Smart/intelligent materials are materials that respond to or are controlled by external stimuli such as temperature, light, and electric or magnetic fields. They are capable of sensing, processing, actuating, and providing feedback in reaction to environmental changes. Our research is primarily concerned with the interactions between incident light, electrical polarisation, electrons and mechanical strain from structural and chemical perspectives. The group has a very close collaboration with Prof. Yun Liu. We adopt cutting-edge techniques and develop new methods to explore the responses of smart materials to external stimuli and to understand their structural origins across various length (nm to mm) and time (ps to min) scales. Then we develop new material design strategies, including defect chemical engineering, nanofabrication, and self-assembly, to realise new functionalities.