IAS Electrochemistry Winter School 2027

Overview

Electrochemistry is a dynamic branch of physical chemistry that investigates the relationship between electrical energy and chemical change. At its core, it describes how chemical reactions can generate electricity (as seen in batteries) and how electricity can be used to drive otherwise non-spontaneous chemical transformations (a process known as electrolysis). This interplay occurs at the interface of an electrode and an electrolyte, governed by thermodynamic and kinetic principles that dictate charge transfer. By bridging chemistry, physics, and materials science, electrochemistry provides the theoretical and practical framework for understanding a vast array of natural and synthetic processes that are vital to modern technology and industry. The importance of electrochemistry is perhaps most visible in fields such as energy storage and conversion, electrosynthesis, corrosion, electrodeposition, and sensors.

This Winter School will be hosted by the Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) from January 4–8, 2027 (with registration on January 3). Our primary objective is to cultivate the next generation of electrochemists. The program is specifically tailored for PhD students, postdoctoral fellows, and junior researchers in academia and industry.

The week-long curriculum will provide a comprehensive dive into fundamental and applied electrochemistry, featuring in-person lectures delivered entirely in English. The scope includes, but is not limited to:

• Fundamentals & Interfaces: Fundamental electrochemistry, electrochemical interfaces, bioelectrochemistry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and in situ spectro-electrochemistry.
• Energy & Environment: Electrocatalysis, batteries, fuel cells, electrolyzers, corrosion, and deposition.
• Theory & Next-Gen Tech: Modeling, AI-driven electrochemistry, and electrochemically coupled heat and mass transfer.

We intend to establish this Winter School as an annual landmark event, and we are pleased to offer free registration for all attendees.

Confirmed Instructors

We have secured an outstanding panel of fourteen globally renowned instructors to lead the sessions. They include

Doron AURBACH (Bar-Ilan University)
Francesco CIUCCI (University of Bayreuth)
Hubert GASTEIGER (Technical University of Munich)
Jun HUANG (Jülich Research Centre)
Ying Shirley MENG (Nanyang Technological University)
Shelley MINTEER (Missouri University of Science and Technology)
Zhangquan PENG (Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics)
Bin REN (Xiamen University)
Jan ROSSMEISL (University of Copenhagen)
Minhua SHAO (Hong Kong University of Science and Technology)
Vojislav STAMENKOVIC (University of California – Irvine)
Zhong-Qun TIAN (Xiamen University)
Kang XU (Ohio State University)
Tianshou ZHAO (Hong Kong University of Science and Technology)

Application and Registration

Applicants are required to submit a full CV with a publication list and a recommendation letter from his/her immediate supervisor to ias2027ews@ust.hk by November 8th, 2026. Applicants will be notified of the selection results by November 16th, 2026.