[2026 Outstanding Graduate Student International Exchange Program] PhD Students from the School of Materials Science and Engineering of HIT Visit Portugal for Academic Exchange

To deepen international research collaboration and broaden academic perspectives in the frontier fields of materials science, a delegation of 10 doctoral students from the School of Materials Science and Engineering of Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT) visited NOVA University Lisbon and the University of Aveiro in Portugal from June 8 to 13, 2026. Led by Professor Dr. Wang Jinzhong and Associate Research Fellow Dr. He Wen, the delegation carried out a series of academic exchange activities during the visit.

At the invitation of Professor Dr. Elvira Fortunato, member of Academia Europaea, the delegation visited the CENIMAT Materials Research Center at NOVA University Lisbon. The center hosts research teams in areas including electronic, optoelectronic and nanotechnology materials, soft matter and bio-functional materials, and structural materials. The delegation attended an overview presentation of the center and toured laboratories for chemical synthesis, precision processing, characterization and testing. Faculty members and students from both sides held in-depth discussions on topics such as green and sustainable optoelectronic thin-film devices, self-cleaning photocatalytic coating materials and so on. The delegation also visited laboratories of the Department of Physics, where Professor Dr. Dawei Liang gave an on-site explanation of the operation and working principles of solar-pumped lasers. By directly generating high-energy laser output from focused sunlight, the demonstration highlighted the great potential of fundamental physics in addressing engineering challenges.

Figure 1. Group photo of the delegation during its visit to CENIMAT and the Department of Physics at NOVA University Lisbon

Figure 2. On-site visit to the solar-pumped laser facility and physics laboratories

At the University of Aveiro, the delegation engaged in an academic seminar with the Phantom-G Group at the CICECO Materials Institute. Professor Dr. Luís D. Carlos and Research Fellow Dr. Lianshe Fu introduced the university’s strong research capacity and international features in luminescent nanomaterials, optical thermometry and photonic devices. Professor Dr. Wang Jinzhong then presented the research strengths of our university’s materials discipline in optoelectronic information materials and functional optoelectronic devices. During the academic presentation session, Dr. He Wen and young scholars from both sides shared recent advances in autonomous energy harvesting for luminescent materials, VI group bismuth-based compound optoelectronic devices, and photonic neuromorphic computing. The participants also held in-depth discussions on challenges related to materials processing and performance optimization. In addition, the delegation visited CICECO laboratories to learn from its mature experimental system and standardized laboratory management practices.

Figure 3. The delegation visits the CICECO Materials Institute at the University of Aveiro

This academic visit to universities in Portugal broadened the international academic horizons of faculty members and students from our university. It also enabled the delegation to gain a deeper understanding of the advanced experience of overseas universities in research planning, platform development and technology transfer, while fully demonstrating the academic strengths of our university. The two sides have reached preliminary cooperation intentions regarding the establishment of international laboratories, short-term doctoral student visits and joint doctoral training. This exchange provided valuable experience in inter-university and international academic communication, laying a solid foundation for sustained academic exchanges, research collaboration and mutual visits between faculty members and students in the future.