Editorial: Probing out-of-equilibrium soft matter

of soft matter is amply studied and understood, novel tools are needed to capture the complexity of out-of-equilibrium soft materials. A particular challenge is getting access to and understanding the fast processes occurring at the nano-and micro-scale of the elementary constituents, while simultaneously capturing the slower evolution of bulk properties in non-equilibrium conditions. To take on this task, new theoretical, numerical and experimental methodologies need to be developed that enable the investigation of the structure, dynamics, thermodynamics, and rheology of out-of-equilibrium soft matter. Adopting a comprehensive view that covers fundamental topics as well as research focusing on processes and issues faced in applications, this Research Topic aims to showcase some of the latest advancements and innovations in the field.Living and active materials are intrinsically non-equilibrium systems due to metabolic activity and/or energy consumption. Using newly developed fabrication and image processing tools, Chang et al.