Nikta Fakhri from MIT joining us for the WPI-SKCM2 Summer School – Part of a Broad Lineup of Esteemed International Presenters

WPI-SKCM2 is very proud to have our Affiliate member, Nikta Fakhri of MIT join us to present a colloquium entitled “Chirality & topology in living and active matter” during our 2024 Summer School program!

Nikta Fakhri is an Associate Professor in the Department of Physics at MIT and Physics of Living Systems Group. She is particularly known for her work on non-equilibrium materials, and has recently done fascinating research on starfish embryos, through which she found a way to create a living crystal structure! You can find a Q&A regarding this study here: Starfish Whisperer Develops a Physical Language of Life | Quanta Magazine

She has also previously collaborated on research with another WPI-SKCM2 Affiliate Jorn Dunkel on the topic of living chiral crystals. The article based on the results of this research was published in Nature magazine in July 2022. 

WPI-SKCM2 is incredibly excited at the opportunity to host this accomplished physicist  not only as a guest, but as an affiliate member. We hope that you will come and learn more about her research… and much more!

Dr. Fakhri’s Colloquia will be presented along many other talks at the intersection of topology and chirality during the Summer School at (HU)² & joint WPI-ICReDD Research Symposium, including Jorn Dunkel (Mechanics & Knots; Massachusetts Institute of Technology), Ingo Dierking (Chirality in liquid crystals and soft matter; Manchester University) and Marjolein Dijkstra (Machine learning in large scale computation; Utrecht University) including Uspal (Hydrodynamics of Active Colloids; U of Hawaii) and Fan (Synthetic frequency dimensions in modulated ring resonators; Joseph and Hon Mai Goodman Professor, School of Engineering, Stanford University).  

We are looking forward to kicking off the events scheduled for the Summer School at (HU)² & joint WPI-ICReDD Research Symposium. 

The first part of the event from July 10-16, 2024 will be held at Hokkaido University, and the remaining days from July 17-19 will be held at Hiroshima University. The event will be organized in a hybrid manner, so online participation is also welcomed.

As one of the special events of the School, on July 11, WPI-SKCM² and WPI-ICReDD, Hokkaido University’s WPI Institute, will present the Joint Research Symposium showcasing the latest research from both institutes. WPI-ICreDD specializes in chemical reaction design and discovery from an interdisciplinary lens.  

In addition, the final day of the School, July 19, will feature an Entrepreneurship Forum, designed to provide participants with insights into taking their fundamental science discoveries and transforming them into marketable innovations.  The event will be located at Hiroshima University. 

If you’d like to join the School, please see: https://wpi-skcm2.hiroshima-u.ac.jp/conferences/wpi-skcm%c2%b2-summer-school-at-hu%c2%b2-joint-wpi-icredd-research-symposium/

Both the Joint Research Symposium and the Entrepreneurship Forum are open for separate registrations, should you be interested in attending only one of these events, please check the individual event pages for more details.

Joint Research Symposium: https://wpi-skcm2.hiroshima-u.ac.jp/conferences/wpi-skcm%c2%b2-wpi-icredd-joint-research-symposium/

Entrepreneurship Forum:  https://wpi-skcm2.hiroshima-u.ac.jp/conferences/entrepreneurship-forum-science-to-market/