News / In Focus

NSRRC, users’ meeting, 2025, synchrotron radiation, Outstanding Paper Award, Taiwan-Australia collaboration
The 31st Users' Meeting & Workshops Was Held from September 2 to 4
2025/10/28
The 31st Users' Meeting & Workshops was held from September 2 to 4, drawing a record-breaking 565 attendees. Organized by Prof. Dun-Yen Kang, Chair of the User Executive Committee (UEC) from National Taiwan University (NTU), and Dr. Shih-Chang Weng of the NSRRC, the conference featured presentations from 69 domestic and international scholars. The packed agenda included the NSRRC Outstanding Paper Award ceremony, a series of workshops, and a joint celebration with ANSTO marking the 10th anniversary of the SIKA instrument.

The meeting commenced with opening remarks from UEC Chair Prof. Kang, followed by an overview of NSRRC's current status and future prospects by Director Chia-Hung Hsu. Division Heads Meng-Shu Yeh and Gung-Chian Yin then reported on recent progress with the light source and experimental facilities. The keynote speech was delivered by President Chi-Hung Lin of National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University. Later, the 5th NSRRC Outstanding Paper Award was presented to Dr. Shang-Te Danny Hsu of Academia Sinica. Following the ceremony, both Dr. Hsu and the previous year's winner, Prof. Ru-Shi Liu of NTU, presented their award-winning research. The afternoon featured a series of talks by seven outstanding users from diverse fields.

The second day kicked off with the popular NSRRC Run, which attracted 104 participants. The annual Town Meeting followed, chaired jointly by Prof. Kang and Neutron UEC Chair Prof. Wei-Ting Chen, providing a valuable platform for dialogue between users and the NSRRC. The program also featured the "Sow-Hsin Chen Distinguished Lectureship on Neutron Science and Technology," co-organized with National Tsing Hua University. This year's lecture on Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT) was delivered by Prof. Koji Ono of Osaka Medical and Pharmaceutical University in Japan. The day concluded with six parallel mini-workshops dedicated to academic exchange and technical discussions between NSRRC staff and users.

During the Poster Sessions, 246 poster presenters shared their research findings which were acquired by using NSRRC facilities. Fifteen posters reached the finals of the Oral Presentation Competition, and the rest of the posters were all included in the Poster Competition. The winners were selected after a meticulous review by the panel of judges; the most outstanding poster presenters are listed below (for the complete winner list, please visit the meeting website). The Poster Awards were presented during the evening banquet on the second day. Prof. Yen-Lin Huang of National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University (NYCU) succeeded Prof. Kang as the UEC chair at the end of the banquet, marking a successful leadership transition for the users' meeting.
 
 Poster Award Category Winner Advisor Affiliation
Oral Presentation:
The Glory of Taiwan Award		 Biological Science Tsan-Jan Chen   Wen-Ching Wang   Natl. Tsing Hua Univ.
Ying-Chen Chen   Yao-Tung Lin   Natl. Chung Hsing Univ.
Materials Science Dessalew Dagnew Alemayehu Chia-Hsin Wang Natl. Taiwan Univ. of Sci. and Tech.
Phys./Chem. Science Yu-Hui Liang Chao-Hung Du Natl. Sun Yat-sen Univ.
Wei-Lun Wei Bi-Hsuan Lin Natl. Yang Ming Chiao Tung Univ.
Poster Competition:
Award of Excellence		 Biological Science Chao-Cheng Cho Shiao-Han Yuan Academia Sinica
Chuang-Kai Chueh Kuen-Phon Wu Academia Sinica
Zong-Yu Yang Fu-Ming Wang Natl. Taiwan Univ. of Sci. and Tech.
Materials Science Yu-Chung Chang Chun-Hong Kuo Natl. Yang Ming Chiao Tung Univ.
Bo-Cai Chen Jan-Chi Yang Natl. Cheng Kung Univ.
Wan-Ting Chen Yao-Jane Hsu NSRRC
Ching-Yi Chou Chun-Hong Kuo Natl. Yang Ming Chiao Tung Univ.
Zih-Syuan Huang Chih-I Wu Natl. Taiwan Univ.
Chih-Hsueh Li Hsuan-Yi Huang Natl. Tsing Hua Univ.
Han-Yuan Liu Tung-Han Yang Natl. Tsing Hua Univ.
Mukherjee Shubhayan Shih-Kang Lin Natl. Cheng Kung Univ.
Yong-Chi Su Yen-Lin Huang Natl. Yang Ming Chiao Tung Univ.
Chun-Chia Wen Hsuan-Yi Huang Natl. Tsing Hua Univ.
Phys./Chem. Science Asia Abdelgalil Sheng-Fa Yu Academia Sinica
Yi-Hsuan Chiu Yu-Jung Chen Natl. Central Univ.
Tzu-Tai Huang Jung-Chun Huang Natl. Cheng Kung Univ.

On the second afternoon, six mini-workshops were held concurrently. These workshops were:
1. Workshop on Total Scattering and Pair Distribution Function Analysis: PDF Data Acquisition, Reduction, and Analysis at TPS 19A 
Structural analysis techniques are vital for understanding how a material’s structure determines its properties. Traditional diffraction methods work well for crystalline materials but overlook amorphous or disordered phases. To overcome this, total scattering combined with Pair Distribution Function (PDF) analysis enables precise study of short-range order. At TPS 19A, high-energy X-rays and accurate data merging allow total scattering measurements up to Q ≈ 26 Å⁻¹, providing deep insight into local structural features. The new PDF capability, which will make its debut in Taiwan and be available to users in 2026, further expands TPS 19A’s capacity from high-resolution diffraction to studies of dynamic and amorphous systems. A dedicated session led by Yu-Chun Chuang and Bo-Hao Chen introduced this technique to 75 participants, offering practical training and fostering collaboration for future experiments.

2. Soft X-ray (Ambient Pressure) Photoelectron and Absorption Spectroscopies 
Soft X-ray (ambient pressure) photoelectron and absorption spectroscopies are powerful analytical techniques widely applied in diverse research areas, including surface science, environmental science, semiconductor materials, energy materials, and catalytic reactions. To promote these techniques and strengthen user engagement, this mini-workshop invited domestic and international experts to share the scientific applications of these methods. Further, the end-station construction staffs from TPS 43A and TPS 35A presented the capabilities of their end-stations and provided updates on their current construction progress. In addition, this mini-workshop also included discussions on the phased decommissioning plans for the TLS 24A1 and TLS 20A1 end-stations that are currently in operation. 

3. Management and Application of Scientific Research Data 
This mini-workshop is hosted by Prof. E-Wen Huang of NYCU and Dr. Chun-Chieh Wang of NSRRC to share insights on the planning of Findability, Accessibility, Interoperability, and Reusability (FAIR) data principles, as discussed by the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) for national laboratories in the U.S. The event also featured the University of Maryland team, a leader in the U.S. Materials Genome Initiative, who shared cutting-edge methods for high-throughput screening. Additionally, there was an exchange between domestic users and the international scholars for high-performance computing on applying synchrotron data in the AI 2.0.

4. THz Beamline User Promotion Meeting
Intense and frequency tunable coherent THz sources based on accelerator technology has been developed at NSRRC, making it highly valuable in applications such as semiconductors, quantum materials and biomedical imaging. Eight domestic experts and scholars were invited to introduce their researches and experience of using THz sources, including the current status and future design plan for the THz user facility, the electromagnetic response of topological materials, sub-ns magnetic switching characteristics, THz time-domain spectroscopy, nonlinear photoconductivity, enhancing THz radiation by using spatial mode light excitation of photoconductive antennas, online inspection of battery electrodes, and quantum material phase transition process. Afterward, the participants engaged in discussions with the invited experts and scholars regarding potential collaboration opportunities and also sought their feedback on whether the specifications of the THz light sources meet their research requirements. This mini-workshop has a significant effect on attracting new users to use NSRRC THz light sources.

5. Precision Diagnostics with Infrared Spectroscopy and Imaging 
Mini-workshop 5, Precision Diagnostics with Infrared Spectroscopy and Imaging, chaired by Prof. Dar-Bin Shieh (National Cheng Kung University) and Dr. Yao-Chang Lee (NSRRC), highlighted the integration of wax physisorption kinetics (WPK) with Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) imaging, synchrotron-based FTIR microspectroscopy (SR-FTIRM), attenuated total reflectance (ATR)-FTIR spectroscopy, and machine learning (ML) for clinical applications across multiple diseases. This mini-workshop showcased FTIR-based technologies, combined with ML, as powerful, label-free, and non-destructive tools for early detection, prognosis, and precision diagnostics in multiple clinical domains.

6. Analytical Advantages of Synchrotron Radiation Sources in the Field of Drug Delivery 
The mini-workshop presented by Drs. M. Sherry Ku, Yin-Cheng Hsieh, Chun-Hsiang Huang, and Yu-Shun Cheng, attracted about 100 participants. The speakers emphasized the high brightness and stability of synchrotron radiation, which enables high-resolution analysis at the nano and molecular levels, offering significant advantages for studying drug dynamics and drug–receptor interactions. They noted that integration with AI and big data could further accelerate preclinical research and precision medicine. Participants discussed its role in clinical drug development and complementarity with existing techniques, and suggested ongoing lectures, cross-disciplinary collaboration, and industry support to advance applications.

Three workshops were held on the third day. The events are summarized below:
Workshop I: Extreme Ultraviolet Technology and Applications Workshop
NSRRC has long supported the development of technologies related to extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography in domestic research, encompassing multiple techniques for evaluating and measuring/characterizing the optical materials, and has assisted industry, academia and research institutions in developing optical components and materials for EUV lithography applications. This workshop brought numerous experts and scholars together from the domestic and international communities, and covered the history of EUV lithography technology, material innovation, metrology techniques and industrial applications. The successful workshop promoted knowledge exchange and paved the way for Taiwan's ongoing development in the global EUV technology field through diverse collaborative models.

Workshop II: Taiwan-Australia Project: Innovation & Sustainability, SIKA’s Decade of Excellence
The Taiwan-Australia workshop, held remotely, celebrated the 10th anniversary of the SIKA cold neutron triple-axis spectrometer, focusing on collaborative neutron scattering innovations and sustainable applications. Key figures, including NSRRC Board of Trustees Chairman Cheng-Kang Su, Director Chia-Hung Hsu, ANSTO’s Prof. Andrew Peele, and Ambassador Douglas Hsu, gave opening remarks. Deputy Director Der-Hsin Wei presented SIKA’s status. The event ended with a group photo and tea party, followed by a scientific workshop where global experts explored neutron scattering in batteries, thermoelectrics, and lattice dynamics, highlighting the Taiwan-Australia partnership’s value and future potential. The workshop underscored SIKA’s excellence in sustainable technology research, fostering global collaboration and future Taiwan-Australia projects.

Workshop III: Exploring Protein Complex Systems and Enzymatic Functions through Advanced Structural Biology Approaches from Dynamic and Static Perspectives
The protein crystallography (PX) workshop, chaired by Dr. Yane-Shih Wang and Dr. Chun-Hsiang Huang, gathered ten leading international and domestic researchers to share breakthroughs in structural biology. The workshop aimed to explore how advanced approaches, from both dynamic and static viewpoints, are revolutionizing our understanding of protein complexes and enzymatic functions. The presentations covered "GlycoSwitch," a novel signaling circuit that dynamically alters glycan structures to control endocytosis, protein structural plasticity and mechanistic insights into enzymatic and epigenetic regulation, complex enzymatic systems and biocatalysis for drug discovery, and time-resolved structural biology as a new frontier for capturing transient enzymatic states. In the last presentation, Dr. Chien-Chang Tseng (NSRRC) outlined the advancements at the TPS PX beamlines. The workshop successfully underscored the importance of integrating diverse structural biology techniques to unravel complex biological processes, fostering a collaborative environment for future research.
Group photo from NSRRC’s 31st Users’ Meeting & Workshops.
Selected photos from (top row) the 4th and 5th Outstanding Paper Award and the group photo celebrating the 10th anniversary of the SIKA cold neutron triple-axis spectrometer; (middle row, left to right) the poster session, Sow-Hsin Chen Distinguished Lectureship on Neutron Science and Technology, and mini-workshop 1; and (bottom row) mini-workshops and workshops.