Organized by Yingjie Zhang (Asst. Prof., MatSE, MRL & Beckman) and Kathy Walsh (Senior Research Scientist, MRL), the 2nd MRL atomic force microscopy (AFM) bootcamp & symposium will take place from Jan. 13–16, 2026! Campers will both learn the fundamental AFM theory and measurement algorithms and gain hands-on experience on AFM imaging, trouble shooting, and data analysis. In addition, attendees will discuss state-of-the-art force microscopy research through invited talks and poster presentations. All the trainings are free of charge to all the accepted attendees.
To ensure all the campers receive extensive hands-on training, the total size will be limited to no more than 12. To apply, please send a one-page proposal (pdf format) to Yitong Li (yitong5@illinois.edu) by 11:59 pm, Dec. 17, 2025. All graduate students, postdocs, and highly motivated undergraduate researchers working on AFM-related research at UIUC and nearby institutes are encouraged to apply. Prior experience on AFM is not required. However, it is preferred that your research project significantly benefits from AFM imaging. We will rarely select more than one attendee from one research group. So please make sure to obtain approval from your research advisor before you apply.
Preference will be given to students in research groups where no student attended the first AFM bootcamp in Jan. 2025.
In the 1-page proposal, please specify:
- Your name, email, research group (PI’s name), institution, and department.
- A description of your research project and how your research may benefit from a strong AFM knowledge.
- Specify your previous exposure to AFM (e.g., practically no background, attended a couple of lectures or have watched someone else run the instrument, some hands-on experience, pretty experienced but want to improve my skills/understanding)
- Besides the general surface topography imaging in air, what special AFM imaging mode(s) you wish to learn. Choices include: liquid-phase AFM, electrical property measurements, and mechanical properties measurements.
- In the last paragraph of the proposal, please provide an abstract for poster presentation. A poster presentation session will be scheduled at the end of the bootcamp. You may present your existing research project and/or a proposed future project where AFM imaging plays a key role.
Proposals without all of the above 5 items will not be considered.