Advanced Elastomers Forum 2027

Date: Monday 1 and Tuesday 2 February 2027

Venues: 1 February at Space 2, Radcliffe, Warwick Conferences, University of Warwick, CV4 7SH

2 February at Advanced Propulsion Centre, IIPSI Building, University of Warwick, CV4 7AL

Be part of the UK forum dedicated to connecting fundamental elastomer science with emerging technologies and industrial innovation.

Elastomer materials are critical to products and systems across automotive, energy, healthcare, manufacturing, infrastructure, and emerging sectors such as soft robotics. As performance expectations and sustainability requirements continue to grow, companies face increasing pressure to develop materials that are not only flexible and resilient, but also more durable, energy-efficient, recyclable, and compliant with changing regulations.

This forum brings together academic experts and industrial leaders to explore the latest advances in materials design, digital modelling, AI-driven development, manufacturing technologies, and real-world product validation. It offers a unique opportunity to identify new technologies, build cross-sector collaborations, and accelerate the development of next-generation sustainable elastomer solutions.

2027 theme

Advanced Elastomers: From Fundamental Science to Industrial Innovation

Focusing on fundamental rubber science, fatigue and failure, multiscale modelling, sustainability and industrial translation to advance the next generation of elastomers.

Tour our unique facilities

A guided laboratory tour will be organised as part of the conference programme. The tour will showcase our state-of-the-art facilities for elastomer formulation, processing, rheology, fatigue testing, fracture characterisation, thermal analysis and advanced materials manufacturing.

The lab tour will provide an opportunity for academic and industrial participants to explore future collaborations, discuss testing needs, and identify routes for translating fundamental elastomer science into practical technologies.

Chaoying Wan - Chair at Advanced Elastomers Forum

Meet the chair

Prof. Chaoying Wan specialises in the reactive processing, functionalisation, and advanced characterisation of multiphase polymer nanocomposites, with particular emphasis on exploiting microstructure–dynamics relationships in solid polymer networks, especially elastomer composites. This research supports the development of high-performance, energy-efficient, and sustainable materials for applications including tyres, seals, and soft robotics.

Agenda

Day 1: Monday 1 February 2027
Title	Timing	Invited speakers
Register and coffee	9am – 10am	-
Opening	10am – 10.30am	Prof. Chaoying Wan
Sustainable synthetic rubber and industrial elastomer innovation	10.30am – 11am	Dr. Martin Sahn Synthos Group
Fracture mechanics of soft materials: large deformation, dissipation and toughness	11am – 11.30am	Associate Prof. Rong Long University of Colorado Boulder, USA Soft-material mechanics, fracture and fatigue.
Advanced tyre elastomers: performance, durability and sustainability	11.30am – 12pm	Dr. Yasuhiro Shoda Bridgestone
Lunch	12pm – 1.50pm	-
Why Cutting Strength is an Indicator of Fatigue Threshold	2pm – 2.30pm	Dr. William Mars Founder and President, Endurica LLC
Crosslinking and bond exchange in thermosets and vitrimers: simulating dynamic polymer networks with PolySMart	2.30pm – 3pm	Dr. Hessam Makki Chemical Engineering at University of Bath, UK
Industrial challenges and innovation opportunities in high-performance sealing elastomers	3pm – 3.30pm	Andrew Douglous James Walker
Coffee & Networking	3.30pm – 4.30pm	-

Day 2: Tuesday 2 February 2027
Title	Timing	Speaker
Constitutive modelling of rubbery networks: from microscale physics to macroscopic behaviour	10am – 10.30am	Prof. Laurence Brassart University of Oxford, UK Elastomer network mechanics and modelling.
Machine Learning-accelerated Molecular Design of Innovative Polymers: Shifting from Thomas Edison to Iron Man	10.30am – 11am	Associate Prof. Ying Li University of Wisconsin–Madison, USA AI-driven design and multiscale modelling of polymers.
Network Topology and Blend Properties of Polybutadiene Vitrimers	11am – 11.30am	Dr. Ralm Ricarte Florida A&M University – Florida State University, USA
Coffee, Lunch	11.30am – 1.50pm	-
Crack growth mechanism in rubber and advanced testing methodologies	2pm – 2.30pm	Prof. Radek Stocek Coesfeld GmbH & Co. KG
Coming soon...	2.30pm –3pm	Enrico Koggel Circular Rubber Platform
International Institute for Nanocomposites Manufacturing (IINM) tour	3pm-4.30pm	Guided by the WMG, Nanocomposites Research Group

Secure your ticket

Registration is free, with a limited number of places available. Please register below to confirm your attendance.

A small allocation is available to early career researchers on a first-come, first-served basis.

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Advanced Elastomers Forum 2027