Biophysical Society Thematic Meeting | Riga 2026

Active and Responsive Soft Matter: From Biological to Engineered Systems

Daily Schedule

11:30 – 12:00

Kandice Levental, University of Virginia, USA Actively Driven Lipid Asymmetry Creates Unique Plasma Membrane Properties

12:00 – 13:00

Lunch

Delta/Omega Room

Session IV

Soft Matter Biophysics Chair: Guy Genin, Washington University in St. Louis, USA

13:00 – 13:30

Fred C. MacKintosh, Rice University, USA Mechanical Phase Transitions and the Nonlinear Response of Biopolymer Matrices Treena Arinzeh, Columbia University, USA Directing Regeneration Through Fiber-Based Physical Cues Daniel Blair, Georgetown University, USA Flow Induced Stiffening in Extensile Active Matter Marianne Grognot, RWTH Aachen University, Germany Just Keep Swimming: Structural Adaptations in Vibrio Species for Navigation in Complex Environments Cristoph Schmidt, Duke University, USA A Contracting Cytoskeletal Network Organizes into a Self-Centering Swimmer

13:30 – 14:00

14:00 – 14:30

14:30 – 15:00

15:00 – 15:30

15:30 – 16:00

Coffee Break

Delta/Omega Room

Session V

Short Talks I Chair: Guntars Kitenbergs, University of Latvia, Latvia

16:00 – 16:20

Tomohiro Mimura, Kyoto University, Japan* Proliferation-Driven Active Flows Induce Fluidization and Ordering in Multicellular Systems Aleksandra Ardaševa, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland* Topological Defects and Cell-Matrix Feedback Govern Myoblast Fusion

16:20 – 16:40

Wednesday, July 22, 2026 8:30 – 13:00

1 st Floor Lobby

Registration & Information

Session VI

Short Talks II Chair: Mara Šmite, University of Latvia, Latvia

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