Professor Guohua Chen is a distinguished leader in electrochemical engineering and energy conversion technologies with over three decades of pioneering research experience. He currently serves as Chair Professor of Smart Energy Conversion and Storage at City University of Hong Kong, a position he assumed in 2022 while also serving as Dean of the School of Energy and Environment until 2024. His distinguished academic journey began with a BEng from Dalian University of Technology in 1984, followed by MEng and PhD degrees from McGill University in 1989 and 1994 respectively. Prior to his current appointment, he held significant leadership roles including Head of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology from 2012 to 2016 and Chair Professor of Energy Conversion and Storage at Hong Kong Polytechnic University from 2017 to 2021, where he simultaneously served as Associate Vice President for Research Support.
Professor Chen has made seminal contributions to advanced energy storage systems, particularly in electrode materials for oxygen and chlorine evolution, lithium-sodium ion batteries, and lithium-sulfur battery technologies for high-performance energy storage applications. His research has yielded over 300 peer-reviewed journal publications with extraordinary scholarly impact, accumulating more than 32,000 Google Scholar citations and an impressive H-index of 93. His innovative work extends beyond academia through three US patents and ten Chinese patents focused on practical energy solutions, including electrochemical synthesis of ammonia and surface functionalization using chemical vapor deposition of polymers. These technological advancements have significantly advanced the field of sustainable energy conversion and storage, addressing critical global challenges in clean energy infrastructure.
Beyond his research achievements, Professor Chen has profoundly shaped the global chemical engineering community through numerous leadership positions including serving as the 17th President of the Asian-Pacific Confederation of Chemical Engineering and current Chairman of the World Chemical Engineering Council. He serves as Editor-in-Chief of Process Safety and Environmental Protection while maintaining editorial roles with Separation and Purification Technology, Batteries, and several other prestigious journals. His influence extends to professional societies as a Fellow of HKIE, AIChE, Global Academy of Chinese Chemical Engineers, Canadian Academy of Engineering, and Hong Kong Academy of Engineering, and as Deputy Director of the Chemical Industry and Engineering Society of China. Professor Chen continues to drive innovation in smart energy systems, with his current research focusing on next-generation energy storage solutions that bridge fundamental electrochemistry with practical applications for a sustainable energy future.
