Emma Hu joins the School of Materials Science and Engineering at Georgia Tech as an assistant professor. Her group will use quantum mechanical modelling combined with materials informatics to understand the underlying mechanisms of energy harvesting and utilization at the atomic level, and reveal structure-property-performance relationships for knowledge/data-driven materials design.

Her research seeks to accelerate the discovery of materials with complex properties to solve time-sensitive problems involving green energy production and climate remediation.

Emma obtained her Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry in 2018 from the University of California, Riverside, and her B.S. in Chemistry in 2013 from University of Science and Technology of China. She then spent two years as a postdoctoral scholar in the Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences at Oak Ridge National Laboratory from 2018-2020. Before joining Georgia Tech, Emma was an Assistant Professor at City University of New York from 2020-2023.

Teaching Interests

Professor Hu’s teaching interests encompass foundational and advanced materials science and engineering topics at both undergraduate and graduate levels. She emphasizes core principles of materials characterization, structure-properties relations, and the integration of experimental and computational methods. Her instruction aims to develop students’ analytical and problem-solving skills essential for understanding materials behavior. Professor Hu actively engages students in research-informed learning to bridge theoretical concepts with practical applications.