Biography
Professor Tao Wu is Chair Professor of Chemical Engineering at the University of Nottingham Ningbo China (UNNC), where he has served since 2007. He directs the Provincial Key Laboratory for Carbonaceous Wastes Processing and Process Intensification and the Municipal Key Laboratory of Clean Energy Technologies in Ningbo.
His research focuses on innovative materials for environmental applications, process intensification, CO₂ utilisation, and waste processing. He has supervised 40+ PhD students to completion and published 150+ SCI-indexed articles since 2020. He holds 20+ authorised patents, including an opposed multi-burner gasifier technology licensed for 200+ industrial units.
He is listed in Stanford University and Elsevier's top 2% most cited scientists globally. His awards include the National Outstanding Patent Award, the Gold Bridge Award, and provincial Scientific and Technological Progress Awards from Zhejiang and Shanghai. From 2016 to 2024, Professor Wu served as Dean of the Faculty of Science and Engineering at UNNC, and from 2022 to 2023 as Vice Provost, leading the establishment of the China Beacons Institute.
He was the founding Head of the Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering and led the development of the chemical engineering undergraduate programme, which received IChemE accreditation in 2016.
Research Interests
CO2 conversion via thermal, electro-, photo- and photothermal catalysis
Thermochemical processing of biomass and organic wastes
Microwave-enhanced heterogeneous catalysis
Carbon capture, utilisation, and storage (CCUS)
Carbon neutrality pathway modelling and policy recommendation
DFT-assisted machine learning for catalyst screening and materials discovery
Current Projects
Intelligent Monitoring and Assurance of Water Supply During Extreme Weather Events, Ningbo Science and Technology Bureau (2025 - 2028)
Research on Ningbo's Carbon Neutrality Technology Pathways, World Bank GEF7 Project (2025 - 2026)
