About:
Mechanobiology is an interdisciplinary field that emerges at the cross-section of biology, physics and engineering. It aims to understand how living cells, tissues and animals sense and respond to mechanical force. In recent decades, we have gained significant insights into how the cytoskeleton and plasma membrane drive cellular functions, cell movements, and tissue shaping during development. Despite the recognized importance of mechanical forces on multiple scales, our understanding of cellular mechanics and force sensing has largely ignored the cell’s interior and their organelles. However, evidence accumulates that the nucleus, mitochondria, and membraneless organelles are mechanosensitive, yet their force responses within intact cells, material properties, and physiological roles in mechanosensitive functions remain largely unexplored. With this Workshop, we aim to unite mechanobiologists and phase separation experts to exchange emerging ideas, share techniques, and foster collaborations, thereby advancing our understanding of intracellular mechanics and organelle mechanobiology in health and disease.
EMBO Courses and Workshops:
EMBO Courses and Workshops are selected for their excellent scientific quality and timelines, provision of good networking activities for all participants and speaker gender diversity.
Speakers:
Adel Al Jord, CRG Barcelona, ES
Priya Banerjee, University of Buffalo, US
Timo Betz, University of Goettingen, DE
Julia von Blume, Yale University, US
Cliff Brangwynne, Princeton University, US
Luciana Bruno, Universidad Buenos Aires, AR
Rumiana Dimova, Max Planck Institute for Colloids and Interfaces, DE
Sirio Dupont, Padua University, IT
Hesso Farhan, Medical Univeristy Innsbruck, AT
Jean-Leon Maitre, Institut Curie, FR
Jean-Baptiste Manneville, CNRS-Université de Paris Cité, FR
Suliana Manley, EPFL, CH
Kate Miroshnikova, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine, DE
Nicolas Minc, Institut Jacque Monod, FR
Manu Prakash, Stanford University, US
Padmini Rangamani, UCSD, US
Pere Roca Cusachs, IBEC, ES
Aurelien Roux, University of Geneva, CH
Raya Sorkin, Tel Aviv University, IL
Jeanne Stachowiak, UT Austin, US
Samantha Stehbens, University of Queensland, AU
Susanne Wegman, DZNE Berlin, Charite, DE
Wenting Zhao, Nanyang Technological University, SG
Registration:
Registration Deadline (in person): 15 December 2025
Registration Deadline (virtual): 1 February 2026
Abstract Submission Deadline: 14 November 2025
Chosen Participants Will Be Notified By: 1 December 2025
Payment Deadline (in person): 31 December 2025
Payment Deadline (virtual): 1 February 2026
Participation fees:
Students / PostDocs: 300€
Academic: 400€
Industry: 1.000€
The registration includes:
On-site registration fees include admission, conference materials, lunches and coffee breaks, and the Welcome Reception and the Gala Dinner. Participants are expected to book and pay their own accommodation and travel expenses.
Virtual registration fees include access to all of the talks (livestreamed and on demand) and facility to submit questions.
Childcare service will be covered during the duration of the event (please detail during the registration)
