On Nov. 21, 2025, Professor Ben L. Feringa, the 2016 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry, has delivered an inspiring speech titled "Joy of Discovery" at Zhiyuan College, which has attracted over 150 faculty members and students. The lecture was hosted by Dr. Lin Yunxiao, a Chemistry graduate (class of 2017) of Zhiyuan College and now an Assistant Researcher at the Zhangjiang National Laboratory. Zhou Shenshen, Secretary of the CPC ZY College Committee; He Feng, the Executive Deputy Dean, and Li Qian, Associate Dean attended the event.

Feringa began his talk by drawing a parallel between the Wright brothers' inspiration from birds and his own research philosophy: "learning from nature." He framed the scientific exploration as a magnificent blueprint built upon "Challenge, Dream, and Opportunity," and encouraged the audience to push the limits by quoting physicist Richard Feynman: "There is plenty of room at the bottom."

Feringa vividly shared his scientific journey and his team's groundbreaking work, offering a glimpse into the thought processes and innovative pathways behind top-tier discoveries. He detailed how inspiration from the conformational changes of retinal in the human eye led to the development of "molecular switches," with applications in light-controlled drug delivery. Driven by a grander dream to "make molecules move," his team designed a 360-degree continuously rotating "molecular motor," mimicking biological protein motors. This breakthrough paves the way for future applications like artificial muscles and self-healing materials. After eight years of dedicated effort, they successfully integrated multiple motors to create a "nano-car," where four molecular wheels rotate in concert, painting a visionary picture of nano-robots performing targeted medical tasks in the future.

Reflecting on his Nobel Prize experience, Professor Feringa described it as a "fairytale," but emphasized that he and his team cherish the continuous process of exploration in molecular science far more than the accolade itself. He concluded by urging the attendees to "Follow your dream," "Find your energy," and "Explore your limits" to experience the unparalleled joy of discovery for themselves.

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Professor Ben L. Feringa is currently the Jacobus H. van't Hoff Distinguished Professor at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands. He is a Foreign Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and a Foreign Honorary Academician of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. In 2008, Professor Feringa was appointed as a member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Sciences and was knighted by the Queen of the Netherlands. His research covers multiple cutting-edge fields such as stereochemistry, organic synthesis, asymmetric catalysis, photo-pharmacology, molecular switches and motors, self-assembly, and molecular nano-systems. In 2016, he was awarded with the Nobel Prize in Chemistry together with Sir J. Fraser Stoddart and Professor Jean-Pierre Sauvage for his pioneering contributions to the design and synthesis of molecular machines. In 2023, he was awarded with the China Government Friendship Award.