Organized by the National Synchrotron Radiation Research Center (NSRRC), the annual Users’ Meeting & Workshops is one of the biggest and the most important meetings in the field of synchrotron radiation in Taiwan. Each year, it has approximately 250 poster presentations and attracts over 400 participants. The 31^st Users’ Meeting & Workshops is scheduled to take place from September 2^nd to September 4^th, 2025. The User Executive Committee (UEC) of the NSRRC sincerely invites you to attend the event and present your research results. The three-day program will be packed with excitement, featuring invited talks by outstanding users and various opportunities for participants to discuss and exchange ideas. We heartily welcome your participation. The program is briefly summarized below.

 
Day 1: September 2^nd (Tuesday)

• The NSRRC management will brief users on the "Current Status and Future Prospects."
• President Chi-Hung Lin of National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, who holds an MD/PhD in microbiology & immunology, will deliver a plenary talk.
• The "NSRRC Outstanding Paper Award," promoting synchrotron radiation science in Taiwan, will acknowledge scientific achievements in Life Sciences this year. Award recipients this year and last year in Applied Sciences will present their award-winning work.
• Invited outstanding users will present their latest innovative work.
• Entrants who have excelled in the first-round pre-evaluation will proceed to the "English Oral Presentation" competition.
• During the evening "Poster Session," all posters and presenters will be accessible on-site for evaluation, sharing, and discussion.

 
Day 2: September 3^rd (Wednesday)

• The well-received "NSRRC Run" will allow participants to break a sweat and take in enjoyable settings of the NSRRC campus.
• The "Town Meeting" features updates from the UEC and Neutron UEC chairpersons, along with NSRRC management addressing user-related issues and facility development.
• The “Sow-Hsin Chen Neutron Technology and Application Honorary Lecture” will be hosted and all attendees are warmly invited to participate.
• Invited outstanding users will present their latest innovative work.
• All attendees are invited to the banquet to enjoy an evening of relaxed and cheerful conversation with both old and new acquaintances. Winners of poster and oral presentation competitions will also be honored during this event.
• Six mini-workshops will be held concurrently:

1. Workshop on Total Scattering and Pair Distribution Function Analysis: PDF Data Acquisition, Reduction, and Analysis at TPS19A
   Structural analysis techniques are key indicators of technological advancement in scientific research. Only by thoroughly understanding the subtle differences in a material’s microstructure can we accurately determine the origins of its physical properties. Over the past decades, single-crystal and powder diffraction methods have continuously evolved, establishing a mature framework for analyzing crystalline materials. However, in the fields of nanomaterials and energy materials, the presence of amorphous phases often plays a critical role in determining material performance.
   Conventional Bragg diffraction-based techniques primarily extract information from diffraction peaks, overlooking valuable structural insights hidden in the non-Bragg signals. To overcome this limitation, the combination of total scattering data analysis and Pair Distribution Function (PDF) techniques has emerged as a powerful approach. At TPS 19A, the high-resolution powder diffraction beamline, in conjunction with high-energy X-rays, enables the acquisition of total scattering data with a momentum transfer (Q) up to approximately 26 Å⁻¹. This allows for precise characterization of short-range structural order beyond the reach of traditional methods.
   By statistically analyzing the interatomic distances captured in the PDF, researchers can gain detailed insights into local structural features. This capability is particularly beneficial for the design and functional understanding of nanomaterials and energy-related materials.
2. Soft X-ray (Ambient Pressure) Photoelectron and Absorption Spectroscopies
   Soft X-ray (ambient pressure) photoelectron and absorption spectroscopy techniques have become indispensable tools in advancing research in fields such as surface science, environmental science, energy materials, catalytic reactions, etc. This mini-workshop will invite domestic and international experts to share their latest research achievements using these techniques and will introduce the design and capabilities of the advanced endstations under construction at the upcoming TPS 35A and TPS 43A beamlines. In addition, the phased decommissioning plans of TLS 20A1 and TLS 24A1 will also be discussed. This event aims to foster academic exchange, strengthen collaborations between endstation researchers and users, and further promote the applications of soft X-ray spectroscopy techniques across a broader range of research fields.
3. Management and Application of Scientific Research Data
   Synchrotron X-ray data and the associated metadata storage, traceability, and reuse is a topic of growing importance. In the machine learning era, successful data and metadata management will possibly allow artificial intelligence (AI) to address the challenge on manpower shortage and experience transfer. This mini-workshop focuses on recent advancements in data structure, collection, management, and machine learning techniques for elucidating the images (such as on X-ray tomography) and scattering data (such as diffraction mapping) for the research community. This mini-workshop aims to serve as a brainstorming platform for common users and research infrastructures (RI) to collaboratively develop FAIR data practices at the national laboratory scale.
4. THz Beamline User Promotion Meeting
   Coherent THz sources based on linear accelerator technology have been established at the NSRRC. These sources offer intense output, tunable wavelengths, and superior temporal coherence, making them highly valuable for applications in semiconductors, quantum materials, and biomedical imaging. Additionally, the photo-injector system provides high-quality sub-picosecond electron sources. This mini-workshop aims to promote the coherent THz sources and high-brightness photo-injector system. Researchers in the field will share their studies and provide suggestions on the specifications of the THz sources. We hope to attract more users interested in utilizing these advanced THz sources.
5. Precision Diagnostics with Infrared Spectroscopy and Imaging
   This mini-workshop aims to explore the clinical applications of Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and imaging, wax physisorption kinetics, and attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) in precision diagnostics. It further integrates machine learning and deep learning algorithms within AI to enable automated disease recognition and classification model development. The mini-workshop highlights multiple representative disease applications, including the diagnosis of skin diseases, early screening for oral cancer, cardiovascular diseases associated with dyslipidemia, and disease activity assessment in lupus nephritis. Infrared spectroscopic techniques offer label-free and non-destructive molecular profiling, capable of revealing biochemical compositions and changes in serum and tissue specimens. In particular, wax physisorption kinetics has been successfully applied to the spectroscopic screening of cell membrane glycan elongation in oral cancer cells, using the C30R/C22R ratio to evaluate neoplastic transformation risk. Diagnostic sensitivity and specificity are significantly enhanced when combined with AI-based classification models.
   The mini-workshop covers key topics such as infrared wax physisorption imaging, disease-related spectral feature interpretation, and AI-assisted diagnostic modeling, aiming to bridge academic research and clinical application. It further promotes the advancement of precision medicine and biomedical spectroscopy through interdisciplinary innovation and collaboration. 
6. Analytical Advantages of Synchrotron Radiation Sources in the Field of Drug Delivery
   Synchrotron radiation generates high-intensity, high-resolution light sources that can be used to analyze the molecular structures of drugs or their delivery systems. This enables unprecedented precision in observation and analysis for the field of drug delivery, contributing to the development of new drugs, the design of drug carriers, and the advancement of personalized medical strategies. Specific advantages include:
   (1) High-resolution imaging
   With a resolution surpassing that of traditional X-rays, it allows for the observation of drug distribution within cells or tissues, and even the tracking of nanoscale drug carriers as they penetrate cell membranes or accumulate in specific organs.
   (2) Strong elemental analysis capability
   When combined with techniques such as X-ray fluorescence (XRF) or X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS), it can accurately detect metal element markers in drugs or components of drug carriers, enabling non-destructive sample analysis.
   (3) Integration of diverse technologies
   By integrating various analytical methods, such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), and FTIR, researchers can further understand drug crystal structures, molecular interactions, and physical states.
    
   In light of these topics, we are inviting leading professionals from the domestic biotech industry and academic experts to participate in an in-depth discussion on the application of synchrotron light source technologies in this field. The goal is to align with industry needs and create new opportunities for collaboration.

Day 3: September 4^th (Thursday)

Three workshops will take place in parallel.

• Workshop I: Extreme Ultraviolet Technology and Applications Workshop
  Extreme ultraviolet (EUV) technology is essential in today's semiconductor industry, particularly for processes at 7 nm and smaller nodes, where EUV lithography meets the need for improved wafer performance and reduced power consumption. The synchrotron light source can provide a purer and higher-intensity light source than conventional or other light sources, which is crucial for the development of EUV technology and related applications, including the ability to accurately determine the optical parameters of materials, inspect defects in photomasks, and evaluate the characteristics of photoresist, and can promote the technological advancement of EUV technology and related equipment. This workshop will feature domestic and foreign experts. Through in-depth discussions, the workshop will stimulate a variety of creative ideas and promote in-depth exchanges among the participants on the application of EUV technology in semiconductor manufacturing processes and its future development.

• Workshop II: Taiwan-Australia Project: Innovation & Sustainability, SIKA’s Decade of Excellence
  This year commemorates the 10^th anniversary of SIKA’s operational certification. Emerging from the Taiwan-Australia Neutron Beam Application Research Collaboration, SIKA represents Taiwan’s inaugural indigenously engineered cold neutron triple-axis spectrometer, facilitating concurrent inelastic and elastic scattering investigations to address the demands of Taiwan academia and industry. The 10^th Anniversary Symposium will convene distinguished scholars from Taiwan and abroad to present a decade of research conducted at SIKA, spanning superconductors, quantum systems, magnetic thin films, energy materials and industrial applications. This event seeks to foster direct dialogue, consolidate expertise, and share advanced neutron scattering methodologies to enhance Taiwan’s scientific and industrial competitiveness, propelling the SIKA initiative into its next decade of achievement.

• Workshop III: Exploring Protein Complex Systems and Enzymatic Functions through Advanced Structural Biology Approaches from Dynamic and Static Perspectives
  With the rapid advancement of structural biology, traditional synchrotron-based protein crystallography (PX), while highly accurate in resolving static structures, remains limited in its ability to elucidate the dynamic processes and functional mechanisms of proteins. Consequently, integrative research approaches that combine multiple advanced techniques, particularly time-resolved structural biology, have emerged as a critical direction for development in this field.
  In recent years, the rapid advancements in technologies such as cryo-electron microscopy (Cryo-EM), X-ray free-electron lasers (XFEL), and serial synchrotron crystallography (SSX) have provided unprecedented opportunities to capture the diverse conformations and dynamic changes of proteins. For example, Cryo-EM can observe dynamic processes within the time range of 1 minute to milliseconds (1 min–ms), such as lipid phase transitions (approximately 3–6 seconds) and the operation of translating ribosomes (approximately 20–600 milliseconds). In contrast, SSX and XFEL are capable of capturing ultrafast dynamic processes from milliseconds to femtoseconds (ms–fs), such as the photoreaction of photolyase, with a time resolution down to 3 picoseconds. These technologies offer complementary time-resolved observation windows, and the integration of traditional PX with these advanced techniques enables a more comprehensive understanding of the relationship between protein structure and function, encompassing both static structures and dynamic processes. This integrative approach significantly advances the development of structural biology.

This workshop will convene leading academic experts from both domestic and international institutions to focus on the integration and application of synchrotron PX technology with advanced methodologies such as Cryo-EM, XFEL, and SSX, aiming to advance structural biology, particularly in the field of time-resolved structural biology. The discussions will center on key topics, including the relationship between protein structure and function, elucidation of enzymatic catalytic mechanisms, and the exploration of biomolecular complexity. The workshop underscores the significance of integrative structural biology and time-resolved techniques. It aims to foster in-depth academic exchanges and collaborations, inspire innovative ideas, and explore new directions for technological integration to support domestic academic research and industrial development, thereby enhancing global competitiveness.

We welcome colleagues from the scientific community to sign up for the event. Please complete the online registration (https://nsrrc-usermeeting2025.conf.tw/to?en) by June 30 (Monday).

Looking forward to seeing you at the meeting!

User Executive Committee

National Synchrotron Radiation Research Center