Henry Chu is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at University of Florida (UF). He obtained a M.Phil. in Mechanical Engineering from The University of Hong Kong in 2012 under the supervision of Professors Chiu-On Ng and Kwok-Wing Chow. He earned a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from Cornell University in 2017 under the supervision of Professor Roseanna Zia. Following his Ph.D., he was a Postdoctoral Fellow in Chemical Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University, working with Professors Aditya Khair, Robert Tilton, and Stephen Garoff. In 2021, he joined UF. The theme of his research is heterogeneous soft matter transport and design, covering topics such as complex fluid dynamics, colloid and interface science, electrokinetics, and rheology. His research develops predictive multi-scale computational tools and fundamental theory to address emerging National Academy of Engineering Grand Challenges for Engineering in these research areas, emphasizing on close collaboration with experimental groups to translate knowledge into applications. His work has been recognized through several awards, including Clyde W. Mason Scholarship (Cornell), Research Travel Grant Award (Cornell), Student Member Travel Award (American Institute of Physics), and Global Faculty Fellowship (UF). We welcome collaboration with academia, government agencies, and industry sponsors.
Find out more about his work via:
Website: http://www.chugroup.site/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/HenryCWChu
Read Henry Chu’s Emerging Investigator article: http://xlink.rsc.org/?doi=10.1039/D2SM01620F
How do you feel about Soft Matter as a place to publish research on this topic?
Soft Matter is a great place to publish our Emerging Investigator article on diffusiophoresis in porous media. In the article, we develop a mathematical model that predicts the diffusiophoretic motion of a colloidal particle driven by a concentration gradient of a binary monovalent electrolyte in porous media. In addition to unveiling the impacts on colloid diffusiophoresis by porous media, our model predictions agree excellently with recent experiments, which otherwise could not be done with existing theories. Our model could also predict diffusiophoresis in porous media filled with any monovalent electrolyte. We believe that our model will motivate and benchmark future theories and experiments.
What aspect of your work are you most excited about at the moment and what do you find most challenging about your research?
As a computation/theory group focusing on soft matter transport and design, we are excited about leveraging our discoveries to develop practical applications and to explain novel transport phenomena. Our strategy is always to develop models which are as simple as possible but can capture the key physics of a system. Although these are not easy tasks, I enjoy tackling these challenges with my students and collaborators!
In your opinion, what are the most important questions to be asked/answered in this field of research?
I think one promising future direction is diffusiophoresis in porous media, which is the theme of our Emerging Investigator article. To date, excellent theories and experiments have been done on diffusiophoresis in free electrolyte solutions but not in porous media. Many novel applications, however, involve diffusiophoresis in porous media. I believe that the huge potential of diffusiophoresis will start a new wave of research that addresses both the fundamental and application aspect of the topic.
Can you share one piece of career-related advice or wisdom with other early career scientists?
I would share the advice that I gladly have from my respected research advisors 🙂 Work on things that you are passionate about. Enjoy your work with your students and collaborators.
I would also like to take this opportunity to acknowledge my research advisors, colleagues, and friends, who have given me great support in my early career, thank you!
