2025.09.01
Recently, Professor Dirk Broer successfully obtained approval for the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) International Talent Program (PIFI) project applied by his research group. Congratulations to Professor Dirk Broer and the research team! We extend our gratitude to the school, the university, and the Chinese Academy of Sciences for their support!
About the PIFI Program:
The CAS President’s International Fellowship Initiative (PIFI), launched in May 2023, is an international collaboration program initiated by the Chinese Academy of Sciences. It aims to promote global scientific and technological cooperation by attracting top research talents from around the world, supporting major scientific research missions, and contributing to the construction of national major scientific and technological infrastructure.
About Professor Dirk Broer:
Professor Dirk J. Broer, a member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, has long been engaged in the design of polymer structures and the study of self-organizing polymer networks. His research focuses on developing new functional polymeric materials and applying them to areas such as sustainable energy, water resource management, healthcare, and personal comfort, addressing both industrial and societal challenges. His work spans the entire process from molecular design to device integration, employing both top-down and bottom-up approaches to develop energy materials, stimulus-responsive materials, and nanostructured materials.
Professor Broer began his scientific career in 1973 at the Philips Research Laboratories in the Netherlands, where he was involved in various research areas, including vapor-phase polymerization, optical storage, telecommunications, and display optics. In 1990, while continuing his work in industrial research, he earned his Ph.D. from the University of Groningen, focusing on the in situphotopolymerization of liquid crystal acrylates. From 1990 to 1991, he conducted research on nonlinear optics and vapor-phase deposition of π-conjugated polymers at DuPont’s Experimental Station in the United States. After returning to Philips in 1991, he shifted his focus to enhancing liquid crystal displays and developing novel fabrication techniques. From 2003 to 2010, he served as Vice President and Senior Fellow at Philips Research, concentrating on the application of polymeric materials in biomedical devices. Since 1996, he has held a part-time professorship at Eindhoven University of Technology, with research interests spanning liquid crystals, polymer waveguides, nanolithography, and polymeric driving devices. In 2010, he became a full professor, leading the "Functional Organic Materials and Devices" research group, and was elected a member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences in the same year. In 2013, he chaired the symposium on "Liquid Crystals and Polymers" at the American Chemical Society's Spring National Meeting, highlighting his significant role in advancing interdisciplinary research. Professor Broer holds an internationally leading academic position in the fields of liquid crystals and polymer materials and has been actively involved in international academic organizations and key conferences. He served as Chair of the 2019 International Liquid Crystal Elastomer Conference (ILCEC) and the 2019 Society for Information Display Mid-Europe Chapter Conference (SID-ME), and chaired the Gordon Research Conference (GRC) on Liquid Crystals in the United States in 2019, having previously served as Vice Chair in 2017. Additionally, from 2002 to 2020, Professor Broer participated in the SPIE Photonics West conference in San Francisco, organizing the "Emerging Liquid Crystal Technologies" session annually, which underscores his enduring influence in the field.
