Ph.D., 2014 University of California, Berkeley                       Berkeley, CA

                  Mechanical Engineering (GPA: 3.97/4.0)

                   Major: Heat transfer.  Minors: MEMS/Nano, Condensed matter physics

                   Thesis: “Anisotropic and nonlinear heat transfer: modeling and experiment”

                   Thesis Adviser: Prof. Chris Dames

M.S., 2007  Southeast University                                           Nanjing, China

                   Mechanical Engineering

                   M.S. Project: “Thermal properties of superlattices: experimental study”

                   M.S. Adviser: Prof. Yunfei Chen

B.S., 2004   Southeast University                                           Nanjing, China

                   Mechanical Engineering

1/2021-present University Professor, Southeast University

6/2019-present Vice Dean, School of Mechanical Engineering, Southeast University

9/2016-present Professor, School of Mechanical Engineering, Southeast University

1/2015-6/2018 Postdoctoral Scholar, Edward L. Ginzton Laboratory, Stanford University

6/2014-1/2015 Postdoctoral Scholar, Department of Mechanical Engineering, UC Berkeley

Fall 2024         Instructor of Thermodynamics & Heat Transfer (undergrad.)

Fall 2023         Instructor of Advanced Heat Transfer: Conduction and Radiation (grad.)

Fall 2022         Instructor of Nanoscale Heat Transfer and Energy Conversion (grad.)

Heat transport and energy conversion, especially at the nanoscale.

Expertise:

*  Anisotropic and nonlinear heat transfer, including thermal switch and thermal regulator

*  Nanophotonic control of thermal radiation, including solar thermal heating and radiative cooling

Invited Books

1.   Z. Chen and C. Dames, Applied Thermal Measurements at the Nanoscale, in Lessons from Nanoscience: A Lecture Notes Series, ed. M. Lundstrom, World Scientific Publishing Co. (2018).

Refereed Journal Publications

Overall citation is over 4,400 according to Google Scholar (http://scholar.google.com/citations?user=qKZKCIgAAAAJ&hl=en)

24. T. Li, B. Jiang, and Z. Chen, “A complex thermal conductivity to model quasi-ballistic phonon transport under periodic heating,”Newton 1, 100092 (2025).

23. B. Jiang, T. Li, and Z. Chen, “Anisotropic Klemens model for the thermal conductivity tensor and its size effect,” International Journal of Heat and Mass Transfer 226, 125474 (2024).

22. Z. Zhang, X. Zhao, and Z. Chen, “Energy scavenging from the diurnal cycle with a temperature-doubler circuit and a self-adaptive photonic design,” Nanophotonics 13(5), 687-699 (2024).

21. T. Li, and Z. Chen, “A Scattering Matrix Formalism to Model Periodic Heat Diffusion in Stratified Solid Media,” Journal of Applied Physics 132, 125103 (2022). (highlighted as an Editor’s Pick)

20. M. Dong, L. Zhu, S. Fan, and Z. Chen, “Concentrated radiative cooling and its constraint from reciprocity,” Optics Express30, 275-285 (2022).    (highlighted as an Editor’s Pick)

19. Z. Zhang, K. Chen, S. Fan, and Z. Chen, “Shockley-Queisser analysis of the temperature-efficiency correlation of solar cells in the presence of non-radiative heat transfer,” Optics Express 29, 27554-27561 (2021).

18. M. Westwood, X. Zhao, Z. Chen (co-corresponding author) and C. Dames, “4-fold enhancement in energy scavenging from fluctuating thermal resources using a temperature-doubler circuit,” Joule 5, 2223-2240 (2021).

17. L. Li, L. Zhang, L. Zhang, Y. Zhong, Evelyn N. Wang, Z. Chen (co-corresponding author), and L. Guo, “Sub-Picosecond Optical Response of Metals Due to Non-Thermalized Electron Dynamics”, ES Energy & Environment 11, 19-27 (2021).

16. W. Li, M. Dong, L. Fan, J. J. John, Z. Chen, and S. Fan, “Nighttime Radiative Cooling for Water Harvesting from Solar Panels,” ACS Photonics 8, 269–275 (2021).

15. N. Chen, T. Li, Y. Wang, L. Pan, W. Bao, and Z. Chen, “Generalized “Slope Method” of the 3ω Analysis to Measure the Thermal Conductivity and Heat Capacity of Solids: Frequency- vs. Current-sweep”, ES Energy & Environment 10, 13-21 (2020).       

14. M. Dong, Z. Zhang, Y. Shi, X. Zhao, S. Fan, and Z. Chen, “Fundamental Limits of the Dew-harvesting Technology,”Nanoscale and Microscale Thermophysical Engineering 24(1), 43-52 (2020).             (selected as cover image)

13. M. Dong, N. Chen, X. Zhao, S. Fan, and Z. Chen, “Nighttime Radiative Cooling in Hot and Humid Climates,” Optics Express27, 31587-31598 (2019).

12. Z. Chen, L. Zhu, W. Li, and S. Fan, “Simultaneously and Synergistically Harvest Energy from the Sun and Outer Space,” Joule 3, 101-110 (2019).

11. W. Li, Y. Shi, Z. Chen, and S. Fan, “Photonic thermal management of coloured objects,” Nature Communications 9, 4240 (2018).

10. N. H. Thomas, Z. Chen, S. Fan, and A. J. Minnich, “Semiconductor-based Multilayer Selective Solar Absorber for Unconcentrated Solar Thermal Energy Conversion,” Scientific Reports 7, 5362 (2017).

9.  J. Kou, Z. Jurado, Z. Chen, S. Fan, and A. Minnich, “Daytime Radiative Cooling Using Infrared Black Bodies,” ACS Photonics 4(3), 626 (2017).

8.   Z. Chen, L. Zhu, A. Raman, and S. Fan, “Radiative cooling to deep subfreezing temperatures through a 24-hour day-night cycle,” Nature Communications 7, 13729 (2016).

7.   Z. Chen (co-corresponding author) and C. Dames, “An anisotropic model for the minimum thermal conductivity,” Applied Physics Letters 107, 193104 (2015).

6.    Z. Chen, Z. Wei, Y. Chen, and C. Dames, Anisotropic Debye model for the thermal boundary conductance, Physical Review B 87, 125426 (2013).

5.    W. Bao, K. Myhro, Z. Zhao, Z. Chen, W. Jang, L. Jing, F. Miao, H. Zhang, C. Dames, and C. N. Lau, In situ observation of electrostatic and thermal manipulation of suspended graphene membranes,” Nano Letters 12, 5470 (2012).

4.    W. Jang, Z. Chen (co-first author), W. Bao, C. N. Lau, and C. Dames, Thickness-dependent thermal conductivity of encased graphene and ultrathin graphite, Nano Letters 10, 3909 (2010).

3.    Z. Chen, W. Jang, W. Bao, C. N. Lau, and C. Dames, Thermal contact resistance between graphene and silicon dioxide, Applied Physics Letters 95, 161910 (2009).

2.    W. Bao, F. Miao, Z. Chen, H. Zhang, W. Jang, C. Dames, and C. N. Lau, Controlled ripple texturing of suspended graphene and ultrathin graphite membranes, Nature Nanotechnology 4, 562 (2009).

1.    Z. Chen, J. Yang, P. Zhuang, M. Chen, J. Zhu, and Y. Chen, “Thermal conductivity measurement of InGaAs/InGaAsP superlattice thin films,” Chinese Science Bulletin (in English) 51, 2931 (2006).

Conference Presentations

25. Z. Chen, “Constraints of Onsagere reciprocal relations on modeling thermal transport,” The International Symposium on Multiscale Simulations of Thermophysics, Shenzhen, China, June 2023 (Keynote).

24. Z. Zhang, X. Zhao, and Z. Chen, “Fundamental Limits of the Thermal H-Bridge under Realistic Multi-Mode Solar-Thermal Boundary Condition,” ASME International Mechanical Engineering Congress & Exposition (IMECE), Virtual, November 2022.

23. T. Li and Z. Chen, “Modeling the High-frequency Periodic Heating of a Line-heater-on-substrate Structure: towards a Ballistic 3ω Method”, ASME Summer Heat Transfer Conference, Virtual, June 2022.

22. Z. Chen, “Heat Transfer in Non-Linear and Selective Systems”, PhotonIcs & Electromagnetics Research Symposium (PIERS), Virtual, April 2022.

21. H. Chen and Z. Chen, “Modeling Anisotropic Thermal Transport in Black-phosphorus-like Materials,” ASME International Mechanical Engineering Congress & Exposition (IMECE), Virtual, November 2021.

20. T. Li and Z. Chen, “A Scattering Matrix Scheme to Model the Periodic Heating Problem in Layered Structures,” ASME International Mechanical Engineering Congress & Exposition (IMECE), Virtual, November 2021.

19. Z. Zhang, K. Chen, S. Fan, and Z. Chen, “Shockley-Queisser Analysis of the Temperature-Efficiency Correlation of Solar Cells in the Presence of Non-Radiative Heat Transfer,” ASME International Mechanical Engineering Congress & Exposition (IMECE), Virtual, November 2021.

18. N. Chen, T. Li, Y. Wang, L. Pan, W. Bao, and Z. Chen, “Generalized “Slope Method” of the 3ω Analysis to Measure k and C of Solids: Frequency- vs. Current-sweep”, ASME Summer Heat Transfer Conference, Virtual, June 2021.

17. M. Dong, L. Zhu, S. Fan, and Z. Chen, “Concentrated Radiative Cooling and Its Constraint from Reciprocity”, ASME Summer Heat Transfer Conference, Virtual, June 2021.

16. M. Dong, Z. Zhang, Y. Shi, X. Zhao, S. Fan, and Z. Chen, “Fundamental Limits of the Dew-Harvesting Technology,” ASME International Mechanical Engineering Congress & Exposition (IMECE), Virtual, November 2020.

15. Z. Chen, “Anisotropic and selective thermal transport,” International Conference on Thermodynamics and Thermal Metamaterials (ThermoMeta), Virtual, August 2020 (Invited).

14. Z. Chen, L. Zhu, W. Li, and S. Fan, “Simultaneously Harvest Energy from the Sun and Outer Space using the same Physical Area,” ASME Summer Heat Transfer Conference, Bellevue, WA, July 2019.

13. M. Dong and Z. Chen, “Radiative Cooling in Hot and Humid Areas,” 6^th ASME International Conference of Micro/Nanoscale Heat and Mass Transfer (MNHMT), Dalian, China, July 2019.

12. Z. Chen, L. Zhu, W. Li, and S. Fan, “Simultaneously and Synergistically Harvest Energy from the Sun and Outer Space,” ASME International Mechanical Engineering Congress & Exposition (IMECE), Pittsburgh, PA, November 2018.

11.  Z. Chen and S. Fan, “Ultrahigh Performance Radiative Cooling: towards large-scale deployment,” Global Climate & Energy Project Research Symposium 2017, Stanford, CA, November 2017 (Poster).

10.  J. Kou, Z. Jurado, Z. Chen, S. Fan, and A. J. Minnich, “Daytime Radiative Cooling Using Near-Black Infrared Emitters,” U. S. Department of Energy Energy Frontier Research Centers PI Meeting, Washington, D.C., July 2017 (Poster).

9.    Z. Chen, L. Zhu, A. Raman, and S. Fan, “Ultrahigh-Performance Radiative Cooling through a 24-hour Day-night Cycle,” MRS Fall Meeting, Boston, MA, November 2016.

8.    Z. Chen L. Zhu, A. Raman, and S. Fan, “Ultrahigh Performance Radiative Cooling,” Global Climate & Energy Project Research Symposium 2016, Stanford, CA, November 2016 (Poster).

7.    Z. Chen L. Zhu, A. Raman, and S. Fan, “Ultrahigh Performance Radiative Cooling,” Society of Engineering Science (53^rdAnnual Technical Meeting), College Park, Maryland, October 2016.

6.   Z. Chen, C. Wong, S. Lubner, S. Yee, J. Miller, W. Jang, C. Hardin, A. Fong, J. Garay, and C. Dames, “A photon thermal diode,” 8^th US-Japan Joint Seminar on Nanoscale Transport Phenomena, Santa Cruz, CA, July 2014 (Invited poster presentation).

5.    Z. Chen and C. Dames, “An anisotropic model for the minimum thermal conductivity,” ASME International Mechanical Engineering Congress & Exposition (IMECE), San Diego, CA, November 2013.

4.    Z. Chen, C. Wong, S. Lubner, S. Yee, J. Miller, C. Hardin, A. Fong, J. Garay, and C. Dames, “Experimental demonstration of ballistic thermal rectification using a phonon-photon analogy,” ASME Summer Heat Transfer Conference, Minneapolis, MN, July 2013.

3.    Z. Chen and C. Dames, “An anisotropic Debye model for the thermal boundary conductance,” ASME International Mechanical Engineering Congress & Exposition (IMECE), Denver, CO, November 2011.

2.    Z. Chen and C. Dames, “An Anisotropic Debye Model for Thermal Contact Resistance,” MRS Fall Meeting, Boston, MA, November 2010 (Poster).

1.    Z. Chen, W. Jang, W. Bao, C. N. Lau, and C. Dames, Heat transfer in encased graphene, ASME Summer Heat Transfer Conference, San Francisco, CA, July 2009.

Conference Proceedings

1.    Z. Chen, W. Jang, W. Bao, C. N. Lau, and C. Dames, Heat transfer in encased graphene, ASME Summer Heat Transfer Conference, San Francisco, CA, July 2009