Scientists in Mainz and Beijing receive award for successful long-term international collaboration
Ulrich Pöschl, director at the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry in Mainz, and Hang Su, director at the Institute of Atmospheric Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing, jointly received the Fissan-Pui-TSI Award 2026. The award, presented every four years, recognizes outstanding international collaboration in the field of aerosol research.
For more than 20 years, Ulrich Pöschl and Hang Su have pursued and advanced scientific collaboration between their institutions and colleagues in Germany, China, and around the world. They are investigating the sources and interactions of atmospheric aerosol particles and trace gases as well as their effects on air quality, climate, and public health. One of their key findings highlighted in the award citation was the discovery of multiphase chemistry feedback loops that can accelerate the production of particulate matter in polluted air.
From scientific discoveries to global solutions
The scientific collaboration has grown from tackling specific scientific questions to jointly training young scientists, developing new experimental research platforms, and building a long-term and large-scale collaborative framework integrating laboratory experiments, field observations, theoretical studies, and numerical modeling. The scientific achievements and the mutual trust built over many years have also provided a cornerstone for deepening the partnership between the Max Planck Society (MPG) and the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS). This led to the recently launched Max Planck – Asia Center for Unravelling the Nexus of Air Pollution, Extreme Weather, and Monsoon in a Warming Climate: Pathways to Global Solutions (MAC-AIR), uniting partners from Germany, China, India, and Finland.
“Scientific exploration often begins with curiosity, but the value of science should not end with the individual,” says Hang Su. “If we have the opportunity, we should educate good students and build strong teams. The next step is to establish genuinely long-term and trusting partnerships across institutions and countries, and ultimately to work together on global challenges that no country can solve alone. Su adds: “For me, the establishment of the Max Planck - Asia Center marks a milestone in this journey—from collaboration between individuals to collaboration between teams and institutions, and ultimately toward a shared global endeavor. It also resonates perfectly with the theme of this year’s International Aerosol Conference: ‘Breathe the same air, share a common fate.’”
For a prosperous and sustainable Anthropocene
Beyond fundamental scientific understanding, the collaborative research of Pöschl and Su aims at advancing the scientific basis for a prosperous and sustainable Anthropocene, the current epoch in Earth history characterized by a dominant influence of human activities shaping the planet and its ecosystems.
“Since we met over 20 years ago, it a has always been a pleasure and privilege to collaborate with Hang,”says Ulrich Pöschl. “His scientific creativity, curiosity, and skills in experimental investigation, theory, and numerical modeling are amazing and keep reminding me of my mentors Paul Crutzen and Meinrat O. Andreae. Pöschl continues:“It is one of the greatest pleasures for a scholar to see how the younger generation builds on and exceeds the achievements of the older generation. Accordingly, I am very glad and proud of Hang’s great success in scientific research and teaching, and I very much look forward to continue working with him and our students, postdocs, mentees, and partners around the world. Together, we will continue to contribute to the scientific basis for a prosperous and sustainable Anthropocene.”
Background on the award
Presented every four years by the International Aerosol Research Assembly (IARA), the Fissan-Pui-TSI Award honors researchers who have achieved scientific excellence and significant international impact in aerosol science and technology through sustained collaboration. The award includes a monetary prize of 10,000 USD and is distinctive for recognizing not only outstanding scientific achievements but also the long-term collaboration that makes them possible.
More information on the research of Ulrich Pöschl and Hang Su:
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Google Scholar:
- https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=de&user=czxG87cAAAAJ
https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=BjCkRJwAAAAJ&hl=de