Dr Hong-Kang Tian has been serving as an assistant professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan, since 2021. He completed his PhD in Chemical Engineering at Michigan State University, USA, in 2019, and subsequently undertook postdoctoral research at the National Institute for Materials Science in Japan from 2019 to 2021. Dr Tian's research primarily concentrates on the application of multi-scale simulation techniques, such as first-principles calculations and numerical modeling, to investigate interfacial and surface phenomena in batteries and catalysts.

Experience

● Associate professor, Department of Chemical Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, 2025/02-present

● Associate Professor (joint appointment), Program on Smart and Sustainable Manufacturing, Academy of Innovative Semiconductor and Sustainable Manufacturing, National Cheng Kung University, 2025/02-present

● Assistant Professor (joint appointment), Program on Smart and Sustainable Manufacturing, Academy of Innovative Semiconductor and Sustainable Manufacturing, National Cheng Kung University, 2021/08 – 2025/02

● Tenure-track assistant professor, Department of Chemical Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, 2021/08-2025/02

● Postdoctoral Researcher, National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS), Japan, 2019 – 2021,

● Research Intern, Battery Materials Division, BASF, USA, 2018

● Research Assistant, Department of Chemical Engineering, Michigan State University, 2016 – 2019

● Teaching Assistant, Department of Chemical Engineering, Michigan State University, 2015

● Teaching Staff for Chemical Engineering Laboratory, Department of Chemical Engineering, National Taiwan University, 2014 – 2015

● Second Lieutenant (少尉輔導長), R.O.C. army, 2013 – 2014

Our group focuses on interface issues in all-solid-state batteries and catalysts, such as the high interfacial resistance and Li dendrite formation.

We aim to reveal the underlying degradation mechanisms and provide guidelines for designing novel energy materials.

We mainly applied multi-scale computation and simulation methods, including:

1. Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations on the atomic scale to calculate and materials properties and design the materials atom by atom.

2. Finite Element Analysis (FEA) on the continuum scale to simulate the coupling reactions in batteries, such as electrochemical reactions, mass transfers, mechanical deformations, heat transfer, etc.