Dr. Derek Hao

Derek Hao is a materials scientist and environmental engineer with experiences at world-leading research institutes. He is now a Vice Chancellor's Research Fellowship at School of Science, RMIT University. In 2022, he was awarded the Humboldt Research Fellowship and worked at Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces in Germany under the supervision of world-leading chemist Markus Antonietti. In 2023, he was awarded RMIT University's 2023 Vice Chancellor's Research Fellowship. Both these two fellowships are highly competitive and prestigious fellowship schemes, indicating his outstanding academic achievement.

Dr. Hao's research primarily focuses on developing advanced materials for environmental sustainability and energy conversion processes. His work is at the intersection of materials science, nanotechnology, and renewable energy, aiming to address critical environmental challenges. He has published 95 peer-reviewed papers (40 in journals with an impact factor > 10, and 10 papers with impact factor > 20) in top-tier journals in materials and chemistry, including Chemical Society Reviews, Materials Today, Advanced Energy Materials, Applied Catalysis B: Environmental, etc. The average impact factor of his publications is 11 and his publications have a Field-Weighted Citation Impact of 3.44, which means his outputs have been cited 244% more times than expected at the world average for similar publications. Six of his papers were featured on the cover of journals. Thirteen of his publications have been recognized as ESI Highly Cited Papers and 2 of his publications are Hot Papers ranked by Web of Science. These publications have been cited over 3700 times, giving an H-index of 34 (Google Scholar). His name was included in the 2022 Stanford Elsevier List of World Top 2% Scientists in the field of Environmental Sciences and the sub-field of Physical Chemistry.

He has successfully obtained over AU$ 590k in research funding and fellowships from prestigious entities in Australia, Germany, the European Union, etc. This achievement is not only of fundamental significance but also demonstrates a wide-reaching impact on the industry. Furthermore, two patents he holds on bismuth catalysts have been successfully commercialised by Karamay Youlian Industrial Co., Ltd., generating upwards of AU$ 500k in annual profits for the company. This contribution underscores the tangible value of his research and innovation to the commercial sector.

He is currently working at RMIT University (City Campus), engaging in extensive collaboration with researchers from Australia, China, Germany, Germany, India, Poland, the USA, etc. He not only pushes the boundaries of scientific knowledge in solar energy conversion, nanomaterials, and nanotechnologies but also aims at practical solutions for pressing environmental issues, demonstrating a profound commitment to leveraging science for a sustainable future.

Editorial board

• 2022 – present Associate Editor, Frontiers in Carbon, Frontiers
• 2022– present Guest Editor, Materials (IF=3.4), MDPI
• 2022– present Guest Editor, Nanomaterials (IF=5.3), MDPI
• 2022– present Guest Editor, Review Editor, Frontiers in Chemistry (IF=5.5), Frontiers
• 2022– present Guest Editor, Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems (IF=4.7), Frontiers
• 2022– present Young Editor Board, Nano Research Energy (CiteScore: 13.2), Tsinghua University Press
• 2022– present Young Editor Board, Advanced Fiber Materials (IF=16.1), Springer Nature
• 2022– present Young Editor Board, Nano-Micro Letters (IF=26.6), Springer Nature

Professional membership

• Royal Society of Chemistry
• Australian Nanotechnology Network
• Australian Water Association
• Australian Materials Research Society
• EMCR Forum of the Australian Academy of Science

• 2022 - Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology, University of Technology Sydney, Australia
• 2017 - B.Eg. in Materials Chemistry, School of Materials Science and Technology, China University of Geosciences Beijing, China