Tremendous progress has been made in the past century in biological sciences thanks to technological advances in experimental and measuring techniques. As was the case for physics and chemistry in the previous century, biological sciences are at a critical juncture where further advancements depend and rely crucially on the development of now quantitative tools. Mathematics will inevitably play a crucial role during the processes while biology comes increasingly more quantitative as a scientific discipline. Bio-ions and biomolecules are essential in performing biological functions in living organisms. The understanding of their roles in nerve and physiological functions has fundamental importance, as demonstrated by several Noble prize winning researchers since the prize was established. For example, Cajal shared the 1906 prize for his discovery of synaptic transmission in neural communication. Hodgkin and Huxley won the 1963 prize for their discoveries concerning the ionic mechanism involved in the excitation and inhibition in the nerve cells. The detailed discovery of the functions of single ion channels came much later, which was recognized by the 1991 prize awarded to Neher and Sakmann. Real biological problems of ion transport are characterized by interaction on all scales and no living biological systems can function without flows. Fluidics, from nano- to micro- to microfluidics, is a burgeoning area of technology which is all about the movement of ionic solutions, on various scales. Many cells, tissues, and organs of animals and plants depend on osmosis, as the movement of fluids is called in biology. Indeed, the movement of fluids through channel proteins (that have a hole down their middle) is fluidics on an atomic scale. Ionic fluids are complex fluids, with energy stored in many ways. Ionic fluids flow driven by gradients of concentration, chemical and electrical potential, and hydrostatic pressure. Each flow is classically described by its own field theory, independent of the others, but of course, in reality every gradient drives every kind of flow to a varying extent. Combining field equations is tricky and so the theory of complex fluids derives the equations, rather than assumes their interactions. These problems are inherently multi disciplinary and they present formidable challenges as well as fantastic opportunities for modelers, analysts, and computational scientists.

In this workshop, we bring researchers and experts studying ionic solutions in physical chemistry, researchers studying fluids in nanoscale system (nano-fluidics) and computational scientists. We will focus on exploring useful tools to deal with ions in solutions and in the vicinity of ion channels, nano pores, proteins, and electrodes. The workshop will provide a forum for researchers from diverse backgrounds to exchange ideas and discuss future directions for advancing research to meet the challenges in this fascinating area. It will also expose the students and young researchers to this exciting field. 

Abstract Submission - confirmed speakers and applicants

If you are a confirmed speaker or if you are a participant who would like to give a talk at the conference, please submit your abstract here after registering.