Advent calendar - December 16th - Xiaojin Liu

In the Zernike Institute Advent Calendar, we are presenting 24 short spotlights in December. In these specials, we highlight PhD students, postdocs, support staff and technicians of our research groups and team - providing a glimpse into their typical day at work. In Episode 16 meet Xiaojin Liu, PhD researcher in the Polymer Science group of Prof. Marleen Kamperman and at the University Medical Center Groningen with Prof. Prashant Sharma and Dr. Jelmer Sjollema .

I am Xiaojin Liu, a PhD student at the University of Groningen in the group of Polymer Science led by Prof. Marleen Kamperman, co-supervised by Dr. Prashant Sharma and Dr. Jelmer Sjollema from the University Medical Center Groningen. My research focuses on developing smart coatings for combating catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs).

CAUTIs remain one of the most prevalent hospital-acquired infections, resulting in high treatment costs and, in severe cases, life-threatening complications. To reduce the infection risk, considerable effort has been devoted to the development of antibacterial urinary catheters such as antibiotic-coated catheters. However, the growing challenge of antibiotic resistance has highlighted the urgent need for alternative solutions. My projects aim to create polymer coatings capable of responding to specific stimuli, such as temperature, pH and enzyme, to provide timely on-demand antibacterial action and thereby prevent the development of bacterial drug resistance.

I really like my project because it is interdisciplinary and brings together chemistry, biology, and real-world applications. Even though I have experienced many experimental setbacks over the past three years, I still stay passionate about my research. I am hopeful that what I am working on will one day provide a meaningful solution for CAUTI prevention and support better patient care.

My typical workday involves performing experiments in the lab (both in Zernike institute and at the UMCG), learning new techniques, analyzing data, reading, writing, supervising students, and preparing for conferences. After a long day at work, I enjoy reading novels or watching movies. I also like exploring different restaurants and bubble tea shops with my friends on weekends.

Wishing everyone a lovely Christmas and a happy New Year!

See all Advent Calendar items 2025 here!