Conferences

2024 Winter School

WPI-SKCM² at Hiroshima University & WPI-I²CNER at Kyushu University
2024 winter school

Endorsed by The Chemical Society of Japan & The Japan Society of Applied Physics

Dates: Monday, December 9-20, 2024

Who: The School is mainly targeted at graduate students, and postdoctoral fellows, as well as advanced undergraduates. Early-career professionals from industry may also have interest in the topics covered in the School.

Location: WPI-SKCM² at Hiroshima University HigashiHiroshima Campus & WPI-I²CNER at Kyushu University Ito Campus

For external participants who have not yet registered by other means, please use the following link to register:

Register Here

Deadlines: To be considered for a poster or talk, please register with your abstract by November 11, 2024 8:30 AM JST.

To join the poster session mixers as an attendee (without poster), please register by November 29, 2024 8:30 AM JST.

For all other registrations, you may register up until the event.

Cost: The registration fee is free for in-person and online participation.

The poster sessions will be accompanied by a mixer each week, with an additional fee of 1,000 JPY/mixer for students and postdocs, and 2,000 JPY/mixer for professor-level attendees.

Please note that participants are responsible for covering their own travel, accommodation, and meal expenses.

Join the WPI-SKCM² Winter School, covering topics related to knot topology, chirality, and sustainability from December 9-20, 2024.  Week 1 will be at Hiroshima U and Week 2 at Kyushu U in collaboration with WPI-I²CNER. 

Week 1: Monday, December 9-13, 2024Knotted Chiral Meta Matter with a focus on Math & Science Communication

Confirmed invited presenters include Prof. Lou Kauffman (University of Illinois at Chicago), Sabetta Matsumoto (Georgia Institute of Technology), and Amos Martinez (Nature Materials). After a week of tutorials and workshops, on Sunday, December 15, participants will travel to Kyushu University.

Week 2: Monday, December 16-20, 2024Sustainability and SKCM²-I²CNER Joint Symposium

This week will focus on sustainability, with a joint symposium highlighting areas of synergy between our fellow WPI Center, I²CNER. I²CNER is dedicated to the science underlying energy technologies that promise significant reductions in carbon emissions over the next few decades.

WPI-SKCM² Schools aim to provide interdisciplinary expert training in knot topology and chirality, which is not easily accessible within the traditional system of graduate education and postdoctoral apprenticeship. Emerging scientists will have the opportunity to engage with and learn from leading experts in the realm of knotted chiral meta matter. Topics covered will include metamaterials, knot theory, topological solitons, chirality, soft matter, magnets, colloids, polymers, quantum materials, biomaterials, proteins, active matter, origins of life, and energy efficiency.

WPI-SKCM² Schools also aim to foster the growth of early-career researchers. The Schools provide a forum for them to showcase their research through both oral and poster presentations, strengthen networks through community-building activities, enhance professional development through special symposia and forums, and learn about the world and culture of Japan.

Confirmed Invited Presenters

Antonio De Simone (SISSA)

Neslihan Gugumcu (Izmir Institute of Technology)

Louis Kauffman (University of Illinois at Chicago)

Sofia Lampropoulou (National Technical University of Athens)

Sabetta Matsumoto (Georgia Institute of Technology)

Sonia Mahmoudi (Tohoku University)

Amos Martinez (Nature Materials)

Ye Yuan (Hiroshima University)

Yuhong Zhu (Hiroshima University)



Dwaipayan Chakrabarti (University of Birmingham)

Marjolein Dijkstra (Utrecht University)

Katsuya Inoue (Hiroshima University)

Yuya Koda (Keio University)

Mykola Tasinkevych (Nottingham Trent University)

Chihiro Sasaki (University of Wroclaw)

Yair Shokef (Tel Aviv University)

Silvia Vignolini (University of Cambridge)

Saad Bhamla (Georgia Institute of Technology)

Javier Campo (CSIC, University of Zaragoza)

Keiichi Inoue (University of Tokyo)

Kohzo Ito (University of Tokyo)

Amory Lovins (Stanford University)

Tetsuaki Moriguchi (University of Tsukuba)

Reiko Oda (Tohoku University, Bordeaux University)

Shinji Okada (Chubu University)

Jieh-wen Tsung (National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University)

Kazami Yamamoto (Japan Atomic Energy Agency, J-PARC Center)


Shigenori Fujikawa (Kyushu University)

Zhanglin Guo (Kyushu University)

Tatsumi Ishihara (Kyushu University)

Akio Kimura (Hiroshima University)

Ivan Smalyukh (University of Colorado Boulder)

Hikaru Yabuta (Hiroshima University)

Ki-Seok Yoon (Kyushu University)

Scientific Organizing Committee

Ivan Smalyukh, Akio Kimura, Lou Kauffman, Shinichi Tate, Andrew Chapman, Kenta Shigaki, Iwata Takahiro

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