Materials Chemistry Frontiers Blog

Position               Professor

Education           2012-2014  University of Colorado Boulder (USA)                                                                                         Joint PhD student

                           2008-2014  Huazhong University of Science and                                       Technology (China)                                       Ph.D.

                           2004-2008  Huazhong University of Science and                                       Technology (China)                                       B.Sc.

ORCID                0000-0002-0083-8589                      Google Scholar

I published my first academic article on the conceptual “photoinitibitor” in J. Am. Chem. Soc., 2014.

An accomplishment I’m particularly proud of is the pioneering work on crosstalk-free integration of cooperative-thermoresponse dual images via orthogonal photoreactions. This work was published in Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 2020.

I am most passionate about my work in holographic polymer nanocomposites because they can provide unlimited opportunities to explore new functions.

I always feel lucky that my advisors directed me to the cutting-edge research fields.

I get excited when I discuss new findings with my dynamic students.

My favourite hobby is fishing, which can free my whole soul. 

One thing I cannot live without is independent thinking.

It is my favourite time when I travel with my wife and lovely boys.

One city abroad I am eager to visit again is Boulder of which I have a lot of good memories. 

Position                   Professor

PhD Education        Chengdu Institute of Biology, CAS (2007–2011)   

Group Website        https://www.x-mol.com/groups/Hu_Xiao-Yu

ORCID                    0000-0002-9634-315X

An accomplishment I’m particularly proud of is a series of drug delivery systems fabricated by macrocycle-based supramolecular interactions.

I am most passionate about my work in design of interesting supramolecular structures from molecular scale to nanoscale because these fantastic structures always exhibit unexpected properties and functions.  

My favourite book is A Dream of Red Mansions. The book made me sometimes happy, sometimes sad, sometimes angry, and sometimes full of emotion. And it also made me think a lot: maybe everything is imperfect, and so are people.

One of my hidden talents is painting. Painting is very fascinating—you can control the brush and draw any picture you can imagine.

The people who have had the greatest influence on my research career are my postdoctoral supervisor Prof. Leyong Wang (Nanjing University) and my Humboldt supervisor Prof. Carsten Schmuck (University of Duisburg-Essen).

The first very memorable challenge in my research career was taking my 5-year-old son alone to the University of Duisburg-Essen to conduct Humboldt research. The difficult adaptation period faced by my son in a German school and the change in my research topic made me very tormented for a while. However, with the help of Prof. Carsten Schmuck, with the warm care of my son’s teachers and the support of many friends, the 2 years I spent in Essen with my son became my fondest memories.

I have the highest respect for Prof. Carsten Schmuck who always takes science very seriously, who provides a very good research atmosphere for all the colleagues and students, and who pays special attention to the development of the next generation of scientists. Although Prof. Carsten Schmuck unexpectedly passed away in 2019, his scientific spirit will forever influence and inspire me.

The most challenging work in my research is to narrow the gap between laboratory research and real-world applications.

I would like to share some of my experiences after starting an independent career: you should not be afraid to ask questions, as it is a very important opportunity to learn quickly and improve noticeably.