USCMC 2026 - Homepage
Urbana-Style Condensed Matter, Condensed (USCMC)
August 28, 2026
A mini-symposium featuring 3-min lightning talks and posters
What?
USCMC is an annual half-day research mini-symposium at the start of the academic year bringing together condensed matter graduate students and postdoctoral researchers from across the department. Participants will give brief lightning talks (up to 3 minutes each) introducing their current work, followed by poster sessions that allow for more detailed scientific discussion.
This symposium presents the work of approximately 30 to 40 presenters each year, with broad representation across research groups and a reasonable balance between theory and experiment.
This symposium presents the work of approximately 30 to 40 presenters each year, with broad representation across research groups and a reasonable balance between theory and experiment.
Why?
The primary goal is to strengthen the collaborative, cross-group culture traditionally associated with “Urbana-Style” physics. Additional goals:
- Learn what materials, physical systems, experimental techniques, and theoretical methods are currently being studied across the department.
- Introduce graduate students and postdocs to potential collaborators outside their immediate research groups.
- Identify complementary expertise, measurements, calculations, samples, and instrumentation.
- Generate ideas for collaborative projects, joint proposals, and larger grant opportunities.
- Give junior researchers experience presenting their work to a broad condensed matter audience.
Talk and poster guidelines emphasize not only what each presenter is working on, but also what input could move the project forward. Experimentalists are asked to identify theoretical questions, complementary experiments, measurements, materials, or techniques that would be helpful. Theorists are to identify experiments, data, material platforms, or additional theoretical expertise that could test or strengthen their work.
When and Where?
USCMC is held annually on the first Friday of the academic year (August 28th this year (2026)) from noon to 5 pm.
Talks will be held in ESB 190. Poster session will be in Supercon Hallway, Supercon 2008, and ICMT 2nd floor if needed.
Organizing Committee
Prof. Lu Chen (lchen721@illinois.edu)
Prof. Fahad Mahmood (fahad@illinois.edu)
Prof. Pengjie Wang (pengjiew@illinois.edu)
Interested in presenting in this event?
(Deadline: July 31st)