Bio
Dr. Michael Hu is a chemical engineer and biochemical engineer by education, serving as a Senior Research Staff Member at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). Meanwhile, he is appointed by the University of Tennessee (UT) as a Joint Faculty Professor at the UT Bredesen Center and an Adjunct Professor at the Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering Department. He is the Founder Editor-in-Chief for the Journal of Nanomaterials. Dr. Hu’s research interest is in advanced materials and chemical processing technologies such as for separations and catalysis. He is a team leader for a Department of Energy (DOE) program that has won a 2014 R&D100 Award based on advanced nano-membranes work. His membrane technology development work became an DOE success story in July 2017 (https://energy.gov/eere/success-stories/articles/eere-success-story-new…). Dr. Hu has also served as the thermochemical pathway Team Lead for a DOE-sponsored multi-lab Separations Consortium program funded since FY2017.
Since 1995, Dr. Hu has served roles as Principal Investigator and Project Team Leader for a variety of fundamental and applied nanomaterials science and nanotechnology research programs/projects that develop materials chemistry, surface/interface sciences, and chemical process engineering for applications in clean renewable efficient energy and functional nanomaterials/devices. He has been leading or supporting multiple programs in nanoscience, engineering, and materials research sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy and other federal agencies. Industry sponsored projects are also an important part of his research and development portfolio, with the goal to provide nano-engineered materials and processes solutions to problems facing to private industries today. Since 1995, Dr. Hu has successfully developed, managed, and conducted multidisciplinary R&D projects that require integration of nanomaterials chemistry, (bio)molecular sciences, colloid & interface sciences, and chemical nano-manufacturing engineering relevant to the chemical synthesis of nanoparticles, nanocrystals, membranes, nanostructured graphene materials, advanced ceramics, films/coatings, self-assembled nanostructures, nanocomposites or hybrid materials, and other nanomaterials for energy (e.g., solid-state lighting, solar cells, supercapacitors, biofuel processing), medical, detectors or sensors, national/homeland security, and other nanotechnology applications.
Hu enjoys playing guitar-singing, violin, and tennis at his leisure time.