At the invitation of Professor Zhang Lianbing of School of Life Sciences, Jie Gao, a researcher from the IAL Analytical Testing Laboratory in Randolph, New Jersey, USA, gave a lecture entitled "Experimental characterization and DFT calculations for molecular sieve-supported molybdenum nanoparticles to catalyze the aromatization of methane". The report was chaired by Professor Lianbing Zhang. Some teachers, graduate students and undergraduates from the School of Life Sciences attended the meeting.

Jie Gao introduced the research on molybdenum-supported catalysts by using characterization methods such as operando Raman, UV-vis and DFT calculation. The experimental analysis determined the initial structure of molybdenum catalyst, the supported active sites, and the dynamic changes of the catalyst during the reaction. The regeneration mechanism of the catalyst and the effect of regeneration conditions on the redispersion of the molybdenum catalyst were also discovered.  Jie Gao also introduced that the combination of DFT quantitative calculation and in-situ characterization had important guiding significance for the design of catalysts and the optimization of catalytic reactions.

After the meeting, the teachers and students put forward many personal understandings and questions about the research to Jie Gao. Intense discussions were held on the application of DFT quantitative calculation in biocatalysis and life sciences, which laid the foundation for subsequent cooperation between the two parties.