Biography

I’m currently Visiting Associate Professor, at Department of Mechanical Science & Engineering, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and Associate Professor at China University of Petroleum. I ever worked as Research Fellow in the Institute of Industrial Science at The University of Tokyo, with research focusing on frosting mechanism and CO2 flow boiling in microchannels. I obtained my PhD (2015) from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, with research topic on building environment and energy. My research focusing on renewable energy technology, building thermal environment, energy recovery of heat pump, liquid film flow and heat transfer, and micro-scale boiling flow and heat transfer. 

I have a solid academic background in energy and thermal fluid research. I am leading several research projects in these fields, and authored and co-authored more than 126 papers, including 92 peer-reviewed journal papers and 34 conference papers in these research areas. My total citation reaches 3,527 (Google scholar), with h-index of 33.

Research Interests

• Thermal management, including electronic cooling, liquid cooling

• Building thermal environment and energy saving;

• HVAC, thermal comfort, indoor air quality, ventilation, task/ambient air conditioning (TAC);

• Energy recovery of water source heat pump;

• Liquid film flow and heat transfer;

• Micro-scale boiling flow and heat transfer.

Education

• PhD, Building Services Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, March, 2015

• Master, Institute of Engineering Thermophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, July, 2011

• Bachelor, School of Energy and Power Engineering, Shandong University, July, 2008

Work Experience

• Visiting Associate Professor, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Feb. 2025 - present

• Research Fellow, The University of Tokyo, Dec., 2020 - Feb., 2023

• Associate Professor, China University of Petroleum (East China), Jan., 2018 - present

• Lecturer, China University of Petroleum (East China), Apr., 2015 - Dec., 2017

• Research assistant, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Sept., 2014 - Dec., 2014

Research Projects

1.  マイクロナノ流路内の遷臨界CO2熱流動特性 (Transcritical CO2 heat flow characteristics in micro-nano channels), Grant-in-Aid for JSPS Fellows, 21F20056, April 2021-March 2023, 2,300,000 Japanese Yen, Co-PI.

2.  Fundamental research on falling film flow and heat transfer of complex multi-component fluid over horizontal tubes of spray heat exchanger of oil field sewage source heat pump, Shandong Provincial Natural Science Foundation, Jul. 2020 – Jun. 2023, 100,000 RMB, PI.

3.  Flow boiling characteristics of supercritical CO2 (coolant) in micro/nano-channel and heat transfer enhancements, JSPS Postdoctoral Fellowship for Research in Japan (Standard), Dec. 2020-Dec. 2022, 8,888,000 Japanese Yen, Co-PI.

4.  Computation of heat generation of super gravity centrifuge. Dec. 2020 – Setp. 2021, 120,000 RMB, Co-PI.

5.  Research on coupled mechanism of micro-climate inside the ventilation cavity of novel semi-transparent photovoltaic double-skin wall and indoor thermal environment, Shandong Provincial Natural Science Foundation, May 2019 – Apr. 2022, 200,000 RMB, Co-PI.

6.  The key problems of using direct sewage source heat pump to recovering waste heat, the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities, Jan. 2018-Dec. 2020, 120,000 RMB, PI.

7.  Research on solar energy - natural gas integrated combined cooling heating and power (CCHP), the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities, Jan. 2018-Dec. 2020, 110,000 RMB, Co-PI.

8.  The research on heat transfer and flow properties of direct sewage source heat pump in oil field, Shandong Provincial Natural Science Foundation, China, Jul. 2016-Jul. 2018, 110,000 RMB, PI.

9.  The research on application of PCM to air conditioning system in sleeping environments, the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities, Sept. 2015-Sept. 2017, 50,000 RMB, PI.

10.  Performance Testing of air handling units (AHU), REC Green Technologies Co. Ltd, Jul. 2012, 25,000 HKD, Investigating member.

11.  A study on the impacts of erecting an advertisement signboard on the operating performance of the four water cooling towers installed on the rooftop of Bank of American Tower, POADESIGN Company Limited, Dec. 2012-Feb. 2013, 158,000 HKD, Investigating member.

Journal Reviewers

• Applied Energy, SCI, IF=7.9

• Energy and Buildings, SCI, IF=4.067

• Indoor Air, SCI, IF=4.383

• Applied Thermal Engineering, SCI, IF=3.356

• Energy Conversion and Management, SCI, IF=5.589

• Energy for Sustainable Development, SCI, IF=2.790

• Journal of Natural Gas Science and Engineering, SCI, IF=2.718

• Experimental Thermal and Fluid Science, SCI, IF=2.830

• International Journal of Refrigeration, SCI, IF=2.779

• Building and Environment, SCI, IF=4.053

• Renewable Energy, SCI, IF=4.9

• Journal of Energy Storage

Professional Committees, Services

• Associate Editor, Geothermal Energy (IF: 4.2), 2024-current

• Editorial Board Member, Recent Patents on Mechanical Engineering, April 2021-

• Topic Editor, Frontiers in Energy Research, Topic "Emerging Sustainable and Energy-Efficient Technologies in Heat Pumps for Residential Heating", 2021.

• Editorial Board Member, Fluid dynamics and Materials Processing, May 2019 - May 2021

• Editorial Member, American Journal of Physics and Applications, Dec. 2018 – Dec. 2020

• Chinese Association of Refrigeration, Senior Member