Background and Objectives
This colloquium will gather leading European researchers and industry experts working on liquid film flows, with a particular focus on the long-wave dynamics and low-to-moderate Reynolds number regimes. Although thematic sessions within broader conferences regularly address related topics, the growing European liquid film community needs for a dedicated event to bring together and strengthen ties among experts in this field. This colloquium is designed to meet that need by providing a focused platform for meaningful exchange among mathematicians, physicists, engineers, and industrial practitioners.
Building on the legacy of EUROMECH Colloquium 497 (2009), Recent Developments and New Directions in Thin-Film Flow, this event seeks to drive innovation and promote new interdisciplinary collaborations across academia and industry. Falling liquid films, with their rich dynamical structure characterised by nonlinear and multiscale behaviour, remain are pivotal for both fundamental research and technological development. In industry, insight into surface wave dynamics directly impacts the efficiency of processes such as heat transfer, coating, and chemical transport. In academia, these flows offer an ideal model system for probing complex physical phenomena and advancing mathematical modelling. By bringing together theoretical advances and practical challenges, the colloquium aims to strengthen the bridge between scientific discovery and industrial application.
This goal will be accomplished with a three-day event balancing theoretical concepts and industrially relevant case studies with three main thematic sessions:
- Capillary Flow and Thermal Effects
- External Fields and Multiphysics Coupling
- Topological Modifications and Control Strategies
In these sessions, leading scientists will delve into the theoretical foundations of multiphysics models, reduced-order modelling, and cutting-edge experimental and computational techniques. Key research area, such as:
- Reduced order modelling
- Liquid film stability
- Marangoni flows
- Surfactants
- Thermal Effects
- Feedback control
- Topological modifications
and also emerging topics like:
- Effect of external electric and magnetic fields
- Impact of phase change on the film dynamics
In addition to academic talks, industry experts will present real-world challenges, particularly in the electronics and energy sectors, to foster discussion on how advanced modelling and control approaches can be used to enhance system performance.
The event will conclude with a roundtable discussion that will lay the foundation for future collaboration. This closing session will highlight open questions and propose next steps, such as organising workshops or larger conferences focused on specific problems in liquid film dynamics. Thanks to this colloquium, academic participants will gain a broader understanding of the European research landscape in thin-film flows, strengthened by new connections with industry. Moreover, the event will also highlight the importance of mathematical and computational research in addressing complex problems. In particular, it will be an opportunity for academics to engage with real-world engineering issues and foster collaborative efforts to address emerging, industry-driven challenges.