SFI 2026 serves as a vital platform for international academic exchange.

GIA LAI — Around 60 professors, scientists, and young researchers at the forefront of soft matter and fluid science have gathered in Gia Lai Province for the international conference "Soft Matter, Complex Fluids, Interfaces 2026" (SFI 2026).

Representing 18 countries and territories, the participants are attending the five-day event held from June 29 to July 3.

Organised under Rencontres du Vietnam by the International Center for Interdisciplinary Science and Education (ICISE), SFI 2026 serves as a vital platform for international academic exchange. The conference aims to facilitate the sharing of cutting-edge research, explore emerging trends, and foster global cooperation in these specialised scientific fields.

Dr. Trần Thanh Sơn, vice director of ICISE takes the floor, welcoming professors, scientists, and young researchers from 18 countries and territories to Việt Nam for the SFI 2026.

According to the organisers, the conference is honoured to welcome many of the world’s leading scientists in the field, including: Prof. Jean-François Joanny (Collège de France, France), Prof. Daan Frenkel (University of Cambridge, United Kingdom), Prof. Cristina Marchetti (University of California, Santa Barbara, US), Prof. Mark Bowick (University of California, Santa Barbara, US), and Prof. Daniel Bonn (Institute of Physics, University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands) among others.

Within the framework of the event, scientists will present and discuss their latest research findings through plenary and parallel sessions. The conference not only fosters in-depth academic exchange but also strengthens connections between the Asia–Pacific scientific community and international scholars, thereby expanding interdisciplinary and cross-border research collaboration.

In particular, SFI 2026 focuses on supporting the younger generation of researchers by creating opportunities to access advanced research directions, engage directly with leading experts, thereby enhancing professional capacity and expanding international scientific cooperation networks.

At the same time, the conference contributes to shaping new research trends in areas such as functional soft materials, active matter systems, and interfacial and multiphase processes.

Dr. Carles Blanch from Institut Curie, France, a member of the conference's Organising Board, delivers remarks at the opening of the event on June 29. Photos courtesy of ICISE

The programme includes nearly 50 scientific presentations in plenary and parallel sessions, covering research topics of strong interest to the international scientific community, including: active soft materials, biomaterials and living matter systems; smart soft materials and functional materials; granular materials and colloidal suspensions; complex and multiphase flows; dynamics of interfaces, phase transitions and heat transfer; as well as liquid crystals and topological defects.

Some notable presentations at the conference include Computers, Models and Understanding Nature: More Than Just Numbers by Prof. Daan Frenkel; Active Fibrous Solids and Morphogenesis by Prof. Cristina Marchetti; and What Have We Learned About Friction Since Coulomb’s Time? by Prof. Daniel Bonn.

Following its debut event in 2024, SFI 2026 continues to build a high-quality academic forum, promoting international research collaboration and strengthening connections within the scientific community, thereby contributing to the advancement of the fields of soft matter, fluids, and interfacial physics. VNS