Under extreme high pressure, atoms of matter are compressed into much denser arrangements, revealing new structures and properties that are inaccessible under normal conditions. Materials can transform from insulators into conductors, or from soft substances into ultra-hard materials.
The research of Assistant Professor A-Kun Liang focuses on recreating such extreme environments in the laboratory to explore the hidden possibilities of matter.
Recently, at the 63rd Annual Meeting of the European High Pressure Research Group (EHPRG Meeting) held in France, the European High Pressure Research Group announced the recipients of the 2026 EHPRG Award. Assistant Professor A-Kun Liang from the College of Science, Eastern Institute of Technology, Ningbo (EIT), has been honored with this prestigious award.
Assistant Professor A-Kun Liang (right) receives the award certificate from EHPRG President Matteo Ceppatelli (left).
According to the EHPRG Award Committee, Professor Liang was recognized for his pioneering contributions to understanding the high-pressure behavior of metal iodates, establishing structure–property relationships, and uncovering general principles of band-gap engineering. He was also honored for his work on the high-temperature and high-pressure synthesis of novel transition-metal nitrides and carbonitrides, as well as for revealing chemical reactions that can only occur under such extreme conditions.
Professor Liang is the first Chinese recipient of the EHPRG Award since its establishment in 1989, marking a historic breakthrough for Chinese researchers in this internationally recognized award.
Professor A-Kun Liang is the first Chinese recipient of the EHPRG Award since its establishment.
Established in 1989 by the European High Pressure Research Group, the EHPRG Award is presented annually to an outstanding young scientist. The award aims to promote high-quality research in high-pressure science and encourage young researchers and engineers to advance the field.
Previous recipients have primarily come from leading European research institutions and universities, including the University of Edinburgh, European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF), University of Bayreuth, and ETH Zurich, making the competition highly selective.
This achievement follows Professor Liang’s receipt of the Jamieson Award from the International Association for the Advancement of High Pressure Science and Technology (AIRAPT) in 2023, further demonstrating the growing international recognition of young scholars at EITech in the fields of extreme-condition physics and advanced materials research.
A-Kun Liang
Assistant Professor
A-Kun Liang is an Assistant Professor at the College of Science, Eastern Institute of Technology, Ningbo (EIT). He received his Ph.D. degree from the University of Valencia, Spain, in 2022, and subsequently conducted postdoctoral research at the University of Edinburgh, UK.
He joined EITech in January 2025. His research focuses on high-pressure crystallography, high-temperature and high-pressure synthesis of novel materials, and the regulation of physical properties in functional materials. His work aims to discover new forms of matter and novel chemical reactions under extreme conditions.
The Extreme Conditions Physics Research Group led by Professor Liang is recruiting Ph.D. students (through joint training programs with Shanghai Jiao Tong University and the University of Science and Technology of China) and postdoctoral researchers. Outstanding young researchers and students with relevant backgrounds are welcome to apply.
Contact:akliang@eitech.edu.cn
