The 63rd Annual Meeting of The Clay Minerals Society (CMS) was held during 7–11 July 2026 at the Brigham Young University Conference Center in Provo, Utah, USA. At the conference, Professor XI Yunfei from the Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences (GIGCAS) was presented with the Marion L. and Chrystie M. Jackson Mid-Career Clay Scientist Award.

Presented annually to a single recipient, the award recognizes mid-career scientists who have made outstanding contributions to the advancement of new knowledge in clay mineral science through original and scholarly research. XI is the fourth person of Chinese descent worldwide to receive this prestigious award, reflecting his significant international academic influence in the field of clay mineral science. He also delivered a 40-minute plenary lecture entitled "Structure and Reactivity of Clay Minerals and Their Environmental Applications" at the meeting.

XI has long been engaged in systematic research on the structure of clay minerals, interfacial reactions, the development of functional materials, and their environmental applications. He has made a series of innovative contributions to the fundamental theory of clay minerals, microstructural characterization, reaction mechanism analysis, and resource and environmental applications, promoting interdisciplinary advances at the interface of clay mineral science, environmental science, and materials science. This award represents international recognition of XI's sustained commitment to original, high-impact research in clay mineral science and also reflects the growing international reputation of GIGCAS in the fields of clay minerals and environmental materials.

Organized by CMS, the CMS annual meeting is one of the world's leading scientific meetings in the field of clay mineral science, bringing together researchers from universities, research institutes, government agencies, and industry around the globe. The scientific program of the meeting this year covered a broad range of topics, including paleoclimate and planetary science, computational modeling and software development, critical mineral resources, advanced characterization of clay minerals, water treatment and environmental remediation, nuclear waste disposal, oil and gas applications, soil clay minerals, and clay-based materials for pollution control and toxin mitigation, highlighting the important roles of clay mineral science in resources, environment, energy, and materials research.