iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Laboratory of Soft and Living Materials @SoftLiv_Cornell @softliv.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

Our lab alumna Carla has started as an Assistant Professor at ISTA! Her Soft and Biofabricated Materials Lab will study self-assembly and phase separation to develop robust fabrication strategies. Heartfelt congratulations, Carla @carlaferi.bsky.social! sites.coecis.cornell.edu/softliv/welc...

sites.coecis.cornell.edu

Carla embarks on a new journey at ISTA – Laboratory of Soft and Living Materials

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Laboratory of Soft and Living Materials @SoftLiv_Cornell @softliv.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

Our new paper is out! We asked how small molecules influence biomolecular condensation. Our findings help identify molecules and rxns that regulate physiology and inform therapeutic development. Susceptibility and regulation of biomolecular condensates by solutes | PNAS www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

pnas.org

PNAS

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), a peer reviewed journal of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) - an authoritative source of high-impact, original research that broadly spans...

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Laboratory of Soft and Living Materials @SoftLiv_Cornell @softliv.bsky.social · 23/06/2026

We are delighted to welcome Dr. Marco De Corato @madecorato.bsky.social, who joins us as a Fulbright Visiting Researcher for Summer 2026! We look forward to many discussions and collaborations. Welcome, Marco!

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Laboratory of Soft and Living Materials @SoftLiv_Cornell @softliv.bsky.social · 01/06/2026

New preprint! 🧪 What happens when phase separation couples to a nematic transition? 🫧 By combining experiment and theory 🔬, we find some pretty wild ternary phase diagrams! 🌈 Congrats on this milestone, Sully! Check it out here. arxiv.org/abs/2605.26338

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Laboratory of Soft and Living Materials @SoftLiv_Cornell @softliv.bsky.social · 28/02/2026

We examine various material properties of condensates and show they can be interpreted using critical phenomena theory, specifically the water–vapor transition. This universality enables predictions of condensate material properties and new experimental approaches for assessing cellular physiology.

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Laboratory of Soft and Living Materials @SoftLiv_Cornell @softliv.bsky.social · 28/02/2026

Our second Cornell-era preprint is also out! Kaarthik's paper discusses the gap between cellular and in vitro condensates. In cells, condensates are low-contrast (small partition coefficients), enabling a wide range of responses. Congrats, Kaarthik and the team! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

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Laboratory of Soft and Living Materials @SoftLiv_Cornell @softliv.bsky.social · 28/02/2026

The manuscript discusses that the dilute-phase response contains rich information about what holds condensates together, and how to use it to modulate their phase behavior. We also provide the theory regarding this response, with details in the SI. Great work, @takumimatz.bsky.social!

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Laboratory of Soft and Living Materials @SoftLiv_Cornell @softliv.bsky.social · 28/02/2026

Happy to share our first preprints from work originating at Cornell! Takumi's paper describes how small molecules shift phase equilibria of condensates by focusing on the dilute-phase response. It shows how metabolites may tune stability and material properties. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

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Laboratory of Soft and Living Materials @SoftLiv_Cornell @softliv.bsky.social · 28/02/2026

Alexandre’s manuscript, “Polymerization from Lipid Membranes,” is now published in Biomacromolecules! Congratulations to Alexandre and the team! The paper describes how to grow polymer brushes directly from one side of lipid bilayers by incorporating an ATRP initiator pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10....

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Laboratory of Soft and Living Materials @SoftLiv_Cornell @softliv.bsky.social · 05/01/2026

Don't forget to check out his lab website!😎 xlift.org Lab News: "Softliv Alum(!) Nan Launches the LIFT Lab at NTU" sites.coecis.cornell.edu/softliv/news...

xlift.org

LIFT - Laboratory of Interfaces, Fracture, and Transport

Assistant Professor

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Laboratory of Soft and Living Materials @SoftLiv_Cornell @softliv.bsky.social · 05/01/2026

Happy to announce that Dr. Nan Xue, our lab alumnus, has just launched a new lab at NTU, Singapore! Congrats on this new chapter of your career, Nan! His lab will explore the exciting intersection of soft matter and living systems, and is actively recruiting two PhD students! xlift.org/openings/

xlift.org

Openings | LIFT - Laboratory of Interfaces, Fracture, and Transport

The Laboratory of Interfaces, Fracture, and Transport (LIFT) is a new research group started in January 2026 at the School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (MAE) at Nanyang Technological Univer...

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Laboratory of Soft and Living Materials @SoftLiv_Cornell @softliv.bsky.social · 26/11/2025

Apply here: 🔗 dwi.jobs.personio.de/job/2420123?... 🔗 dwi.jobs.personio.de/job/2420134?... (Some student out there is about to get an incredible mentor.)

lnkd.in

This link will take you to a page that’s not on LinkedIn

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Laboratory of Soft and Living Materials @SoftLiv_Cornell @softliv.bsky.social · 25/08/2025

Huge thanks to the amazing organizers and participants who made the meeting so inspiring! See you all in two years!

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Laboratory of Soft and Living Materials @SoftLiv_Cornell @softliv.bsky.social · 25/08/2025

Two weeks ago the Softliv crew was at the 2025 Soft Condensed Matter GRC! 🍃 We shared our ongoing research, learned a ton from the community, and enjoyed many energizing discussions. A highlight was reconnecting with our amazing lab alumni — nothing beats mixing science with good company! 💡👥

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Laboratory of Soft and Living Materials @SoftLiv_Cornell @softliv.bsky.social · 22/08/2025

🚨 New preprint! Could living cells use phase transitions to process information? We explore computational aspects of biomolecular condensation — from classification to control — while posing questions on expressivity (problems they solve) and learning (how they adapt). 📄 arxiv.org/abs/2507.23384

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Laboratory of Soft and Living Materials @SoftLiv_Cornell @softliv.bsky.social · 11/07/2025

New ChemRxiv preprint! Check out this preprint to learn how to grow thick, dense polymer brushes directly from lipid membranes. The study offers new tools for glycocalyx mimicking and biomedical applications. Congrats to Alex and the rest of co-authors! chemrxiv.org/engage/chemr...

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Laboratory of Soft and Living Materials @SoftLiv_Cornell @softliv.bsky.social · 26/06/2025

New preprint on the thermodynamics of phase separation! arxiv.org/pdf/2506.08958 Congratulations to @carlaferi.bsky.social and all co-authors!

arxiv.org

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Laboratory of Soft and Living Materials @SoftLiv_Cornell @softliv.bsky.social · 11/04/2025

Harsha and Kaarthik led a vibrant workshop for 7th–10th graders as part of Expanding Your Horizons, exploring the science of color through pigments, scattering, and structures! 🌈🔬 Read more here: sites.coecis.cornell.edu/softliv/news... #STEM #ScienceEducation #ExpandingYourHorizons

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Laboratory of Soft and Living Materials @SoftLiv_Cornell @softliv.bsky.social · 07/04/2025

Attending #MRS2025? Senthil presents Polymerization-Induced Elastic Microphase Separation—enabling tunable bicontinuous structures via controlled phase separation. 🔬Phase Separation via Controlled Chain-Growth to Tailor Bicontinuous Monoliths 📅Apr 7, 2025 | 🕑 2:00–2:15 PM 📍Summit, Level 3, Room 324

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Laboratory of Soft and Living Materials @SoftLiv_Cornell @softliv.bsky.social · 14/03/2025

🔹Kaarthik: Biomolecular condensates near the critical point 🗓️Mon, Mar 17 |⏰8:36 am–8:48 am 📌Anaheim Hilton, Pacific A, Session MAR-A58 🔹Eric: Phase-Separated Droplets Swim to Their Dissolution 🗓️Thu, Mar 20 |⏰11:30 am–12:06 pm 📌Anaheim Hilton, Pacific D, Session MAR-S61

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Laboratory of Soft and Living Materials @SoftLiv_Cornell @softliv.bsky.social · 14/03/2025

Attending #APSSummit25? Check out our lab's latest work on biomolecular condensates, presented by Kaarthik and Eric—covering critical phenomena, swimming droplets, and more! Come say hi 👋 📍Details below👇 #APSMarch #biophysics #condensates #activeDroplets @apsphysics.bsky.social

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Laboratory of Soft and Living Materials @SoftLiv_Cornell @softliv.bsky.social · 13/02/2025

📌 Poster Session – What is the Structure of a Biomolecular Condensate? 👩‍🔬 Presenter: Charlotta Lorenz 🗓 Date: Tuesday, February 18, 2025 📍 Location: West Exhibit Hall 📌 Session: Condensates: Physical Properties and Modeling III 🔍 Board Number: B180

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Laboratory of Soft and Living Materials @SoftLiv_Cornell @softliv.bsky.social · 13/02/2025

📌 Talk – What is the Structure of a Biomolecular Condensate? 👩‍🔬 Presenter: Charlotta Lorenz 🗓 Date: Tuesday, February 18, 2025 ⏰ Time: 9:45 AM 📍 Location: Room 502A 📌 Session: Condensates: From Properties to Physiology and Disease III

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Laboratory of Soft and Living Materials @SoftLiv_Cornell @softliv.bsky.social · 13/02/2025

📌 Poster Session – Client Competition Modulates Partitioning in Biomolecular Condensates 👩‍🔬 Presenter: Tegan Bate 🗓 Date: Monday, February 17, 2025 ⏰ Time: 1:45 PM – 3:45 PM 📍 Location: West Exhibit Hall 📌 Session: Condensates: Physical Properties and Modeling II

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Laboratory of Soft and Living Materials @SoftLiv_Cornell @softliv.bsky.social · 13/02/2025

🔬 BPS 2025 is Around the Corner! Teagan and Lotta will each be presenting their work on client partitioning in biomolecular condensates and their supramolecular structures! Join us for exciting discussions on the physical properties and organization of biomolecular condensates.

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Laboratory of Soft and Living Materials @SoftLiv_Cornell @softliv.bsky.social · 13/02/2025

New publication announcement! 📢 🔍 Not all biomolecular condensates are simple droplets. 🔍 Bik1, a key microtubule plus-end tracking protein in budding yeast, forms condensates that aren’t uniform liquids but fluid fractal networks. 🔗 nature.com/articles/s41... Congrats to all co-authors!🎉

nature.com

Phase separation of a microtubule plus-end tracking protein into a fluid fractal network - Nature Communications

Here, the authors characterize the structural organization and condensate behavior of the microtubule plus-end tracking protein Bik1, employing SAXS, computational modeling, microscopy, and crosslinki...

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Laboratory of Soft and Living Materials @SoftLiv_Cornell @softliv.bsky.social · 13/02/2025

It is lovely to kick off our journey on Bluesky. We are looking forward to sharing our science on this platform and are excited to engage with scientists around the world! 🌎

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