Chen ZHAO (赵辰)

Chen ZHAO (赵辰)

Schmidt AI in Science Fellow @UMich

About me

Welcome! I’m Chen Zhao (赵辰), currently a Schmidt AI in Science Postdoctoral Fellow in the Michigan institute for Data Science and AI in Society at University of Michigan. I am co-mentored by Prof. Rose Cory at Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences and Prof. Andrew Gronewold at School for Environment and Sustainability.

Prior to this, I received my Ph.D. degree at the DREAM group at the The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (2022-2026), supervised by Prof. Ding He (何丁) with the support by the prestigeous Hong Kong PhD Fellowship. During my Ph.D. study, I was a visiting student at the Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research in Germany, working closely with Dr. Oliver Lechtenfeld, and in the OMGroup at the Southern University of Science and Technology, working closely with Prof. Junjian Wang.

My research interests include the areas of Chemical Oceanography and Environments and Sustainability , with focus on:

  • Elucidating the carbon cycling in estuarine systems and its impacts on climate change
  • Applying data science toolbox to address environmental and water quality issues

I am always open to potential collaborations, please feel free to contact me at zhche@umich.edu :) I am also looking for a tenure-track assistant professor position in North America or Asia!

Academic Appointment

  • Schmidt AI in Science Fellow, University of Michigan, 2026 - Present

Education

  • Ph.D., The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, 2026
  • M.S., Zhejiang University, 2022
  • B.S., China University of Geosciences, 2019

Selected Honors, Membership, and Services

  • Schmidt AI in Science Postdoctoral Fellowship, Schmidt Sciences, 2026
  • Lo Family Postgraduate Scholarship, HKUST, 2026
  • Elsevier Research Scholarship, (Two recipients each year worldwide), European Association of Organic Geochemists, 2025
  • Steven Ying Ph.D. Research Award, (Two recipients each year at HKUST), Energy Institute, HKUST, 2025
  • Postgraduate Research Award (First Place), Department of Ocean Science, HKUST, 2025
  • Hong Kong PhD Fellowship, University Grants Committee of Hong Kong, 2022 - 2026
  • Zhejiang Province Outstanding Master’s Thesis (Top 1%), Zhejiang Provincial Department of Education, 2023
  • Conference Travel Allowance of HKPFS, HKUST, 2023 - 2024
  • HKUST RedBird PhD Award, HKUST, 2022 - 2025
  • Research Travel Grant, HKUST, 2023 - 2024
  • Outstanding Graduates of Zhejiang University, Zhejiang University, 2022
  • Outstanding Student, Zhejiang University, 2021
  • Journal Reviewer: Environmental Science and Technology, Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta
  • Membership: American Geophysical Union, European Association of Geochemistry

Seminar

  • Princeton University, Geosciences Department, 2024
  • The HKUST, Department of ocean science, 2024


“If the result confirms the hypothesis, then you’ve made a measurement. If the result is contrary to the hypothesis, then you’ve made a discovery.” ― Enrico Fermi