From Adaptive to Active Wetting Dynamics

International Workshop
16 - 20 February 2026

The workshop explores adaptive and active wetting, connecting physico-chemical systems with emerging biophysical and biomimetic ones. It covers dynamic wetting on flexible, chemically adaptive, and switchable substrates, as well as related active processes, to propose new challenges in engineering, mathematics, (bio)chemistry and soft matter physics.

Topics include

  • Adaptive Wetting
  • Active Wetting
  • Wetting of Biological Interfaces
  • Elastic Substrates and Wetting
  • Chemically Adaptive Substrates
  • Switchable Substrates and Wetting Dynamics
  • Substrate Dynamics and Hydrodynamics
  • Dynamic Wetting of Complex Liquids
  • Interfacial Energy Dissipation
  • Biophysical and Biomimetic Systems
  • Wetting of Biomolecular Condensates

Invited speakers

Günter Auernhammer (DE)
Charlotte Aumeier (CH)
Hans-Jürgen Butt (DE)
Andreas Carlson (NO)
Jaume Casademunt (ES)
Rumiana Dimova (DE)
Carl-Philipp Heisenberg (AT)
Dorothea Helmer (DE)
Leonid Ionov (DE)
Frank Jülicher (DE)
Stefan Karpitschka (DE)
Hiroyuki Kitahata (JP)
Roland L. Knorr (DE)
Karsten Kruse (CH)
Halim Kusumaatmaja (UK)
Detlef Lohse (NL)
Glen McHale (UK)
Marcel Mokbel (DE)
Thierry Ondarçuhu (FR)
Ivana Pajić-Lijaković (RS)
Dirk Peschka (DE)
Tiezheng Qian (HK)
Ralf Seemann (DE)
Jacco Snoeijer (NL)
Holger Stark (DE)
Masahiro Takinoue (JP)
Motomu Tanaka (DE)
Christoph A. Weber (DE)
Nigel Wilding (UK)
Miho Yanagisawa (JP)
David Zwicker (DE)

Scientific Coordinators

Sebastian Aland
TU Freiberg & HTW Dresden, DE

Karin John
CNRS, Université Grenoble Alpes, FR

Yutaka Sumino
Tokyo University of Science, JP

Uwe Thiele
Universität Münster, DE

Organisation

Katrin Lantsch
(MPIPKS Dresden)

How to reach us

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Useful information for your way to the venue.

Contact Institute

Application

The application deadline was on 31st October 2025. The application is closed.

The registration fee for the international workshop is 200 Euro and should be paid by all participants.

Costs for accommodation and meals will be covered by the Max Planck Institute.

Limited funding is available to partially cover travel expenses.

Scientific Program

Program structure:

Sunday, 15th February - arrival (recommended)

Monday, 16th February - 9 am, program start

Friday, 20th February - noon, program closure & departure

→ the detailed program

read more

Accommodation information

Please beware of accommodation arrangements and other services offered by third parties. We urge you not to give your credit card details or other personal information. The organization of the event is solely handled by the Visitors Program of MPI-PKS Dresden and its staff, and any communication on the topic of accommodation will always come from @pks.mpg.de addresses or from the scientific coordinators. If in doubt, please contact us via the event email address or via visitors[at]pks.mpg(dot)de. Thank you!