On May 6th, 2025, Professor Dirk J. Broer, a member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, former Senior Technical Vice President of Philips, and former head of the Functional Organic Materials and Devices Department at the Eindhoven University of Technology, visited our research group for academic exchange. This was his second visit to our group since April 14th, 2023, after a gap of seven years.

Professor Dirk J. Broer, Emeritus Professor at Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) and Distinguished Chair Professor at South China Normal University, is a leading expert in responsive polymers, self-assembled systems, liquid crystals, and their applications in optics and soft mechanics. His groundbreaking work on the in-situ photopolymerization of liquid crystal monomers in 1985 has been widely adopted in both academia and industry. From 2003 to 2010, Professor Broer served as Senior Scientist and Vice President at Philips Research Laboratories, where he focused on biomedical devices and polymer material applications. He has held a part-time professorship at TU/e since 1996, and in 2010 was appointed Full Professor and Member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, leading the Functional Organic Materials and Devices group. In 2021, he was awarded the Knight of the Order of the Netherlands Lion, the oldest and highest-ranking civilian honor in the Netherlands. To date, Professor Broer has published 350 papers in prestigious journals including Nature, Nature Materials, Nature Communications, and Advanced Materials, and holds 120 U.S. patents.

 As an internationally recognized authority in liquid crystal materials, Professor Broer will engage in in-depth academic discussions with our research team, provide expert guidance on research directions, and share his visionary perspectives on future developments in the field. He will also deliver cutting-edge lectures for our faculty and students. On May 13th, Professor Broer will present a specialized course titled "On the History of Reactive Mesogens," systematically reviewing the development of reactive mesogens (RMs), analyzing their innovative applications in traditional optical displays, and exploring their latest advances in cutting-edge areas such as self-oscillating actuators, cilia-based microtransport devices, and stimulus-responsive haptic surfaces. On May 14th, he will give an advanced lecture titled "Morphing Liquid Crystals: An Approach Towards Versatile Polymer Coating Dynamics," introducing his team's latest breakthroughs in reactive liquid crystal materials and their applications in smart coatings. skin. During the conference, Professor Broer enthusiastically discussed with the attending teachers and students and patiently answered relevant questions.

This series of academic events provides a valuable opportunity for our faculty and students to interact face-to-face with a world-leading scholar. We warmly welcome participation from all interested faculty and students in related fields.