Itamar Willner, born on January 27, 1947, holds Israeli nationality and is currently a professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Israel. He obtained his doctorate in chemistry from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Israel in 1978. He was elected as an academician of the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities in 2002, an academician of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts in 2004, an academician of the German National Academy of Sciences in 2009, and a foreign academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2021.

His research fields cover supramolecular chemistry, nanomaterials, and biomaterials. He has innovatively constructed a series of bio/nano functional self-assembly systems such as DNA molecular machines, logic gates, hybrid assemblies, and multi-level assemblies by using biomacromolecules such as DNA and proteins combined with metal nanoparticles. Based on these functional assemblies, he has developed a series of new methods of bio-nano catalysis and proposed the new concept of nucleoapzymes, greatly improving the efficiency and specificity of simulated biological enzyme catalysis. At the same time, he has explored the application of nano-assemblies in the fields of bio-photoelectric sensing and intelligent responsive soft materials, making outstanding contributions to this research field. Based on the previous work, he recently developed the new concept of DNA dynamic networks in systematic chemistry, providing a new platform and powerful tool for in-depth research on the nonequilibrium assembly behavior and potential applications of biomacromolecules in life processes. He has systematically studied the construction of new systems for artificial photosynthesis/photosynthesis and the corresponding energy dissipation mechanisms. Professor Itamar Willner has published over 850 SCI papers in internationally renowned journals such as Nature and Science, with over 89,000 citations and an H-index of 142. He has been granted over 30 invention patents. He has successively won the Israel Chemistry Prize, Rothschild Prize, and EMET Prize (awarded by the Prime Minister of Israel) and is also the winner of the Israel Chemical Society Gold Medal. He has served or currently serves as an editorial board member of nearly 20 academic journals, including JACS, ACIE, Nano Lett., ACS Nano, Small, and ChemPhysChem.

Professor Itamar Willner's pioneering scientific concepts, viewpoints, and a series of innovative achievements have had important and far-reaching impacts in the fields of molecular-supramolecular electronics, intelligent responsive materials, controllable wetting and functional interfaces for loading/release, and photoelectric/bioelectric assembly systems. His forward-looking concepts and achievements have led to new applications in the fields of photo/electrochemical (bio) probes, design of micro/nano assemblies for drug delivery, synthesis of new photocatalysts, and molecular machines and devices. Professor Itamar Willner maintains close ties with the Chinese scientific community and has long collaborated with Chinese scholars. He was employed as an honorary professor of our university in 2007, co-led the establishment of the Ministry of Education International Joint Laboratory for Structurally Controllable Molecular Engineering with Academician Tian He in 2017 as the foreign director, and was employed as an internationally renowned master visiting professor of our university in 2022 to carry out in-depth research in cutting-edge disciplines, creating a highland for basic research, talent cultivation, and international cooperation in precision chemistry and molecular engineering that gathers top scientists from home and abroad.