A Message from ISCST President
It is an honor to serve as President of the International Society of Coating Science and Technology (ISCST) and to welcome you to our global community of scientists, engineers, researchers, educators, and industry professionals committed to advancing coating science and technology.
For more than four decades, ISCST has provided a distinctive forum where fundamental science and industrial practice come together to advance the field. This connection remains at the heart of who we are. The challenges encountered in industry inspire important scientific questions, while advances in fundamental research create new possibilities for processes, materials, products, and technologies. ISCST provides a place where those perspectives meet, ideas are exchanged, collaborations are formed, and knowledge moves from discovery to application. The ISCST collaborates with coating communities in Europe and Asia, specifically the European Coating Symposium (ECS) and the Asian Coating Workshop (ACW), together our impact is global.
Today, coating science is increasingly connected to some of the most important technological challenges and opportunities facing our world. Advances in materials, manufacturing, energy, electronics, sustainability, data science, automation, and emerging technologies continue to create new possibilities for our field. As industry aims to develop products at scale and start-ups aim to understand the viability of scaled, high-throughput manufacturing of liquid coatings, roll-to-roll (R2R) manufacturing with conventional and advanced tooling becomes a paramount enabling strategy. The ISCST has an important role to play in bringing together the people and ideas that will help shape those possibilities.
Our international community is one of our greatest strengths. Through the ISCST Symposium, technical programming, educational opportunities, and our collaborations with ECS and ACW, we connect expertise across disciplines, institutions, industries, and geographic boundaries. These relationships allow us not only to share knowledge, but also to identify emerging scientific questions and collectively advance the field.
As we look toward the future, we will continue to build upon ISCST’s strong scientific foundation while expanding opportunities for engagement, connectivity, and partnership. We also recognize the importance of developing the next generation of coating scientists and engineers. Creating opportunities for students, early-career researchers, experienced professionals, and established leaders to learn from one another will be essential to the continued strength and vitality of our community.
I believe ISCST’s greatest value is found in its people. Our members and boards bring different experiences, perspectives, technical expertise, and ideas, yet we share a common commitment to understanding and advancing coating science and technology.
I invite you to become actively involved in ISCST—participate in our programs, share your research and technical challenges, develop new collaborations, mentor emerging professionals, and help us identify new opportunities for the Society.
Together, we will honor ISCST’s strong history while building an even stronger future—one defined by scientific excellence, meaningful collaboration, innovation, and global impact.
I look forward to working with you as we begin this next chapter of ISCST.
Tequila A. L. Harris, Ph.D.
President
International Society of Coating Science and Technology
The Purpose and Goals of ISCST
The International Society of Coating Science and Technology (ISCST) is a technical society that was formed in December of 1996 by an international group of academic and industrial engineers who believed that the global coating technical community would benefit by having its own society. The specific purposes of ISCST are to:
- Provide forums for presenting advances in the mechanisms and technologies used in the preparation, application, solidification, and micro-structure of coated films.
- Encourage technology transfer, professional development, and networking of scientists engaged in the coating process sciences.
- Provide continuing educational programs in coating process science and technology.
- Provide opportunities to leverage technologies among diverse coating industries.