A decade of PCFM.
The 10th International Conference on
Physical Chemistry & Functional Materials
29 June — 1 July 2027 · Ohrid, North Macedonia
Where molecular understanding meets material function
PCFM brings together two communities that rarely share a room: researchers who study molecules — reaction dynamics, spectroscopy, electronic structure and simulation — and those who design, model and characterise functional materials. The common question is how understanding at the molecular level becomes function in a material. Three days of invited lectures, contributed talks and posters on the shore of Lake Ohrid.
Confirmed invited speakers
Invited speakers so far come from Croatia, France, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Spain, Türkiye, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Agnieszka Krzemińska
Alexandre Zanchet
Alston J. Misquitta
Anna I. Krylov
Cecilia Coletti
Dariusz Kędziera
Fabrizio Esposito
Gábor Czakó
Luis Bañares
M. Oluş Özbek
Majdi Hochlaf
Małgorzata Biczysko
Manuel Lara
Marko T. Cvitaš
Marta Łabuda
Massimiliano Bartolomei
Nora de Leeuw
Pascal Larrégaray
Patryk Jasik
Piotr S. Żuchowski
Steven D. Schwartz
Tomás González-Lezana
Scientific themes
The scientific programme of PCFM 2027 is organized around five interconnected themes spanning contemporary physical chemistry and functional materials research.
-
Molecular & Physical Chemistry
- Spectroscopy
- Molecular dynamics
- Chemical kinetics
- Thermodynamics
- Interfacial phenomena
-
Theory, Simulation & Data-Driven Science
- Electronic structure
- Molecular simulation
- Multiscale modelling
- Machine learning
- Materials informatics
- AI-assisted discovery
-
Functional & Emerging Materials
- Nanomaterials
- 2D and low-dimensional materials
- Polymers and composites
- Thin films
- Optical and electronic materials
-
Surfaces, Catalysis & Electrochemistry
- Surface science
- Heterogeneous and molecular catalysis
- Electrocatalysis
- Photocatalysis
- Electrochemistry
- Sensors
-
Energy, Bio & Sustainable Materials
- Energy conversion and storage
- Battery materials
- Biomaterials
- Biophysical chemistry
- Sustainable and bio-inspired materials
Related contributions at the interface of physical chemistry and functional materials are also welcome.
Programme outline
Provisional. Times will change as the programme takes shape.
Opening
Full sessions
Closing
Indicative timeline
Provisional — all dates to be confirmed.
Venue & travel
Ohrid — a UNESCO World Heritage lake city.
Getting there
Ohrid has its own airport (OHD), nine kilometres from the lakefront. It is served directly from Istanbul, with seasonal connections to several European cities. Istanbul–Ohrid is under two hours.
Skopje and Tirana are the usual alternatives, each about three hours away by road, with a wider year-round choice of flights. Scheduled coaches and private transfers operate on both routes.
Main connections. Ohrid has direct summer flights from Istanbul, Vienna, Zurich and Belgrade, and low-cost routes to Basel, Milan, Memmingen, Dortmund, Bratislava and several Polish cities. Skopje is served from Istanbul, Vienna, Zurich, Athens and Warsaw, with a wide low-cost network across Western Europe, including London, Paris, Rome, Barcelona and Berlin. Tirana has the widest choice of full-service connections: Frankfurt, Munich, Vienna, Zurich, Istanbul, London Heathrow, Paris and Athens. Travellers from outside Europe will find Istanbul, Vienna and Zurich the most convenient hubs, with onward flights to all three airports.
Airlines and schedules for summer 2027 will be confirmed with the final programme.
A venue on the lake
Announced late October 2026PCFM 2027 will be held at a hotel on the shore of Lake Ohrid. The venue is announced together with the call for abstracts.
Ohrid itself needs little introduction: one of Europe's oldest lakes, a walled old town that has kept its churches and manuscripts for a thousand years, and a waterfront made for the conversations that happen between sessions. Sessions by day, the old town and the lake by evening — the kind of setting that turns a conference into a place people ask to return to.
- Visa-free for holders of ordinary Turkish passports, and for much of the region
- UNESCO mixed World Heritage — culture and nature
Registration
Registration is not yet open. Fees are announced together with the call for abstracts in the last week of October 2026 and registration opens on 15 January 2027.
Leave your e-mail and we will let you know on the day the call for abstracts opens and on the day registration opens — nothing else, and no list is shared with anyone.
| Rate | Registration window |
|---|---|
| Super early bird first 40 registrations | 15 January – 15 February 2027 |
| Early bird | until 31 March 2027 |
| Full price | from 1 April 2027 |
The super early-bird window closes on 15 February 2027 or when the first forty places are taken, whichever comes first. All three fees are published in the last week of October 2026, together with the call for abstracts, along with the cancellation and refund policy.
What registration is expected to include
- All scientific sessions
- Conference kit & abstract book
- Coffee breaks & lunches
- Gala dinner
- Certificate of participation
One of Europe’s oldest lakes, a town that has kept its manuscripts for a thousand years — and, for three days, a conference on physical chemistry.
Previous PCFMs
Nine conferences since 2018, 1,222 registered participants and 136 invited speakers from 32 countries. Every edition, its host institution and its full speaker list are on record.
The edition websites above are archived on the old server and open over plain http; some browsers will warn before showing them.
Conference committee
Conference chairs
Niyazi Bulut & Murat Kılıç
Scientific committee
Being formed
Members are invited from the reviewing pool of the previous nine editions. The committee is published together with the call for abstracts in the last week of October 2026, before registration opens.
Organising committee
Being formed
Members are listed here as the local organisation takes shape, alongside the scientific committee in the last week of October 2026.
Sponsors & exhibitors
Exhibition space, programme visibility and workshop slots for organisations working with the physical-chemistry and materials community.
Sponsorship and exhibition packages are being prepared and can be tailored — from exhibition space and programme visibility to a training or workshop slot. To receive the prospectus when it is published, write to pcfm2027@gmail.com.
Frequently asked questions
Is registration open?
Not yet. This page is a preliminary announcement. The call for abstracts opens in the last week of October 2026 and registration follows in January 2027. Leave your e-mail in the Registration section if you would like to hear from us when it does.
How many abstracts can I submit?
Up to two per participant — one talk and one poster. The abstract template and the submission system are published with the call for abstracts in the last week of October 2026.
How quickly will I hear back about my abstract?
Abstracts are reviewed on a rolling basis rather than all at once after the deadline, so you do not have to wait until the deadline. Decisions are normally issued within about 20 days of submission — early enough to arrange institutional approval and travel funding in good time.
Is the fee really the same for everyone?
That is the intention: no student, regional or category-based distinctions, with the only variable being how early you register.
What is expected to be included in the fee?
Access to all scientific sessions, the conference kit and abstract book, coffee breaks and lunches, the gala dinner, and a certificate of participation.
Do I need a visa?
North Macedonia is currently visa-free for holders of ordinary Turkish passports, as well as for EU/Schengen citizens and much of the surrounding region. Please check the requirements for your own nationality; the secretariat can provide invitation letters on request.
How do I get to Ohrid?
Ohrid has its own airport with connections to Istanbul and several European cities; Skopje and Tirana are alternative gateways with road transfers. Detailed travel guidance will be published with the final programme.
Will the conference be hybrid or online?
PCFM 2027 is currently planned as an in-person event. Any change will be posted here.
Join us in Ohrid for the tenth edition
The call for abstracts opens in the last week of October 2026. Leave your e-mail if you would like to hear when it does.
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