Faculties Shine at the International Conference

The School of Science (SCI) at Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU) is proud to announce the successful conclusion of the International Conference on Advanced Materials, co-hosted by the university and held in Ningbo from October 20 to 22, 2025. Organized by "Flink (宁波启明产链信息科技有限公司)", the conference served as a global platform for leading minds in materials science, and our faculties (Dr Ankit Garg, Dr Akhil Garg and Dr Filippo Boi) from SCI were at the forefront, delivering impactful keynote speeches that highlighted the school's growing research impact.

Dr Akhil Garg, Dr Filippo and Dr Ankit Garg receiving a Certificate for delivering a keynote lecture at the International Conference on Advanced Materials

Three of our distinguished academics took to the stage to present their pioneering work. Dr Ankit Garg from the Department of Health and Environmental Science introduced a novel framework for deducing the wilting point in plants, a significant breakthrough at the convergence of unsaturated soil mechanics and plant physiology. From the Department of Chemistry and Materials Science, Dr Akhil Garg captivated the audience with his presentation on AI-driven topology optimization for Battery Design and Manufacturing, while Dr Filippo Boi unveiled his discoveries on high-spin ferromagnetism within nanowires encapsulated inside carbon nanotubes (CNTs), presenting also results on confinement of antiferromagnetic phases and exchange-bias phenomena recently published in Carbon (I.F.11.6) https://doi.org/10.1016/j.carbon.2025.120932 and Diamond and Related Materials (I.F.5.1) https://doi.org/10.1016/j.diamond.2025.112948.

Beyond presenting their research, our speakers effectively highlighted the innovative academic programmes and dynamic research environment within the SCI. The conference was also a fertile ground for building international partnerships. The faculties at XJTLU held a fruitful discussion with Academician Professor Seeram Ramakrishna, a Chair Professor at Tsinghua University and Director of the iWearables Centre. They explored exciting possibilities for future collaborations in critical areas of sustainability between XJTLU and leading international institutions. Dr Filippo Boi discussed possible collaborative opportunities in the areas of biomagnetism and nanomagnetism with Dr Stefania Della Penna, Associate Professor from the University of G. D’Annunzio Chieti-Pescara and with Dr Di Wei, Professor at the Beijing Institute of Nanoenergy and Nanosystems, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

This spirit of collaboration is strongly championed by the Dean of the SCI, Professor John Moraros, who has provided extensive support and consistently encourages high-quality research, as well as international and cross-disciplinary initiatives.

This international feature is another compelling evidence of the growing impact of academic research at SCI, which has already published more than 250 high-quality papers in the last academic year. The research excellence of the faculty of SCI is further validated by recent accolades; both Dr Ankit Garg, Dr Akhil Garg, including 6 other faculties have been listed among the world's top 2% most-cited scientists in a prestigious list released by Stanford University, and Dr. Ankit Garg has been honoured with the "Wiley Excellent Author Program" Award for 2025.

Photo left：Dr Akhil Garg and Dr Ankit Garg are having a discussion with Academician Prof Seeram Krishna for collaborations ;

Photo right：Dr Ankit Garg's Certificate for the "Wiley China Excellent Author Program"

For aspiring researchers looking to contribute to this vibrant academic environment, we are pleased to announce that all three scientists are currently hiring MRes and PhD students. Interested candidates are encouraged to contact the respective email addresses:
Ankit.Garg@xjtlu.edu.cn, Akhil.Garg@xjtlu.edu.cn, and Filippo.Boi@xjtlu.edu.cn.

The SCI extends its heartfelt congratulations to all the participants and organizers, including Ms Terentia Jia (Project Manager at Flink), for the effective coordination with XJTLU. This successful engagement reinforces our commitment to pioneering research, global collaboration, and academic excellence.

Content by Dr Ankit Garg
Review by Professor John Moraros