Life Outside the Lab: Balance, Curiosity, and Continuity

From Curiosity to Commitment

How early research experiences shaped my scientific path

My journey in chemistry began at National Taiwan University, where I was first introduced to the discipline not just as a subject to study, but as a way of thinking. During my undergraduate and master’s years, working in a research-driven environment taught me how curiosity turns into structured inquiry. Exploring topics such as OLED host materials and chiral electropolymerization trained me to appreciate the relationship between molecular design and function.

What stayed with me most from this period was not a single result, but the realization that meaningful research requires patience, collaboration, and a willingness to sit with uncertainty. These early experiences laid the foundation for how I approach scientific problems to this day.

Crossing Borders, Expanding Perspectives

Learning science through different academic cultures

Pursuing doctoral studies in the United States marked a turning point in my academic life. Immersed in a different research culture, I learned to think more broadly about chemistry as a system—how redox behavior, ligand design, and polymeric structures communicate with one another. This period strengthened my independence as a researcher and sharpened my ability to ask precise questions.

Later experiences in Germany further deepened this perspective. Working in an international environment reinforced the idea that science is inherently global, shaped by diverse ways of thinking, mentoring, and collaboration. Each academic system taught me something new—not only about chemistry, but about how people learn and work together.

Returning Home with New Questions

Building a research identity beyond training

Returning to Taiwan as a faculty member is not the end of a journey, but the beginning of a new one. My focus has shifted from learning existing frameworks to building my own research direction, mentoring students, and contributing to the scientific community in a sustainable way.

This blog is part of that process. It is a space to reflect, to connect ideas across disciplines, and to document thoughts that may not always fit into formal publications—but are nonetheless essential to scientific growth.