Chao He BEng MEng MRes DPhil (Oxon)

Chao He is an Associate Professor at the University of Oxford (2025–present), where he is a full faculty member in the Department of Engineering Science. He completed his DPhil in the same department within two years (2018–2020).

He runs the Vectorial Optics and Photonics Group (VOP Group), which focuses on optical techniques for vectorial beam manipulation, including structured light, structured matter, adaptive optics, and polarization sensing, with applications in biomedical diagnosis and integrated photonic circuits.

He has published over 100 scientific papers, including first- and corresponding- authored papers in Nature Communications, Light: Science & Applications, Elight, Optica, Advanced Photonics, etc., and serves as a reviewer of Nature Photonics, Nature Communications, Light: Science & Applications, Elight, Optica, etc.

He independently led several research grants with a total value exceeding £3 million, followed by a commercialised investment valued at over £1.3 million.

Outside of academia, he has independently released 2 original music albums, taking full responsibility for lyrics, composition, vocals, and production.

Vectorial Optics; Structured Light; Structured Matter

• Polarisation sensing
• Structured light
• Structured matter
• Microscopy
• Adaptive optics
• Optical materials
• Tissue optics

1)  Chao He, Yijie Shen and Andrew Forbes, Light: Science & Applications, 11.1 (2022): 1-17.  (IF 20.3; Springer Nature)

2)  Chao He, Jianyu Lin, Jintao Chang, et al, Optica 9.10 (2022): 1109-1114.  (IF 10.64; OSA)

3)  Chao He, Jintao Chang, Patrick S. Salter, et al, Advanced Photonics 4.2 (2022): 026001.  (IF 13.58; SPIE; Cover Paper)

4)  Chao He, Honghui He, Jintao Chang, et al, Light: Science & Applications, 10.1 (2021): 1-20.  (IF 20.3; Springer Nature; Editors' Highlights)

5)  Chao He, Jintao Chang, Qi Hu, et al, Nature Communications, 10.1 (2019): 1-8.  (IF 17.69; Springer Nature; Highlighted by Nature Photonics, etc.)

I am interested to hear from potential students who have interests in research areas spanning from vectorial beam generation/analysing/correction techniques to various related applications.