Academic Staff
Ir Professor Christopher Chao
Senior Vice President (Research and Innovation), Chair Professor of Thermal and Environmental Engineering
- M1710
- +852 2766 4673
- christopher.chao@polyu.edu.hk
- Personal website
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Research IDBiography
Prof. Christopher Chao received his BSc(Eng) degree in Mechanical Engineering (First Class) from The University of Hong Kong (HKU) in 1988. He was awarded the Sir Edward Youde Memorial Fellowship for Overseas Studies in 1990 and obtained his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Mechanical Engineering from The University of California, Berkeley, USA, in 1992 and 1994, respectively. Prof. Chao was an Assistant Professor at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) from 1995-1997. Before returning to PolyU in September 2021, he was an Assistant Professor (1997-2002), Associate Professor (tenured, 2002-2009), Full Professor (2009-2015) and Chair Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (2015-2018) at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST). He was Associate Dean of Engineering (Research and Graduate Studies) (2011-2014) and Head of the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at HKUST (2014-2018). He joined HKU to serve as Dean of Engineering and Chair Professor of Mechanical Engineering from 2018 to 2021.
Since 2020, Prof. Chao has been ranked by Clarivate among the top 1% worldwide by citations in the field of Engineering for multiple consecutive years, and has also been listed among Stanford University’s Top 2% Scientists globally for multiple years. In 2025, he received the prestigious Louise and Bill Holladay Distinguished Fellow Award from the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), becoming the third scholar in Asia to receive this distinction. He has published over 200 archival journal papers. He serves as a regional editor and is on the editorial boards of several major journals in the field of Built Environment and Energy including Energy and Buildings, Building and Environment, Indoor Air, Building Simulation, Indoor and Built Environment, etc.
Prof. Chao is a Fellow of the Hong Kong Academy of Engineering, the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers, the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-conditioning Engineers, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers, and the International Society of Indoor Air Quality and Climate. Beyond his academic and professional achievements, Prof. Chao actively contributes to the professional community and the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. His current leadership and advisory appointments include Chairman of the Council of the Sir Edward Youde Memorial Fund, Senior Vice President of the Hong Kong Academy of Engineering, and member of the Research Strategy Expert Group of the Chief Executive’s Policy Unit, the Gas Safety Advisory Committee of the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department, the Board of the Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute, the Board of the Hong Kong Logistics and Supply Chain MultiTech R&D Centre, the Council of the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers, and the HKTDC Mainland Business Advisory Committee.
Research Overview
Aerosol and gaseous contaminant transport in indoor environments
Solar and waste heat driven cooling and refrigeration system,
Passive radiative cooling
Nanofluid heat transfer
Bio inspired heat transfer
Fire dynamics and combustion
Selected Publications in Recent Years:
1. R.Y.M. Wong, C.Y. Tso, C.Y.H. Chao, Thermo-radiative Energy Conversion Efficiency of a Passive Radiative Fluid Cooling System, Renewable Energy, 180, pp. 700-711, 2021.
2. F.R. Siddiqui, C.Y. Tso, S.C. Fu, H.H. Qiu and C.Y.H. Chao, Droplet Evaporation and Boiling for Different Mixing Ratios of the Silver-graphene Hybrid Nanofluid Over Heated Surfaces, International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, 180, 121786, 2021.
3. Y. Zhang, S.C. Fu, K.C. Chan, D.M. Shin and C.Y.H. Chao, Boosting Power Output of Flutter-driven Triboelectric Nanogenerator by Flexible Flagpole, Nano Energy, 88, 106284, 2021.
4. X.L. Zhong, S.C. Fu, K.C. Chan and C.Y.H. Chao, Experimental Study of Particle Deposition on Patterned Microstructured Surfaces in a Chamber Environment, Journal of Aerosol Science, 157, 105802, 2021.
5. W. Ma, Y. Li, C.Y.H. Chao, C.Y. Tso, B. Huang, W. Li and S. Yao, Solar-assisted Icephobicity Down to -60 °C with Superhydrophobic Selective Surfaces, Cell Reports Physical Science, 2, 100384, 2021.
6. C.T. Wang, S.C. Fu and C.Y.H. Chao, Short-range Bioaerosol Deposition and Recovery of Viable Viruses and Bacteria on Surfaces from a Cough and Implications for Respiratory Disease Transmission, Aerosol Science and Technology, 55, pp. 215-230, 2021.
7. Y. Li, C.J. Lin, Z.X. Wu, Z.Y. Chen, C. Chi, F. Cao, D.Q. Mei, H. Yan, C.Y. Tso, C.Y.H. Chao and B.L. Huang, Solution-Processed All-Ceramic Plasmonic Metamaterials for Efficient Solar-Thermal Conversion over 100-727 ºC, Advanced Materials, 33, 2005074, 2021.
8. S.C. Fu, X.L. Zhong, Y. Zhang, T.W. Lai, K.C. Chan, K.Y. Lee and C.Y.H. Chao, Bio-inspired Cooling Technologies and the Applications in Buildings, Energy and Buildings, 225, 110313, 2020.
9. S. Liu, C.Y. Tso, H.H. Lee, Y. Zhang, K.M. YU and C.Y.H. Chao, Bio-inspired TiO2 Nano-cone Antireflection Layer for the Optical Performance Improvement of VO2 Thermochromic Smart Windows, Scientific Reports, 10, 11376, 2020.
10. H. Xu, S.C. Fu, K.C. Chan and C.Y.H. Chao, Investigation of Particle Deposition on a Micropatterned Surface as an Energy-efficient Air Cleaning Technique in Ventilation Ducting Systems, Aerosol Science and Technology, 54(10), pp. 1210-1222, 2020.
11. F.R. Siddiqui, C.Y. Tso, S.C. Fu, H.H. Qiu and C.Y.H. Chao, Evaporation and Wetting Behavior of Silver-graphene Hybrid Nanofluid Droplet on its Porous Residue Surface for Various Mixing Ratios, International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, 153, 119618, 2020.
12. C.T. Wang, W.T. Leung, J.C. Xu, S.C. Fu and C.Y.H. Chao, Droplet Detachment Behavior from a Rough Hydrophilic Surface, Journal of Aerosol Science, 139, 105469, 2020.
13. S.Y. Jeong, C.Y. Tso, Y.M. Wong, C.Y.H. Chao, and B.L. Huang, Daytime Passive Radiative Cooling by Ultra Emissive Bio-inspired Polymeric Surface, Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells, 206, 110296, 2020.
14. S.Y. Jeong, C.Y. Tso, J.Y. Ha, Y.M. Wong, C.Y.H. Chao, B.L. Huang and H.H. Qiu, Field Investigation of a Photonic Multi-layered TiO2 Passive Radiative Cooler in Sub-tropical Climate, Renewable Energy, 146, pp. 44-55, 2020.
15. Y. Zhang, C.Y. Tso, J.S. Iñigo, S. Liu, H. Miyazaki, C.Y.H. Chao and K.M. Yu, Perovskite Thermochromic Smart Window: Advanced Optical Properties and Low Transition Temperature, Applied Energy, 254, 113690, 2019.
16. B. Traipattanakul, C.Y. Tso and C.Y.H. Chao, A Phase-change Thermal Diode Using Electrostatic-induced Coalescing-jumping Droplets, International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, 135, pp. 294-304, 2019.
17. T.W. Ng, M. Ip, C.Y.H. Chao, W.J. Tang, K.P. Lai, S.C. Fu, W.T. Leung and K.M. Lai, Differential Gene Expression in Escherichia Coli During Aerosolization from Liquid Suspension, Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology, 102(14), pp. 6257-6267, 2018.
18. T.C. Ho, S.C. Fu, C.Y.H. Chao and S. Gupta, Numerical Study on Merging and Interaction of Jet Diffusion Flames, ASME Journal of Heat Transfer, 140(10), 101201, 2018.
19. S.C. Fu, Y.S. Cheung, H.H. Lee, J.K.C. Kwan and C.Y.H. Chao, Studies on Detachment Behavior of Micron Sized Droplets: A Comparison between Pure Fluid and Nanofluid, Aerosol Science and Technology, 52(1), pp. 69-77, 2018.
20. X. Liang, S.C. Fu, B.X. Ou, C.L. Wu, C.Y.H. Chao and K.H. Pi, Computational Study of the Effects of the Radius Ratio and Attachment Angle on the Performance of a Darrieus-Savonius Combined Wind Turbine, Renewable Energy, 113, pp. 329-334, 2017.
21. W.T. Yuen, S.C. Fu and C.Y.H. Chao, The Effect of Aerosol Size Distribution and Concentration on the Removal Efficiency of an Acoustic Aerosol Removal System, Journal of Aerosol Science, 104, pp. 79-89, 2017.
22. C.Y. Tso, K.C. Chan and C.Y.H. Chao, A Field Investigation of Passive Radiative Cooling under Hong Kong’s Climate, Renewable Energy, 106, pp. 52-61, 2017.
23. H.H. Lee, S.C. Fu, C.Y. Tso and C.Y.H. Chao, Study of Residue Patterns of Aqueous Nanofluid Droplets with Different Particle Sizes and Concentrations on Different Substrates, International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer, 105, pp. 230-236, 2017.
24. W.T. Leung, S.C. Fu, and C.Y.H. Chao, Detachment of Droplet by Air Jet Impingement, Aerosol Science and Technology, 51, pp. 467-476, 2016.
25. A. Hussain, C.Y. Tso and C.Y.H. Chao, Experimental Investigation of a Passive Thermal Management System for High-powered Lithium Ion Batteries using Nickel Foam-paraffin Composite, Energy, 115, pp. 209-218, 2016.
