Multistable active matter
Multistability, where a system can adopt multiple distinct stable states and switch between them in response to external driving, is common across many complex systems, from crumpled sheets and metamaterials to living tissues and robotic collectives. It is also central to the ability of those systems to process information from external cues, and to adapt to their environment. Activity is central to living systems and engineering, and is crucial to leverage the potential hidden in multistable systems to promote autonomous, life-like capabilities.
Despite rapid progress, the communities studying multistability and active matter remain fragmented. This meeting addresses this gap by creating a platform for exchanging new results, identifying unifying principles, and catalyzing collaborations at the interface of physics, materials science, and biology
Registration open: 10 February 2026 – Deadline: 10 March 2026, 23:59 CET
Locations
- AMOLF Colloquium room
- Lunch at the AMOLF canteen
Organizers
- Paul Baconnier
- Sourav Roy
- Dor Shohat
- Martin van Hecke
