Advanced Elastomers Forum 2027
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.
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 |
Synthos Group |
| Fracture mechanics of soft materials: large deformation, dissipation and toughness | 11am – 11.30am |
University of Colorado Boulder, USA Soft-material mechanics, fracture and fatigue. |
| Advanced tyre elastomers: performance, durability and sustainability |
11.30am – 12pm |
Bridgestone |
| Lunch |
12pm – 1.50pm |
- |
| Crosslinking and bond exchange in thermosets and vitrimers: simulating dynamic polymer networks with PolySMart |
2pm – 2.30pm |
Chemical Engineering at University of Bath, UK |
| Industrial challenges and innovation opportunities in high-performance sealing elastomers |
2.30pm – 3pm |
Andrew Douglous James Walker |
| Coffee & Networking |
3pm – 4pm |
- |
| Dinner (Invited Speakers) |
7pm onwards |
- |
| Day 2: Tuesday 2 February 2027 |
||
|---|---|---|
| Title |
Timing | Speaker |
| Constitutive modelling of rubbery networks: from microscale physics to macroscopic behaviour |
10am – 10.30am |
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 |
University of Wisconsin–Madison, USA AI-driven design and multiscale modelling of polymers. |
| Network Topology and Blend Properties of Polybutadiene Vitrimers |
11am – 11.30am |
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 |
Coesfeld GmbH & Co. KG |
| Coming soon... |
2.30pm –3pm |
Dr. Enrico Koggel Circular Rubber Platform |
Secure your ticket
Registration information and abstract submission instructions will be announced soon.
A small allocation is available to early career researchers on a first-come, first-served basis.
This form is closed and is no longer accepting any submissions. Thank you for your time.