Wenyang Xu

Dr. Wenyang Xu is a Group Leader at the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces in the Department of Sustainable and Bio-inspired Materials, focusing on biomass-derived polysaccharides and sustainable material applications. He holds a PhD in Bio-based Materials from Åbo Akademi University, earned with Distinction in 2019 under Prof. Stefan Willför and Prof. Chunlin Xu.

• Education: MSc (with Distinction, 2015) and PhD (with Distinction, 2019) from Åbo Akademi University
• International Experience: Research in Austria (2016) and Australia (2017); Postdoc roles at Aalto University and KTH Royal Institute of Technology

His research spans chemical and interfacial engineering of biopolymers, with recent advances in solid-state adsorption techniques for lignocellulosic materials. Key objectives include developing circular bio-based materials and replacing organic dyes with sustainable structural coloration.

Dr. Xu has secured grants like the Academy of Finland Postdoc Research Fellowship and co-organized symposiums in the ACS Cellulose Division. He has presented at major conferences, including ACS 'New Horizons in Cellulose' and the '2nd International Symposium on Cellulose and Renewable Materials (ISCRM)'.

• Scientific Awards
  • Outstanding Contribution in Reviewing, Carbohydrate Polymers (2018)
  • Best Oral Award, EWLP (2018)
  • Det Alfthanska Priset, Finska Kemistsamfundet (2020)
  • Chinese Government Award (2020)
  • C. J. Jansson Prize (2020)