Ugm updates blog

_posts/2025-07-15-ugm2025-updates.md

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+---
+layout: post
+title: UGM 2025 Announcements – Keynote Speakers, Workshop Hosts, and Registration Deadline Extension
+---
+
+We’re excited to share updates for the upcoming [2025 MDAnalysis User Group Meeting (UGM)](https://www.mdanalysis.org/pages/ugm2025/), taking place **November 9–11, 2025** at Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona (USA). This in-person event unites a global community of users, developers, and researchers to discuss advancements in molecular dynamics analysis and to foster collaborations across disciplines. This year's UGM will feature not only contributed talks from the community, but also insightful talks from our two keynote speakers, Drs. [Lillian Chong](#dr-lillian-chong) and [Matthias Heyden](#dr-matthias-heyden) and hands-on workshops/tutorials. To accommodate continued demand from the community, we are now accepting registrations on a rolling basis.
+
+## Meet the Keynote Speakers
+
+### Dr. Lillian Chong  
+
+<img src="/public/images/UGM 2025 Speaker - Chong.png" alt="Dr. Lillian Chong, Professor, University of Pittsburgh. Prof. Chong's research focuses on developing and applying advanced simulation methods to investigate rare but biologically important events, with an emphasis on capturing rigorous kinetics. Her group leads the development of the open-source WESTPA software, which implements weighted ensemble path sampling strategies for efficient simulation of rare events. She also works on the development of implicitly polarized force fields and rational design of protein conformational switches." style="float:left; " />
+
+Dr. Lillian Chong, Professor of Chemistry at the University of Pittsburgh, leads the [Chong Lab](https://chonglab-pitt.github.io), where her team develops cutting-edge tools at the interface of chemistry, physics, and biology to investicate biomolecular dynamics and function. Her research group pioneered using weighted ensemble (WE) simulation techniques to study rare events, such as laarg-scale conformational changes and protein-protein binding, and for creating implicitly polarized AMBER force fields. Her work garned the [2020 Gordon Bell Special Prize](https://chonglab-pitt.github.io/gordon_bell_prize/) for high-performance computing in COVID-19 research leveraging analyses that would otherwise take years but were achieved in weeks using WE and [WESTPA](https://westpa.github.io/westpa/), an open-source software for weighted ensemble path sampling.
+
+### Dr. Matthias Heyden
+
+<img src="/public/images/UGM 2025 Speaker - Heyden.png" alt="Dr. Matthias Heyden, Associate Professor, Arizona State University. Prof. Heyden's research group studies the dynamics and function of biomolecules with molecular simulations and Monte Carlo simulations. A special interest of his is anharmonic low-frequency vibrations, which are easily excitable by molecular collisions and can exhibit large deviations from harmonic approximations." style="float:left; " />
+
+The second keynote, [Dr. Matthias Heyden](https://www.compmolsci.com/) from Arizona State University's School of Molecular Sciences, brings expertise in modeling solvation dynamics and vibrational energy transport in crowded biomolecular environments. His research integrates realistic atomistic simulations to illuminate solute-solvent interactions and energy transfer. His group has contributed to the development of interactive molecular dynamics (IMD) workflows through tools like [IMDClient](https://imdclient.readthedocs.io/en/latest/), enabling real-time streaming and manipulation of molecular trajectories. These capabilities, also showcased in the [MDAnalysis IMD workshop materials](https://github.com/MDAnalysis/imd-workshop-2024), open new avenues for exploring simulations dynamically and interactively. This work enhances our understanding of biochemical processes in realistic settings, informing both simulation methodology and experimental interpretation.
+
+##  Contributed Workshops
+
+Alongside invited presentations, the 2025 UGM will feature **community-led workshops** that cover a range of tools and methods relevant to the MDAnalysis user base. Confirmed contributed workshops will include sessions from:
+
+- [MDAnalysis core development team]({{ site.baseurl }}/pages/governance/#mdanalysis-core-developers)
+- [OpenADMET](https://openadmet.org/)
+- [Open Force Field Initiative](https://openforcefield.org/)
+- [Open Free Energy](https://openfree.energy/)
+
+These workshops are a great opportunity to learn new skills and connect with fellow developers and researchers in the field.
+
+## Registration and Bursary Applications Now Rolling
+
+We encourage all users, from first-time analysts to veteran contributors, to join us this November in-person in Arizona or to follow along with the online recordings. There are limited travel bursaries available. **Registration is now accepted on a rolling basis**, until participation limits are met. If you’re interested in attending or applying for support, we encourage you to submit as early as possible to maximize your chances of receiving a bursary and securing a spot. Visit the [UGM 2025 page](https://www.mdanalysis.org/pages/ugm2025/) for full details and links to the application forms.
+
+---
+
+We look forward to seeing you there!
+
+— The 2025 MDAnalysis UGM Organizing Committee

pages/ugm2025.md

@@ -50,7 +50,8 @@ Online attendance is free.
 A number of **bursaries** will be available to assist with travel and accommodation costs for participants from outside the [greater Phoenix
 area](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phoenix_metropolitan_area). You can apply for a bursary as part of the registration process. We especially
 welcome your application if you consider yourself to be part of an underrepresented demographic in the computational molecular sciences.
-Bursary recipients will be notified by July 30, 2025.
+Bursary recipients who applied by the original registration deadline (July 15, 2025) will be notified by July 30, 2025. All other applicants will
+be notified on a rolling basis.
 
 ## Keynote Speakers