Course
Rheology: The do's and don'ts
Participants will learn how to identify typical material characteristics in rheological data (yield stress, shear thinning, fracture, etc.).
Background
Rheology is the study of flow and deformation of materials. Rheology is important in foods like mayonnaise and artificial meat, in processing but also for their sensory perception. It is also important for the design of products such as toothpaste gels, or concrete walls, or glue on a post-it note, or protein surfactants in an emulsion. Rheology is therefore a widely used tool relevant for both applied and fundamental research. The versatility of the subject makes that a broad understanding of the underlying concepts is essential to perform experiments and interpret data. This course aims to offer such a broad view.
Target group
The course is useful for persons who need to get involved in or improve on their rheology experiments. An ideal knowledge background consists of the WUR courses FPH-10306, MAT-14803/14903, FPE-20806, PCC-20806, PCC-12303 and/or the equivalent basics in linear algebra, multivariable calculus, differential equations, physics of polymers/fluids and states of matter. A knowledge of Matlab and/or Python is helpful to do some of the (optional) exercises in data analysis.
Course aim
After the course, we expect the participant to have obtained a broader knowledge of the basic considerations and concerns in rheological experimentation, data analysis and interpretation.
To this end, we will provide handles to develop an awareness of, and acquire the ability to identify common sources of error in experimental preparation, setup and execution. Also, participants should be able to identify the reliability interval in acquired experimental data, and extract material characteristics from such data.
Programme topics
- Essential concepts in rheology and materials science
- Selecting rheology methods
- Common sources of errors in experiments
- Introduction rheology theory: Maxwell model and variations
- Combining rheology with other methods
- Tribology
The course consists of lectures and tutorials. The final day of the course is organised as a mini-symposium in which course participants present their work.
A more detailed programme will be made available at a later stage
Organisation
Course coordinators
- Dr Joshua Dijksman, Soft matter group, van der Waals-Zeeman Institute and Institute of Physics, University of Amsterdam
- Dr Leonard Sagis, Physics and physical chemistry of foods, Wageningen University & Research
Other faculty
- To be announced
Organisational coordinator
- Dr Jochem Jonkman, VLAG Graduate School, Wageningen University & Research
General information
Date & duration
The course will be held on campus from 6-10 October 2025. On 10 October, the course will be finalised with a mini-symposium in which the course participants present their work. More information on the programme will follow soon.
Study load
The study load of this course is 1.5 ECTS credits for the entire course, including symposium and homework.
Language
The course language will be English.
Contact information
For more information please contact:
VLAG Graduate School
P.O. Box 17
6700 AA Wageningen
the Netherlands
Phone: +31 317 489 549
Email: jochem.jonkman@wur.nl
Location & accommodation
Lectures will be given at the campus of Wageningen University & Research. Wageningen is located 5 kms from the train station of Ede-Wageningen. This railway station can be reached by train from the airport Schiphol in about one hour. Accommodations in Wageningen should be arranged separately. Some options are listed below:
Hotels:
Other accomodation:
Registration
To register for this course use the button below
Early bird registration deadline on or before 30 June 2025. The final registration date for the course is 29 August 2025. Maximum number of participants is 50 on a first come first served basis.
Applicants will be informed of acceptance before 5 September.
The course fee depends on the participant's affiliation:
| Early bird | Regular | |
| WUR PhD candidates* | € 275 | € 325 |
| PhD candidate or Postdoc of the J.M. Burgerscentrum for Fluid Mechanics | € 275 | € 325 |
| All other PhD candidates | € 500 | € 550 |
| VLAG Postdocs and VLAG staff | € 500 | € 550 |
| All other academic participants and participants from non-profit organisations | € 725 | € 775 |
| Participants from for-profit organisations | € 1600 | € 1650 |
* WUR PhD candidates affiliated with VLAG, EPS, PE&RC, WASS, WIAS, WIMEK with an approved TSP.
Applicants will be informed of acceptance of their registration if possible within two weeks after their registration, but at latest a day after the final registration date. They will then receive instructions for payment, a notice of acceptance and further course details.
Cancellation policy
After acceptance of your registration, the VLAG Cancellation Conditions for course participants will apply.