The 28th International Liquid Crystal Conference (ILCC) took place at the NOVA School of Science & Technology, Lisbon, Portugal, from 24 July to 29 July 2022 and was organised by Maria Helena Godinho (Chair), Margarida Telo da Gama (Scientific Secretary), and Carlos Rodrigues da Cruz (Vice-chair) from the University of Lisbon. The 640 conference participants () were from 43 different countries, giving 280 oral presentations (5 plenary, 58 invited, & 6 tutorials) and 348 poster presentations through the week all on a hybrid platform. Plenary talks were given by Sriram Ramaswamy (Indian Institute of Science), Maria Blanca Ros (University of Zaragoza/CSIC), Randall Kamien (University of Pennsylvania), Robin Selinger (Kent State University), and Sung Tae Shin (Korea University).
Figure 1. Conference attendees posing for a group photo under Portugal’s blue skies. Image adapted from https://ilcc2022.org/fotos/.
Sunday saw a programme of 6 tutorials and 2 public lectures, followed by a Welcome Reception in the evening with a musical performance by anTUNiA and the opening of the Liquid Crystal art Exhibition. Tutorials were given by Takashi Kato (The University of Tokyo), Yanlei Yu (Fudan university), Jan Lagerwall (Université du Luxemourg), Miha Ravnik (University of Ljubljana), António Figueiredo-Neto (University of São Paulo), and Ivan I. Smalyukh (University of Colorado), . Public lectures were given by Michel Mitov, ‘The Odyssey of Liquid Crystals’, and Etienne Brasselet, ‘Liquid crystals untamed: what interest for the science of light?’.
Figure 2. Tutorials given by Takashi Kato (top left), Yanlei Yu (top middle), Jan Lagerwall (top right), Miha Ravnik (bottom left), António Figueiredo-Neto (bottom middle), and Ivan I. Smalyukh (bottom right). Image adapted from https://ilcc2022.org/fotos/.
The standard conference programme then officially started on Monday, with each day typically split into 3 periods during each of which 5 parallel sessions were running, giving a total 51 sessions. The topics of the conference were split into 6 themes: ‘Liquid Crystals in Biology and Active Matter’ (24 presentations), ‘Macromolecular Liquid Crystals’ (23 presentations), ‘Confined Liquid Crystals’ (43 presentations), ‘Design of New Materials’ (43 presentations), ‘Mathematical Modelling, Symmetry and Topology’ (33 presentations), and ‘Novel Applications’ (38 presentations). Poster sessions were held onsite and online after the final sessions on Monday and Tuesday, as well as after lunch on Thursday afternoon. The ability for the conference to run so smoothly as continually hybrid is testament to the dedication of the organising committee and large number of volunteers who made the entire conference possible.
Wednesday’s programme varied from the standard structure, beginning with the prizes and honours awards. The LG Display Mid-career award winner was Shu Yang (University of Pennsylvania) for ‘creative materials contributions to the fabrication of responsive liquid crystalline matter at surfaces and interfaces’. The Samsung Mid-career award was presented to Teresa Lopez-Leon (ESPCI Paris) for ‘pioneering contributions to the physics of liquid crystalline shells’. Robert Meyer (Brandeis University) was awarded Honoured Member of the ILCS for ‘his ground-breaking experimental and theoretical contributions to the fundamental science and applications of liquid crystals’. The winner of the Pierre Gilles de Gennes ILCS prize was Slobodan Zumer (University of Ljubljana) ‘in recognition of his creative explorations and breakthrough contributions to the understanding of soft matter’. Finally, the Glenn H. Brown thesis prizes were awarded to Yuge Huang (Central Florida University), Muhammad Ali (University of Warsaw), Jung-Shen (Benny) Tai (University of Colorado), and Taras Turiv (Kent State University). The recipients of the Glenn H. Brown prizes then gave outstanding presentations on their PhD research. The afternoon was allotted to excursions to Lisbon Belém Tower, Sintra Palace, Arrábida Natural Park, & Diana Roman Temple.
The conference dinner was held Thursday evening at Quinta Pezinhos no Tejo which boasted an astounding view of Lisbon and the Tagus River, spectacular food, and a live music performance ().
Figure 3. The conference dinner venue Quinta Pezinhos no Tejo with spectacular views over the River Tagus. Image adapted from https://ilcc2022.org/fotos/.
Friday saw the final 5 presentation sessions followed by the closing ceremony in which many outstanding student poster and oral presentation prizes were awarded and a final live musical performance was given by TunaMaria. ILCC will next be held in Rio de Janeiro in July 2024.