
    Material: Hands-on details
  - 13:00 Lunch 1h0'
  - 14:00 Open Hardware + collab 1h0'
    
    Speaker: Fernan Federici (Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, Chile)
  - 15:00 Professional Development Workshop 3h30'
  - 18:30 Faculty meeting 30'
Thursday, 6 August 2026
- 09:00 - 18:30
  - 09:00 Self-organized Gene Networks 1h0'
    
    Speaker: Fernan Federici (Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, Chile)
  - 10:00 Hands-On 3h0'
    
    Material: Hands-on details
  - 13:00 Lunch 1h0'
  - 14:00 Writing and Research 1h0'
    
    Speaker: Pietro Cicuta (University of Cambridge, UK)
  - 15:00 Extended Hands-On and Informal tutorials 2h30'
  - 17:30 Coffee break 1h0'
Friday, 7 August 2026
- 09:00 - 18:30
  - 09:00 Optical Spectroscopy 1h0'
    
    Speaker: Cabrera Morales (ICTP, Italy)
  - 10:00 Group photo 10'
  - 10:00 Hands-On 3h0'
    
    Material: Hands-on details
  - 13:00 Lunch 1h0'
  - 14:00 ICTP Progs. / Recreation 1h0'
    
    Speaker: Maria Liz Crespo (ICTP, Italy)
  - 15:10 Snapshots I 50'
  - 16:00 Poster-Session I 2h30'
    
    Material: Booklet
Monday, 10 August 2026
- 09:00 - 19:00
  - 09:00 Frugal Science 1h0'
    
    Speaker: Pietro Cicuta (University of Cambridge, UK)
  - 10:00 Hands-On 3h0'
    
    Material: Hands-on details
  - 13:00 Lunch 1h0'
  - 14:00 Bio-motion 1h0'
    
    Speaker: Teuta Pilizota (University of Cambridge, UK)
  - 15:00 Extended Hands-On and Informal tutorials 2h30'
  - 17:30 Drinks & Conversation 1h30'
Tuesday, 11 August 2026
- 09:00 - 17:30
  - 09:00 AI Math Proofs 1h0'
    
    Speaker: Evelyn Sander (George Mason University, USA)
  - 10:00 Hands-On 3h0'
    
    Material: Hands-on details
  - 13:00 Lunch 1h0'
  - 14:00 Ask Anything/Open Mic 1h0'
    
    Speaker: Debjani Paul (Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, India)
  - 15:00 Snapshots II 30'
  - 15:30 Poster-Session II 2h0'
    
    Material: Booklet
Wednesday, 12 August 2026
- 09:00 - 17:30
  - 09:00 Calibration of Motilty Models 1h0'
    
    Speaker: Bruce Rodenborn (Centre College, USA)
  - 10:00 Hands-On 3h0'
    
    Material: Hands-on details
  - 13:00 Lunch 1h0'
  - 14:00 AI in Education 1h0'
    
    Speaker: Michael Francis Schatz (Georgia Institute of Technology, USA)
  - 15:00 Snapshots III 30'
  - 15:30 Poster-Session III 2h0'
    
    Material: Booklet
Thursday, 13 August 2026
- 09:00 - 18:30
  - 09:00 Microfluidics for Gene Expresion 1h0'
    
    Speaker: Jennifer Molloy (University of Cambridge, UK)
  - 10:00 Hands-On 3h0'
    
    Material: Hands-on details
  - 13:00 Lunch 1h0'
  - 14:00 School Feedback 1h0'
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All the participants
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  - 15:00 Extended Hands-On and Informal tutorials 2h30'
  - 17:30 Coffee break 30'
  - 18:00 Faculty Meeting / Poster Judging 30'
Friday, 14 August 2026
- 09:00 - 22:00
  - 09:00 Data Assimilation 1h0'
    
    Speaker: Eric Kostelich (Arizona State University, USA)
  - 10:00 Hands-On 3h0'
    
    Material: Hands-on details
  - 13:00 Lunch 1h0'
  - 14:00 Free Time Video Interviews 6h0'
  - 20:00 Banquet and Awards 2h0'