Sep, 2026 Professor Michael Claeys from the University of Cape Town visited Professor Hou's research group at Xiamen University. They discussed recent advances in liquid gating technology and explored opportunities to strengthen the international academic exchanges.
Sep, 2026 Professor Hou was invited, as a faculty representative, to address the 2026 incoming students at the opening ceremony of Nanqiang College at Xiamen University. Drawing on his interdisciplinary academic and research experience, he shared his reflections on aspiration, inquiry, and growth, using his team's original liquid gating technology as an example. He encouraged the students to embrace interdisciplinary thinking and grow through rigorous inquiry, open collaboration, and continuous exploration.
Sep, 2026 Professor Hou was invited to deliver the first lecture to the 2026 incoming students of the College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, entitled “Frontiers of Bioinspired Science and the Development of Innovative Scientific Thinking.” He introduced bioinspired science and his team's original liquid gating technology. He also encouraged the students to think boldly, challenge conventional ideas, and pursue scientific research with both creativity and rigor.
Sep, 2026 Professor Olaf Magnussen from Kiel University was invited by Professor Hou to visit his research group again. Professor Hou introduced the latest progress in liquid gating technology, and they discussed possibilities for future joint research.
Aug, 2026 Professor Prince Ravat, a Heisenberg Professor at the University of Cologne, visited Professor Hou's research group at Xiamen University. They discussed related research topics and potential opportunities for further academic cooperation.
Aug, 2026 Professor Jürgen Janek of Justus Liebig University Giessen visited Xiamen University. At the invitation of Professor Hou, the two professors held discussions on recent advances in liquid-gating and nanofluidic technologies and explored opportunities for future international academic collaboration.
July, 2026 The China Materials Conference 2026 took place in Wuhan, where Professor Hou received the 2026 Outstanding Worker Award from the Chinese Materials Research Society. The honor recognizes his contributions to research innovation, academic advancement, and the broader field of materials science.
July, 2026 Professor Hou was invited to deliver a lecture titled “Cultivating Innovative Thinking for Future Scientific Development: Frontiers in Bioinspired Science” at the summer camp for Anqing Normal University's Excellence and Top Talent Pilot Program. The lecture was also open to faculty and students across the university.
July, 2026 Professor Alexandru Vlad from UCLouvain, came to Xiamen for the first time and visited our group at the invitation of Professor Hou. Professors Vlad and Hou held in-depth discussions on liquid gating technology, laying the foundation for further international academic collaboration.
July, 2026 Professor Hou, Vice Dean of Xiamen University Graduate School, joined Lingling Shui, Dean of South China Normal University Graduate School, and Rui Huang, its Vice Dean, at a seminar and faculty-student forum on joint graduate training under the “National Excellence Program.” In his remarks, Professor Hou described the partnership as an important step toward combining STEM expertise with teaching competence. He expressed hope that the two universities would further share resources, strengthen coordination, and develop innovative training models to set a benchmark for inter-university collaboration under the program.
July, 2026 Professor Alexej Jerschow from New York University, visited our group and exchanged ideas with Professor Hou. Their discussion focused on liquid gating technology and related research directions, as well as opportunities for future international collaboration.
June, 2026 Professor Hou was invited to attend the 5th Annual Conference on Global Nanotechnology (NanoSeries2026), held at Politecnico di Torino in Italy. He served as a session chair and delivered an invited keynote lecture titled “Bioinspired Multiscale Pore/Channel Systems.” As Vice President of the Xiamen University European and American Alumni Association, Professor Hou met with Professor Tao Huang, Honorary President of the Chinese Alumni Association of Politecnico di Torino, to discuss overseas talent recruitment, academic collaboration between Chinese and Italian universities, and the role of overseas scholars.
May, 2026 Professor Hou was invited to attend and deliver remarks at the award ceremony for the 9th (2026) Legal Professional Degree Graduate Legal Document Writing Competition. He congratulated the awardees and highlighted the importance of legal document writing training in cultivating future legal professionals.
May, 2026 Professor Hou was invited to deliver a public science lecture titled “Frontier Science of Bioinspired Intelligent Materials” at the Chinese Scientists Spirit Lecture Series for the 10th National Science and Technology Workers Day. He introduced recent advances in liquid-based materials, liquid gating technology, and bioinspired nanofluidic iontronics, while encouraging young researchers to stay curious and pursue original innovation.
May, 2026 Our research team pioneered the core concept of liquid gating technology. The developed liquid gating membrane materials feature defect-free structures and dynamically adaptive soft interfaces, breaking the traditional paradigm of solid porous materials. This effort overcame key technical bottlenecks, led to the world's first intelligent testing instrument for liquid gating, and contributed to the first national standard in this field. Selected among the Top 10 Advances in Metamaterials of 2026 in China, this work demonstrates the leading-edge and innovative strength of liquid gating technology for intelligent metamaterials and interfacial materials.
April , 2026 Professor Hou was invited to represent Xiamen University at the 2026 High School Principals Forum, where he delivered a lecture titled "Cultivation of Innovative Thinking in Future Scientific Development - Frontier Science of Simulation" to education bureau officials and key high school principals and leaders. The forum serves as a vital platform for the university to showcase its academic strength and deepen cooperation with top high schools.
April , 2026 Professor Hou was invited to attend the 11th Jingqing Forum of the Chinese Chemical Society, where he delivered a presentation on "Bioinspired Multiscale Channels." During the event, he engaged in an academic exchange with Professor Erick M. Carreira, Editor-in-Chief of Journal of the American Chemical Society.
April , 2026 Professor Chris Blackman from University College London (UCL) visited our research group at the invitation of Professor Hou.They engaged in an academic exchange on nanoscale interface fabrication and advanced characterization, and discussed future international collaboration to explore new technological advancements.
April , 2026 Professor Hou, a past recipient of the CCS-RSC Young Chemist Award, was invited to attend the award's 20th-anniversary ceremony. Following the event, he joined a discussion with RSC President Dr. Annette Doherty, CEO Dr. Helen Pain, and other experts to explore the long-term impact of academic recognition on researchers' career development.
April , 2026 Professor Hou was invited to attend the 35th Annual Meeting of the Chinese Chemical Society, where he delivered a presentation titled "Bioinspired Liquid Gating Membrane Materials," highlighting the latest advances in intelligent testing and analytical instruments based on liquid gating technology.
March , 2026 Professor Hannu Häkkinen from the University of Jyväskylä visited our research group at Professor Hou's invitation. They engaged in an academic exchange on liquid gating membrane technology and discussed future international collaboration.
February, 2026 Our group's work on a novel asymmetric-interface iontronic memristor was featured on the front cover of Iontronics. The device precisely regulates memristive effects and simulates synaptic plasticity, showing great potential for low-power, biocompatible neuromorphic computing.
January , 2026 Professor Paolo Fornasiero from the University of Trieste visited our research group at the invitation of Professor Hou. They engaged in an academic exchange on liquid gating technology and discussed future international collaboration to explore new technological directions.
January , 2026 Professor Hou welcomed Professor Rodney S. Ruoff (UNIST) to the research group. Reconnecting in Xiamen after several years, they exchanged research ideas and discussed future international collaboration.
