About me

I’m a space physicist (fun fact: I don’t actually have a physics degree!) and currently a faculty member in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at the University of Hong Kong. I feel incredibly lucky to make a living by exploring what I’m genuinely curious about. I study Magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) because I’m drawn to its elegant way of describing the universe. It just feels like a fundamental language of how things work. Having grown up in Hangzhou and spent many years in New Hampshire and Colorado, I’ve come to see life as an epic adventure. Science and Research are just fantastic “chapters” of that adventure, but they’re not the whole story.

So, when I’m not tangled in code, wrestling with manuscripts, or debating with reviewers, you can find me recharging through a ton of other things. I spend a lot of time with my family, play both Western and traditional music instruments, practice Chinese calligraphy and painting, and enjoy all kinds of indoor and outdoor sports. And of course, I have a deep appreciation for a good beer or whiskey 🥃.

📬 How to Reach Me

The best way to get in touch is via email:

• Office Location:

  Room 303, James Lee Science Building, Main Campus,
  Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences,
  The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road,
  Pokfulam, Hong Kong S.A.R. (China)

• For prospective students: Please read the section below first!

🔬 My Research in a Nutshell

To give you a quick, at-a-glance summary of my work:

• Field: Space Physics, Theoretical and Computational Space Plasma Physics
• Core Expertise: Magnetohydrodynamics (MHD), Modeling of Planetary Space Environments
• Tools of the Trade: High-performance computing, numerical modeling, and state-of-the-art simulation tools developed with my collaborators.
• My “Why”: I’m driven by a fundamental curiosity about how the universe operates, using MHD as a powerful language to decode its complexities.

👨‍🏫 For Prospective Students

Prospective PhD/Masters Students

• If you are a student with a broad interest in modeling space plasma environments and with a general love for applied math and science, feel free to contact me. There are plenty opportunities within my current projects/collaborations given the set of state-of-art tools I’m working on with my colleagues, and I’m always keen to get started on something new, difficult and exciting.

• A quick note: Please contact me before you apply to the HKU graduate school. My ability to recruit new students can vary from year to year, so let’s chat first.

Prospective Undergraduate Students

I often have projects suitable for motivated undergraduate students looking for research experience. If you’re a current HKU student, get in touch to discuss potential opportunities.

📜 My Life & Research Philosophy

When I graduated with my PhD, my advisor Bill Lotko gave me three pieces of wisdom I still carry with me every day:

• Have a sense of humor.
• Don’t take yourself too seriously.
• Remember, academia is a place where the animals take over the zoo.