Talks and presentations

Invited and plenary talks

Aug 2023 Newton workshop “GeomPack: Geometry and packing in material structure and biology“, Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences, held in Aberystwyth, August 14 – Sept 10, 2023

Feb 2023 Workshop “Mathematics and microscopic theory for random Soft Matter systems (MathMicS)“, invited talk “Mixing properties of bi-disperse ellipsoid assemblies: Mean-field behaviour in a granular matter experiment”, Düsseldorf, Germany, February 13-15, 2023

Aug 2022 ESF-CMD conference CMD 29, Symposium “Complex Phases in Soft Matter”, invited talk, Manchester UK, 21-26 August 2022

Jun 2022 Workshop “Bio-informedAdvanced Materials”, Hallmark Research Initiative in BioInspiration, plenary speaker, Melbourne, 9-10 June 2022

Jan 2022 Workshop “From materials innovation to autonomous robots” (“From materials innovation to autonomous robots, digital twin, augmented reality, anti-counterfeiting, reliable supply chains and circular economy construction”), University of Luxembourg (online event), invited speaker, 14 January 2022

Dec 2021 MRS Fall Meeting Boston, invited speaker, Boston (online), 29 Nov – 2 Dec 2021

Dec 2021 Summer Meeting Australian Institute of Physics, Brisbane (and online), invited speaker in biophysics stream, 6-9 December 2021

Sept 2021 21st International Conference on Discrete Geometric Analysis for Materials Design, invited speaker, Nagoya (online), 26-29 September 2021

Dec 2020 SM^2 “Soft Matter and Statistical Mechanics”, Brisbane (held online), 14-15 Dec 2020

Nov 2020 EduTech 2020, “Systemic issues beyond academic freedom that limit the academic voice in university and tertiary sector governance”, Sydney (online conference), 9-10 November 2020

July 2020 Faraday Discussion Meeting “Biological and bio-inspired optics“, closing plenary speaker, Cambridge, 20-22 July 2020

Feb 2020 26th Australian Conference on Microscopy and Microanalysis (ACMM), Canberra ACT Australia, 16-20 Feb 2020

July 2020 EU Foam Conference, Aberystwyth / Wales, keynote speaker, 7-10 July 2020.

Feb 2020 Geometry of Complex Webs, International Research School and Exploratory Workshop, Invited Speaker, Les Diablerets / Switzerland, February 2-5, 2020

Dec 2019 Symposium “Order Order” in honour of Prof Stephen Hyde, Australian National University, December 2019

Sept 2019, International Union of Materials Research Societies – International Conference in Asia (IUMRS-ICA), Symposium F “Computational Materials”, invited short talk, Perth, 22-26 Sept 2019

June 2019 Workshop Program “Bioinspired optics and photonics – From Metamaterials to Applications”, Invited Talk, Max-Planck-Institute for Complex Systems, Dresden (24-27 June 2019)

June 2019 4th International Conference on Packing Problems, Yale University, New Haven, organised by Corey O’Hern (week of 3 June)

April 2019 Camurus Lipid Research Foundation Prize Symposium, Award presentation, Lund, Sweden, 24 April 2019

March 2019 American Physical Society March Meeting, Boston 4-8 March 2019, invited talk in session “Chirality in polymeric and soft matter: from molecular to hierarchical scales”

Feb 2019 “Negatively curved three-periodic structures: What can variations and integrals of curvatures tell us about the physics?”, Closing lecture of ‘CurvoBio 2019‘ workshop, Salzburg University, 6-8 Feb 2019 (conference program as pdf)

Feb 2019 “Nature’s Functional Nanomaterials: Growth or Self-Assembly?”, invited webinar as part of the MRS OnDemand Wednesday webinars, “Bio-inspired far-from-equilibrium’ materials” webinar, 20 February 2019

Apr 2018 ICERM Workshop “Computation and Optimization of Energy, Packing, and Covering“, invited talk, Brown University, The Institute for Computational and Experimental Research in Mathematics (ICERM), 9-13 Apr 2018

Dec 2017 “Inspired by nature : photonic materials based on the gyroid nanogeometry”, invited talk, Material Research Society (MRS) Fall Meeting 2017, Symposium BM3 ‘Biological and Bioinspired Materials for Photonics and Electronics – From Living Organisms to Devices‘, 27 Nov – 1 Dec 2017

July 2017 “Mechanical and photonic meta-materials: function through geometric design“, keynote lecture, workshop “Geometric Aspects of Materials Science” within the Computational Geometry Week (CG Week 2017), Brisbane 3-6 July 2017

Sept 2016 “Local Structure Metric Based on Voronoi Diagram and Minkowski Tensors Reveals Non-Universality in Random Ellipsoid Packings”, invited presentation, Packing across length scales – 3rd international conference on packing problems, Shanghai, 29 Aug – 1 Sept 2016.

July 2016 “Chiro-optical effects in disordered photonics: Harmonic distortions enhance circular dichroism of Gyroids, and stochastic noise does not destroy it”, invited presentation, META 2016, Malaga 25-28 July 2016 (link to pdf of slides)

Dec 2015 “Chiro-optical materials inspired by the handed single gyroid structure in green butterflies”, invited presentation, PacifiChem 2015 conference, symposium on The Physical Structure, Function of Biological and Bioinspired Soft Matter, Honolulu/Hawaii, 15-20 Dec 2015

Nov 2015 “Butterfly Gyroids: Can we understand formation mechanisms by studying shape?”, Presentation, Kioloa Workshop of the Department of Applied Maths, Australian National University, Kioloa Coastal Campus, Kioloa NSW 2-4 Nov 2015

Jul 2015 “Minkowski tensor morphology measures for granular and cellular structures: Can you tell the point process from its average cell shape?”, keynote lecture, 14th International Congress for Stereology & Image Analysis, Liege/Belgium, 6-10 July 2015.

Jun 2015 “Minkowski tensor shape analysis of cellular, granular and porous structures”, invited talk, Engineering Mechanics Institute Conference, Minisymposium 96: Pore Morphology in Deforming Geomaterials: Observation, Characterization, and Modeling to Improve Performance of Critical Urban Systems. Stanford University on June 16-19, 2015 (participation cancelled)

Apr 2015 “Iridescence, Inclination & Circular Dichroism in Gyroid Photonic Crystals“, invited presentation, The Rank Prize Funds Symposium on the Perception of Iridescence, Grasmere/UK, 20-23 April 2015

Mar 2015 “The Tricontinuous 3ths(5) Phase: A New Morphology in Copolymer Melts“, invited presentation, German Physical Society Meeting Berlin, 16-20 March 2015

Sept 2014 “Characterizing anisotropic features of cellular and granular structures by Minkowski tensors”, two invited lectures at Workshop on Tensor Valuations in Stochastic Geometry and Imaging, Sandbjerg Estate, Sonderborg, Denmark, 21-26 Sept 2014.

Aug 2014 “Eight-fold Intergrowth of Gyroid Nets: A Chiral Dielectric Material with Optical Activity Comparable to That of Meta-materials“, invited talk at PIERS 2014 – Progress In Electromagnetics Research Symposium PIERS in Guangzhou, China, 25-28 August, 2014

Jul 2014 Keynote lecture at conference on ’Lipid Cubic Phases: from Fundamentals to Applications’, organised by John Seddon and Calum Drummond, Heron Island, 30 Jul to 2 Aug 2014.

Apr 2014, ”Circular polarisation effects in Gyroid nanostructures: inspiration from butterfly wing-scales and biological relevance”, Living Light 2014: Living Light: Uniting biology and photonics, Namur (Belgium), 10-12 April 2014

Feb 2013, ”Jammed Particle Configurations: Local Structure Analysis by Minkowski Tensors”, Workshop on Non-Linear Response in Complex Matter, Erlangen (Germany), 25-27 Feb 2013

Dec 2012, “Mechanical Properties of Minimal Surface Scaffolds as Custom-Made Porous Solids”, International Workshop ”Through the looking-glass: a glimpse into the geometry of materials.”, Princeton University, 3-5 Dec 2012

Nov 2012, ”Multiple Entangled Chiral Nets Topology and the Transmission of circularly polarised light, Symposium on Geometry and Topology of Biomolecular and Functional Nanomaterials, MRS Fall Meeting, Boston, 25-30 Nov 2012

Sept 2012, ”The Shape of Voronoi Cells – Insight into Spherical Bead Packs”, InternationalWorkshop on Packing Problems, Dublin, 2-5 Sept 2012

Feb 2012, ”Minimal surfaces and nets as chiral photonic materials”, short talk, CUDOS workshop, Shoalhaven Bay, NSW, Australia, 31 Jan – 3 Feb 2012

Jul 2011, ”Disordered sphere and ellipsoid packings”, Workshop on Geometry and Physics of Spatial Random Systems, Bad Herrenalb, Germany, 26-29 July 2011

Mar 2011, ”Local Anisotropy of Fluids, Glasses and Jammed Bead Packs”, 75th Annual Meeting of the DPG and DPG Spring Meeting, Dresden (Germany), 13-18 March 2011

Aug 2010, ”Packing properties of minimal surfaces and self-assembly”, ECM26 XXVI European Crystallographic Meeting, MaThCryst Satellite Conference, 27-29 August 2010

Mar 2010, ”MorphologicalMeasures for Complex Polymer Geometries”, in lieu of K. Mecke, 10th Symposium on Polymer Blends, Dresden (Germany), 7-10 March 2010

Jul 2009, ”Morphology and Anisotropy Measures for Network Microstructures”, in lieu of K. Mecke, European Polymer Congress (EPF09), Graz, Austria, 12-17 July 2009

Sep 2007, ”Minkowski Tensor Valuations: Anisotropy Measures for Porous Materials”, joint invitation with K. Mecke, 14th international Workshop on Stochastic Geometry, Stereology and Image Analysis, Neudietendorf, Germany, 23-28 Sept 2007

Seminars and Colloquia

Jan 2023 “Bicontinuous structures diamond structures: Diamonds in sea urchins, Gyroids in butterflies”, Seminar, Paris Lodron University Salzburg, Host: John Dunlop and Bodo Wilts, 8 Feb 2023

Dec 2022 “Nature’s amazing mazes: bicontinuous surfaces in butterflies and their physical properties”, Seminar Potsdam University, 14 Dec 2022.

Aug 2022 “Nature’s mysterious labyrinth: Structural color in butterflies, and beyond”, Harry Butler Institute Seminar, Murdoch University, Host: Prof Trish Flemming, 26 August 2022

Jun 2022 “Best to fit in! How a drive towards uniformity favours a disordered state in a simple liquid”, Sydney University Chemistry Department, Seminar, Host: Prof Stephen Hyde and Prof Peter Harrowell, 3 June 2022

Jun 2019 “What makes for a ‘good’ disorder: physics of random spatial structures”, Kolloquium at the Otto-von-Guericke-Universität Magdeburg, Host: Ralf Stannarius, 18 Jun 2019

Mar 2019 “A new type of universal hidden order in amorphous cellular geometries”, Niels Bohr Institute, NBI/XNS Seminar, Host: Kell Mortensen, 1 Mar 2019

Feb 2019 “Nature’s Functional Nanomaterials: Growth or Self-Assembly?”, MRS Webinar “Bio-inspired “Far From Equilibrium” Materials“, hosted by Germano Iannacchione, 20 Feb 2019

Feb 2019 “Butterfly nanostructures a glimpse of intracellular membrane development – and why the class of bicontinuous minimal surface matters to Biology”, Lund Physical Chemistry Lecture series, Host: Prof Peter Jönsson, 4 Feb 2019

Nov 2018 “What makes for a ‘good’ disorder: physics of random spatial structures”, Kolloquium Friedrich-Alexander Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany, Host: Prof Norbert Lindlein and Prof Klaus Mecke, 7 Nov 2018

Nov 2017 “Versteckte Ordnung in ungeordneten Strukturen: Hyperuniformität in physikalischen Systemen”, Kolloquium University Chemnitz, Germany, Host: Prof Robert Magerle, 8 Nov 2017

Jun 2017 “Mixtures Pears and Oranges: From inverse micelles to labyrinth-like bicontinuous phases”, Seminar, Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Germany, Host: Dr Christian Scholz and Prof Hartmut Löwen, 2 Jun 2017

Jun 2017 “Butterfly Gyroid Nanostructures and why bicontinuous phases matter to biology”, Seminar, Max-Planck Institute for Colloid and Interface Science in Potsdam, Germany, Host: Dr John Dunlop and Prof Peter Fratzl, 6 Jun 2017

Jan 2017 “Butterfly nanostructures a glimpse of intracellular membrane development?“, Biology Colloquium, National University Singapore, Department of Biological Sciences, Singapore, Host: Prof Antonia Monteiro, 27 Jan 2017

Jan 2017 “Inspired by nature: photonic materials based on the gyroid nanogeometry”, Seminar, University of Southhampton, UK, Host: Prof George Attard, 24 Jan 2017

Jan 2017 “How the ultrastructural organisation of solid butterfly structures reveals aspects of their dynamic formation process”, Seminar, Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule (ETHZ) Zürich, Laboratory of Food Science and Soft Matter, Switzerland, Host: Prof Raffaele Mezzenga, 20 Jan 2017

Jan 2017 “From Bicontinuous Minimal Surfaces in Nature to Tricontinuous Space Partitions in Chemistry”, Seminar, Kolloquium, Berliner Kolloquium für Visualisierung, Freie Universität Berlin, Host: Prof Konrad Polthier, 16 Jan 2017

Dec 2016 “Labyrinth-like nanostructures in plant cells and insects – speculations on formation mechanisms and function“, Seminar, Copenhagen Plant Science Center (CPSC), Host: Prof Poul Erik Jensen, 21 Dec 2016

Dec 2016 “Curvature and uniformity: geometric arguments for minimal surfaces in soft matter self-assembly“, Seminarium, Lund University, Sweden, Physical Chemistry, Host: Prof Tommy Nylander, 12 Dec 2016

Dec 2016 “Centroidal Voronoi Diagrams”, Seminar, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Mathematics Department, Institute for Stochastics, Host: Prof Günter Last, 6 Dec 2016

Dec 2016 “Chirality of the Gyroid Nanostructure in butterflies“, School Seminar, University of Massachussetts at Amherst, Polymer Science and Engineering, Host: Prof Greg Grason, 2 Dec 2016

Nov 2016 “Butterfly nanostructures a glimpse of intracellular membrane development?”, Berkeley University, Department of Integrative Biology, Host: Prof Nipam Patel, 29 Nov 2016

Oct 2016 “Elastic Stiffness of Solid Porous Solids: ideas for meta-material designs and bone scaffolds”, Seminar, University of Western Australia, School of Mechanical and Chemical Engineering, Host: Prof Karol Miller, 26 Oct 2016

Aug 2016 “The Tricontinuous 3ths(5) Phase: A New Morphology in Copolymer Melts“, Seminar, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Host: A/Prof Lu Han and Prof Shunai Che, 31 Aug 2016

Jul 2016 “Photonic materials based on the gyroid nanogeometry”, Seminar, Zuse Institute Berlin (ZIB), Host: Dr Myfanwy Evans, 13 July 2016

Jun 2016 “Inspired by Nature: Photonic materials based on butterfly nanostructures”, Presentation to a general meeting of the West Australian Branch of the Australian Institute of Physics, 15 July 2016

Apr 2016 “Chitin nanostructures in green butterflies: Can a planar fluid cell help decipher the structure formation process?”, Presentation to a meeting of the West Australian Branch of the Australian New Zealand Industrial and Applied Maths Association (ANZIAM), 5 Apr 2016

Mar 2016 “Labyrinth-like nanostructures in some green butterflies”, Seminar, University of Western Australia, Center for Integrative Bee Research (CIBER), Host: Prof Boris Baer, 10 Mar 2016

Mar 2015 “Biophotonics with a twist: the chiral gyroid in butterfly wing-scales”, colloquium talk, Adolphe Merkle Institut, Fribourg, Switzerland, Host: Dr Bodo Wilts and Prof Ullrich Steiner, 10 Mar 2015

Jun 2014, “Biophotonics with a twist: the chiral Gyroid photonic crystal in butterfly wing-scales“, School seminar, Research School of Physical Sciences and Engineering, The Australian National University, Host: Prof Hoe Tan, 26 June 2014

May 2014, “Biophotonics with a twist: the chiral photonic crystals in butterfly wing-scales“, Colloquium, University of Exeter, School of Physics, Host: Prof Peter Vukusic, 30 May 2014

Contributed or co-authored talks or posters

(This list is very incomplete. It contains talks that I have given and talks or posters presented by colleagues where I have been listed as an author.)

Jul 2022 “Imaging of Biological Bicontinuous Membranes – A New Tool to Learn from Nature’s Versatile Membrane Forms”, SM^2 (Soft Matter Statistical Mechanics) workshop, Monash University (I participated online), 14-15 July 2022

May 2017 “Functional photonic nanostructures in insects : Biomimetic strategies for translation to photonic devices.”, 5th International Conference on Biophotonics, 30 April – 1 May 2017 – Fremantle, Western Australia

Mar 2017 “Hierarchical organization of butterfly gyroid nanostructures provide a time-frozen glimpse of intracellular membrane development“, American Physical Society March Meeting, New Orleans, 13-17 March 2017

Mar 2017 “Pattern-fluid interpretation of chemical turbulence“, American Physical Society March Meeting, New Orleans, 13-17 March 2017

Mar 2017 “The Bicontinuous Gyroid-Phase in Purely Entropic Self-Assembly of Hard Pears“, German Physical Society (DPG) Spring Meeting, Dresden 19-24 March 2017

Mar 2017 “Hyperuniformisation by Lloyd’s algorithm for Centroidal Voronoi diagrams“, German Physical Society (DPG) Spring Meeting, Dresden 19-24 March 2017 (poster presentation by Jacov Lovric)

Mar 2017 “Pattern fluid interpretation of chemical turbulence”, German Physical Society (DPG) Spring Meeting, Dresden 19-24 March 2017

Nov 2017 “Materials Geometry for Tissue Engineering”, short talk as part of Computational Modelling in Health and Disease Symposium, organised by Barry Doyle, Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research, Perth, 21 Nov 2017

Nov 2016 “Beyond percolation universality: Vertex-splitting of tetra-valent networks”, Contributed talk, Melbourne SM^2 “Statistical Mechanics of Soft Matter” conference, 28 Nov 2016

Dec 2016 “Hyperuniformisation by Lloyd’s algorithm for centroidal Voronoi diagrams”, AG Stochastik, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, 6 Dec 2016

Facebook Tweet Pin