2025 Journal of Materials Chemistry Lectureship runners-up: Dr Xiaoli Liu and Dr Beatriz Martín-García

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Abstract

Congratulations to our 2025 Journal of Materials Chemistry Lectureship runners-up: Prof. Xiaoli Liu and Dr Beatriz Martín-García.

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The Journal of Materials Chemistry Lectureship is an annual award, established in 2010, which honours early-career scientists who have made a significant contribution to the fields of materials chemistry. This year, Dr Guanjie He from University College London, UK, was selected as the recipient of the 2025 Journal of Materials Chemistry Lectureship. While we can only award one winner, we wanted to recognise two runners-up for their impressive contributions to materials chemistry and as emerging leaders in the field.

Congratulations to Dr Xiaoli Liu (Xi’an Jiaotong University, China) and Dr Beatriz Martín-García (CIC nanoGUNE, Spain) for being selected as the runners-up of the 2025 Journal of Materials Chemistry Lectureship.

Professor Xiaoli Liu earned her PhD from Northwest University, China, in 2015. During her doctoral studies, she completed five years of research training as an exchange student at the National University of Singapore. In 2016, she joined the National Center for Nanoscience and Technology as a postdoctoral researcher supported by China’s National Postdoctoral Innovation Talent Program. She then returned to Northwest University where she founded the Magnetic Nanomedicine Group. Currently, Liu is a professor at the National-Local Joint Engineering Research Center for Precision Surgery & Regenerative Medicine, First Affiliated Hospital of Xi’an Jiaotong University, where she is recognized under the Young Talent Support Program-A and holds the National Excellent Young Scientist Fund.

Her research focuses on magnetic hyperthermia-based cancer therapy, with an emphasis on how intracellular magnetic hyperthermia modulates immune signaling pathways to reshape the tumor immune microenvironment and improve immunotherapeutic outcomes. She has published over 90 papers in high-impact journals and authored the book, Magnetic Nanobiomaterials.

Dr Beatriz Martín-García is a Ramón y Cajal and Ikerbasque research fellow at CIC nanoGUNE. She received her PhD cum laude with European mention in 2013, having completed her doctoral studies under the supervision of Prof. M. Mercedes Velázquez at the University of Salamanca, Spain (Department of Physical Chemistry) working on self-assembled systems of nanomaterials. She then moved to the Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, where she worked as a postdoctoral researcher within the Graphene Flagship project in the Nanochemistry Department led by Prof. Liberato Manna, under the supervision of Dr Iwan Moreels, and in the Graphene Labs led by Dr Francesco Bonnacorso and Prof. Vittorio Pellegrini. During this time, she focused on modulating the optoelectronic properties of various materials, including nanocrystals, 2D materials, and hybrid metal-halide perovskites, through chemical and surface functionalisation approaches. She also specialised in the in-depth characterisation of these materials using spectroscopy techniques, as well as their integration into solar cells, photodetectors, and memory devices. In 2020, she joined the Nanodevices Group led by Profs. Luis E. Hueso and Félix Casanova. Currently, she is leading a research line to develop low-dimensional and anisotropic materials through chemical design and studying them using dedicated spectroscopic techniques, with a particular focus on micro-Raman spectroscopy.

Her research focuses on unveiling the interplay between the crystal structure, composition and optical, electrical and magnetic properties of materials, to drive the selection of materials with tailor-made properties for application mainly in optical and electronic devices. She oversees a micro-Raman spectroscopy facility at the centre and is working on implementing new options for characterising materials, such as photoluminescence mapping, low-temperature and low-frequency analysis and angle-resolved linear and circular polarisation studies. Her recent recognition includes being selected for the 2025 Emerging Investigators list in Journal of Materials Chemistry C.

 

Check out our interview with Xiaoli and Beatriz below:

How did you feel when you were announced as a runner-up of the 2025 Journal of Materials Chemistry Lectureship?

XL: I felt truly happy and deeply honoured to be named the runner-up for the 2025 Journal of Materials Chemistry Lectureship. This recognition means a lot to me, not only as an acknowledgment of my past work, but also as motivation to continue advancing and exploring new opportunities in my research.

BM-G: I am honoured to receive this award, especially alongside such distinguished scientists who are leaders in materials chemistry. It recognises the hard, dedicated and creative work I have done at different levels over the years, from PhD student to postdoc to independent researcher. But nevertheless, I would like to share this award with my colleagues, students and esteemed network of collaborators, whose time, effort, and creativity have made our projects possible, as well as everyone who has supported me on my scientific journey, including my colleagues, supervisors and family.

Which of your JMC publications are you most proud of and why?

XL: The JMC paper that I’m most proud of is “Optimization of surface coating on Fe₃O₄nanoparticles for high-performance magnetic hyperthermia agents” (https://doi.org/10.1039/C2JM30472D). It was my first paper, completed during my doctoral exchange at the National University of Singapore. I still remember the excitement of seeing my work published for the first time. That moment gave me confidence and a sense of belonging in the scientific community. It also sparked my lasting passion for magnetic nanomedicine. At that time, the journal hadn’t yet been divided into A, B, and C, it was simply JMC, which makes it even more memorable to me.

BM-G: It’s difficult to choose — all my JMC publications have a story, a great team and a project behind them. Let’s go for “Solution-processed silver sulphide nanocrystal film for resistive switching memories” (https://doi.org/10.1039/C8TC04068K) because it has a double significance. Firstly, the work was not aligned with the project I was working on as a postdoc at Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia at that time. Indeed, it emerged from my investigation into why my solar cell devices were producing observable ‘dendrite’ structures during operation. As a curious researcher, I dedicated time and effort to understand what was happening. Then, together with my colleagues, I took advantage of the physicochemical processes to create a different type of device: a resistive switching memory. Secondly, this work later became a project that I led, and I was the corresponding author for the first time, which was a significant step in my career. Furthermore, it is still within my research interests today, and collaborative projects and other publications have arisen.

At which upcoming conferences may our community meet you?

XL: I plan to participate in upcoming conferences on materials chemistry and nanomedicine, and I’d love to meet members of the JMC community there to share ideas and inspiration.

BM-G: I still have not confirmed my attendance, but I would like to join the EMRS Spring Meeting and at least one other conference next year.

What do you like to do in your free time?

XL: In my free time, I enjoy running and reading. I also like to spend time learning new professional knowledge online, for example, taking courses in immunology and related scientific fields. It helps me relax while staying inspired in my research.

BM-G: In my free time, my favourite activities are swimming, walking and listening to music.

Do you have any advice for early-career researchers who wish to be nominated for the 2026 JMC Lectureship award?

XL: I believe scientific research is a marathon, not a sprint. It takes patience, persistence, and genuine passion. My advice to early-career researchers is to stay curious and committed, even when progress feels slow. Try to think not only about publishing papers, but also about how your discoveries might eventually make a real difference. It’s never easy to keep going in the same direction for years, but if you truly love what you’re doing and keep pushing forward, your efforts will definitely lead to something meaningful.

BM-G: Never give up and remain faithful, because your research merits will be recognised in due course. A piece of good advice I received when I started out in science is that perseverance and well-done work always pay off.

Congratulations to Xiaoli and Beatriz!

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