Professor Hua Zhang stands as a preeminent leader in advanced materials science with a distinguished career spanning over two decades of groundbreaking contributions to nanotechnology. He currently holds the prestigious Herman Hu Chair Professorship of Nanomaterials at City University of Hong Kong where he maintains dual appointments in both the Department of Chemistry and the Department of Materials Science and Engineering. After earning his bachelor's and master's degrees from Nanjing University in 1992 and 1995 respectively he completed his doctoral studies under Professor Zhongfan Liu at Peking University in 1998. His academic journey included formative research positions at Katholieke Universiteit Leuven in Belgium with Professor Frans C De Schryver and Northwestern University in the USA with Professor Chad A Mirkin followed by professional roles at NanoInk Inc and the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology in Singapore before joining Nanyang Technological University as Assistant Professor in July 2006.
Professor Zhang's pioneering research has fundamentally advanced the science of two-dimensional nanomaterials with his laboratory making seminal contributions to the development and characterization of ultrathin nanomaterials including metal nanosheets graphene metal dichalcogenides metal-organic frameworks and covalent organic frameworks. His groundbreaking work in phase engineering of nanomaterials and controlled epitaxial growth of heterostructures has established new paradigms in materials design enabling unprecedented control over material properties at the atomic level. With an impressive scholarly record exceeding 500 peer-reviewed publications and an extraordinary citation count of over 163000 his research has profoundly influenced multiple scientific domains and demonstrated significant real-world applications in catalysis clean energy technologies optoelectronic devices chemical and biosensors and water remediation. His scientific impact is further evidenced by an exceptional h-index of 194 reflecting the substantial influence and quality of his research contributions across the global scientific community.
Beyond his research achievements Professor Zhang has significantly shaped the international materials science community through his leadership roles including serving as Director of the Hong Kong Institute for Clean Energy where he guides strategic research initiatives addressing critical energy challenges. He has been honored with prestigious recognitions including election as a Foreign Fellow of the European Academy of Sciences and as an Academician of the Asia Pacific Academy of Materials underscoring his standing among the world's most influential materials scientists. His intellectual leadership extends to editorial responsibilities for leading scientific journals where he helps shape the direction of materials research globally. Currently Professor Zhang continues to push the boundaries of nanomaterials science with innovative research that bridges fundamental discoveries with practical applications maintaining his position at the forefront of materials innovation with promising implications for sustainable technologies and advanced manufacturing.
