On April 19–21, 2026, Professor Chen, as a member of the International Advisory Board of the Max Planck Institute for Polymer Research (MPIP), participated in the institute’s quinquennial international evaluation meeting. Due to visa issues, she could only attend online, listening to the directors' reports and engaging in discussions. On May 4, Professor Chen and Assistant Professor Li Long visited the MPIP in Mainz, Germany. The institute is a hallowed ground for polymer research, where many distinguished polymer scientists, including Professors Yuliang Yang and Ming Jiang, have studied and worked. Professor Chen previously visited MPIP in July 2017 and gave a talk. This time, she presented a systematic overview of her group's work on non-covalent synthesis of functional macromolecules based on well-defined oligosaccharides. They also engaged in academic exchanges with colleagues at the institute, including the director, Professor Tanja Weil, and many other faculty members and students. MPIP’s current research directions have noticeably shifted toward biomolecular assembly and function, with at least three directors working on biomacromolecule-related research.

Group photo in Professor Tanja Weil's office. From left to right: David Ng, Tanja Weil, Guosong Chen, Long Li.

On May 7–8, at the invitation of symposium organizers Professor Bert Meijer and Professor Tanja Weil, they attended the Beilstein Symposium. This symposium is organized by the non-profit Beilstein Foundation and takes the form of a small, focused workshop. The theme of this year’s symposium was Designing Dynamic Matter: Frontiers in Supramolecular Systems. Professor Chen gave an invited talk, and Assistant Professor Li Long presented a flash talk and a poster. Symposium link: https://www.beilstein-institut.de/en/symposia/archive/organic-chemistry/organic-chemistry-2026-designing-matter/ After the symposium, they also made a brief visit to Wiley’s headquarters in Weinheim.

Assistant Professor Li Long giving his talk.

With Anne Pfisterer at Wiley.