UIDP Webinar: Inside the NSF COMPASS Center | New Frontiers in Complex Materials
This webinar featured Nicholas A. Kotov, director of the NSF Center for Complex Particle Systems (COMPASS) at the University of Michigan, who provided an introduction to the center’s work developing complex materials with properties that can be controlled and combined in new ways. Center researchers examine how particles connect, assemble, and behave as a system, and then apply those insights to materials that could more effectively carry stress, charge, heat, or mass.
Participants learned about COMPASS research, the problems it was designed to address, and areas where its work may be relevant to industry and other organizations. The webinar concluded with an opportunity for questions and discussion with the speaker.
Agenda highlights included:
Inside COMPASS: Exploring the center’s interdisciplinary approach to complex materials research.
Predicting Material Behavior: Learning how researchers were working to anticipate rare “black swan” failures.
Opportunities to Engage: Discovering where COMPASS research may align with your organization’s priorities and ways to get involved.
Originally aired,
Thursday, October 29, 2026
Speakers
Matthew Hauwiller (Moderator), Seagate Technology
Nicholas Kotov, University of Michigan
