lecturer at The University of Adelaide , Australia
Dr. Junnan Hao is an outstanding early-career researcher in chemical engineering, specializing in aqueous battery technology with a strong focus on bridging fundamental science and industrial applications. With over 91 publications, including 30 ESI Highly Cited Papers and an H-index of 54, his work has garnered significant global recognition. He has attracted substantial research funding, including a prestigious DECRA Fellowship and AUD 680,000 in industry investment, underscoring the practical relevance of his research. Dr. Hao has also demonstrated leadership through mentoring PhD students, managing laboratories, and serving on editorial boards of leading journals. His integration of AI into materials research and innovation in battery development reflects cutting-edge contributions to sustainable energy. While future international collaborations and expanded leadership roles could further elevate his profile, his achievements to date make him highly deserving of the Best Researcher Award. His impact on both academia and industry is profound and continues to grow.
Professional Profile
Education🎓
Dr. Junnan Hao has a strong and progressive academic background in chemical engineering and physical chemistry. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from Zhengzhou University of Light Industry in 2013, followed by a Master’s degree in Physical Chemistry from South China Normal University in 2016. He then completed his PhD in Chemical Engineering at the University of Wollongong, Australia, in 2020, where his doctoral research focused on advanced energy storage materials. His academic journey has been marked by consistent excellence and a clear focus on developing sustainable energy technologies. Following his PhD, Dr. Hao undertook a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Adelaide from 2020 to 2022. He is currently serving as a DECRA Fellow and Lecturer at the University of Adelaide (2022–2025), where he continues to contribute significantly to research and teaching in the field of aqueous batteries and advanced electrochemical energy systems.
Professional Experience📝
Dr. Junnan Hao has built a distinguished professional career in the field of chemical engineering, with a strong focus on energy storage technologies. After completing his PhD in 2020, he joined the University of Adelaide as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow, where he contributed to several high-impact projects in aqueous battery development. In 2022, he was awarded the prestigious Discovery Early Career Researcher Award (DECRA) by the Australian Research Council and appointed as a Lecturer and DECRA Fellow at the University of Adelaide. In this role, Dr. Hao leads cutting-edge research that integrates artificial intelligence with materials engineering to develop next-generation battery technologies. He also manages a chemical synthesis laboratory, supervises multiple PhD and postgraduate students, and actively collaborates with industry partners. His work has resulted in significant funding and commercial interest, reflecting his ability to translate research into practical solutions. Dr. Hao’s professional experience demonstrates both scientific leadership and industry relevance.
Research Interest🔎
Dr. Junnan Hao’s research interests lie at the intersection of materials science, electrochemistry, and artificial intelligence, with a primary focus on advancing aqueous battery technologies. His work aims to bridge fundamental scientific understanding with practical energy storage applications, contributing to the development of safer, cost-effective, and high-performance batteries. Dr. Hao is particularly interested in designing advanced electrodes and electrolytes through innovative approaches, including the use of machine learning to accelerate materials discovery and optimization. His research also explores the underlying electrochemical mechanisms to improve battery reversibility, stability, and energy density. Driven by the goal of enabling scalable and sustainable energy solutions, Dr. Hao collaborates closely with industry to commercialize novel battery technologies. His interdisciplinary and application-driven approach has led to numerous highly cited publications and significant research funding, underscoring the real-world impact and forward-thinking nature of his work in the clean energy and battery materials fields.
Award and Honor🏆
Dr. Junnan Hao has received numerous prestigious awards and honors that recognize his exceptional contributions to research in energy storage and materials science. Notably, he was named a Highly Cited Researcher by Clarivate in 2024 and listed among the World’s Top 0.05% Scholars by ScholarGPS, reflecting the global impact of his work. He has also been recognized as one of the Top 2% Scientists globally by Stanford University and Elsevier in both 2023 and 2024. Dr. Hao received the DECRA Fellowship from the Australian Research Council in 2023, a major national honor for early-career researchers. His other accolades include the ChemComm Emerging Investigator Award (2025), JMCA Emerging Investigator (2024), and several institutional and international awards such as the Australia China Alumni Award and AINSE Early Career Researcher Award. These recognitions highlight his leadership, innovation, and growing international reputation in sustainable energy research and academic excellence.
Research Skill🔬
Dr. Junnan Hao possesses a diverse and advanced set of research skills that underpin his success in the field of energy storage and electrochemical systems. He is highly proficient in the synthesis and characterization of battery materials, particularly for aqueous zinc-ion batteries, and has extensive experience using state-of-the-art techniques such as synchrotron-based spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and electron microscopy. Dr. Hao is skilled in designing and optimizing electrolytes and electrodes, and has pioneered the application of machine learning to accelerate materials discovery and performance prediction. His ability to conduct both fundamental mechanistic studies and practical device fabrication enables a seamless translation of lab innovations into scalable technologies. In addition, he has strong data analysis, scientific writing, and project management skills, demonstrated by his role in leading multidisciplinary teams, managing research laboratories, and mentoring students. Dr. Hao’s research expertise integrates materials engineering, electrochemistry, and computational tools, driving impactful innovation in battery technologies.
Conclusion💡
Dr. Junnan Hao is highly suitable for the Best Researcher Award.
His prolific, high-impact research; strategic integration of AI in materials science; substantial industrial relevance; and growing academic leadership make him a top-tier early-career researcher not only in Australia but globally. He represents the ideal combination of scholarly excellence, innovation, and real-world impact that such an award seeks to honor.
Publications Top Noted✍
Title: High-Performance Bipolar Small-Molecule Organic Cathode for Wide-Temperature-Range Aqueous Zinc-Ion Batteries
Authors: Hua K., Ma Q., Liu Y., … Zhang L., Zhang C.
Year: 2025
Citations: 0
Title: Anti-Swelling Microporous Membrane for High-Capacity and Long-Life Zn−I₂ Batteries
Authors: Chen Q., Hao J., Zhu Y., … Jaroniec M., Qiao S.Z.
Year: 2025
Citations: 18
Title: Aqueous Zinc-Bromine Battery with Highly Reversible Bromine Conversion Chemistry
Authors: Zhao X., Hao J., Chen Q., … Mao L., Qiao S.Z.
Year: 2025
Citations: 0
Title: All-Climate Energy-Dense Cascade Aqueous Zn-I₂ Batteries Enabled by a Polycationic Hydrogel Electrolyte
Authors: Liu Y., Zhang L., Liu L., … Hao J., Zhang C.
Year: 2025
Citations: 2
Title: Coordination Chemistry toward Advanced Zn-I₂ Batteries with Four-Electron I⁻/I⁰/I⁺ Conversion
Authors: Zhang S., Hao J., Wu H., … Zhao X., Qiao S.Z.
Year: 2025
Citations: 0
Title: AI-Driven Electrolyte Additive Selection to Boost Aqueous Zn-Ion Batteries Stability
Authors: Li H., Hao J., Qiao S.Z.
Year: 2024
Citations: 6
Title: The Role of Electrocatalytic Materials for Developing Post-Lithium Metal||Sulfur Batteries
Authors: Ye C., Li H., Chen Y., … Shan J., Qiao S.Z.
Year: 2024
Citations: 16
Title: Alkaline-Based Aqueous Sodium-Ion Batteries for Large-Scale Energy Storage
Authors: Wu H., Hao J., Jiang Y., … Wang C., Qiao S.Z.
Year: 2024
Citations: 65
Title: Toward High-Energy-Density Aqueous Zinc–Iodine Batteries: Multielectron Pathways
Authors: Zhang S., Hao J., Wu H., … Ye C., Qiao S.Z.
Year: 2024
Citations: Not listed