Mathematical models with variational structures have attracted significant interest in the past few decades. Among other applications, these models successfully capture important structural properties of physical and biological systems.

The main focus of the workshop will be to discuss new trends and techniques in the variational analysis of a wide range of mathematical problems. These problems will include:

·         Modeling of phase transitions and structural defects in superconducting materials, micromagnets, and liquid crystals.

·         Models of self-assembly and collective behavior of many-particle interactions, such as biological swarms, granular media.

·         Geometric variational problems related to shape optimization with connections to materials science.

·         Nonlinear PDEs and gradient flows such as curvature evolutions and interface dynamics.

Singular perturbation theory and Gamma-convergence techniques form a common thread connecting these topics. The talks by experts working on different aspects of variational models will address these connections and reflect on the recent achievements emphasizing cross-disciplinary interactions between fields. The workshop will also involve Ph.D. students, postdoctoral researchers, and early-career faculty as speakers and poster presenters.The workshop will also honor Peter Sternberg’s contributions to the calculus of variations on the occasion of his 60th birthday.