Abstract

Supramolecular self-assembly driven by host-guest interactions offers a versatile and powerful approach for constructing novel polymeric architectures from tunable functional macromolecular building blocks. Over the past two decades, our research group has focused on creating novel self-assembled polymeric micro- and nanostructures starting from both biobased and synthetic polymers. These polymer blocks have been engineered to form functional hydrogels, micelles, micro- and nanoparticles, nanovesicles, and surface coatings. These supramolecular polymers, hydrogels and nanoarchitectures have been applied for drug/gene delivery systems, tissue engineering, and bioimaging and diagnosis, as well as for artificial soil and solar-driven water harvesting for sustainable agriculture, and as superabsorbent materials for wastewater treatment, removal of environmental pollutants, and resource recovery.

Biography

Jun Li, PhD, Provost’s Chair Professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering & NUS Environmental Research Institute, National University of Singapore (NUS)

李 俊（博士，教务长讲席教授，新加坡国立大学生物医学工程系 / 新加坡国立大学环境研究院） 

Dr. Jun Li is currently a Provost’s Chair Professor at National University of Singapore (NUS), working concurrently in the Department of Biomedical Engineering and the NUS Environmental Research Institute. He was the Deputy Head of the Department of Biomedical Engineering from 2015 to 2021. He received his Ph.D. (1995) from the University of Osaka and completed postdoctoral research (1995-1998) at the RIKEN Institute in Japan. His research has focused on the development of innovative supramolecular nanomaterials and hydrogels derived from both synthetic and bio-based polymers, which have found significant applications in nanomedicine, tissue engineering, and sustainability. Prof. Li has published 250 papers in peer-reviewed journals, including Nature, Nature Biomedical Engineering, Nature Water, Nature Communications, Science Advances, Advanced Materials, etc. He also edited one research book, authored several book chapters, and holds 17 patents. He was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) and the International Academy of Medical and Biological Engineering (IAMBE). He received numerous honors and awards, including the Vladimir K. Zworykin Award (2025) from the International Federation for Medical and Biological Engineering (IFMBE), and the SPSJ International Award (2026) from the Society of Polymer Science, Japan (SPSJ).