Lee Hsun Lecture Series

Topic: Photocatalytic Materials for Sustainable Development

Speaker: Prof. Jimmy C. Yu

         Department of Chemistry, The Chinese University of Hong Kong

Time: 10:30-12:00, (Mon.) Sept. 22^nd, 2025

Venue: Room 468, Lee Hsun Building, IMR CAS

Abstract:

Sustainable development allows us to meet current demands without compromising the needs of future generations. Photocatalysis is a technology that is most compatible with this philosophy. Many environmentally friendly materials exhibit photocatalytic functions that can be exploited for energy and environmental applications. This presentation will cover the development of both metal and nonmetal based photocatalysts. Our experience in the promotion and commercialization of photocatalytic technologies will also be shared.

Biography:

Jimmy C. Yu is Research Professor and Emeritus Choh-Ming Li Professor of Chemistry at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK). He was born in Fujian, grew up in Hong Kong, and pursued higher education in the USA. He received a B.S. degree from St. Martin’s College (1980), and a Ph.D. from the University of Idaho (1985). While writing his Ph.D. thesis, he started his academic career as an assistant professor of chemistry at the University of Puget Sound in 1984. Prof. Yu joined CUHK in 1993 as a visiting lecturer to establish a new environmental science program. He returned to Hong Kong for good in 1995 to build a photocatalysis research lab from scratch. Over the past 30 years, many of Prof. Yu’s students have become world leading scientists in chemistry, materials science and environmental fields. Prof. Yu has played many leadership roles at CUHK, including program director, department chair and college head. He is also active in knowledge transfer activities, holding several patents on the fabrication and application of photocatalytic nanomaterials. He maintains one of the highest h-index in the region after publishing over 400 SCI-indexed papers with about 70,000 citations. Prof. Yu has received numerous honors including a State Natural Science Award (2005) and Chang Jiang Scholar Chair Professorship (2009).