In many cases, mechanistic approaches that focus on atomic-scale interactions and simple elementary processes fail to comprehend the mechanical properties (friction, adhesion, deformation, and failure) of heterogeneous and random materials. At the same time, standard homogenization procedures are inadequate to capture simultaneous processes extending over multiple spatial and temporal scales. To understand how macroscopic properties emerge from the collective dynamics of processes extending over multiple scales, the symposium aims at bringing together scientists from the statistical physics, materials science and solid mechanics communities. List of topics to be addressed include:

• Adhesion and friction of heterogeneous materials (including biomaterials): Instabilities and complex behaviour from the atomic to the macro scale.
• Pathways to failure: Subcritical dynamics and critical acceleration of deformation and crack growth processes, damage accumulation and fracture nucleation, triggering and extreme events.
• Complex dynamics and spatio-temporal fluctuations in deformation processes – Discrete and continuum models.
• Monitoring dynamical processes in friction, deformation and fracture – acoustic and electromagnetic emissions, in-situ observation methods.

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