Dr. Po-An Chen is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Environmental Science and Engineering at Tunghai University, Taiwan. He earned his Ph.D. in Environmental Engineering from National Cheng Kung University. Prior to joining Tunghai University, Dr. Chen held research positions at National Cheng Kung University as a postdoctoral researcher and at the University of Washington (Seattle, USA) as a research fellow.

Dr. Chen’s research focuses on sustainable resource engineering, wastewater and seawater resource treatment, X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) including EXAFS analysis, environmental electrochemistry, and the recovery of rare and valuable metals such as lithium and copper. He leads the Sustainable Resource and Water Recycling Laboratory, where he mentors students on innovative technologies for water purification, capacitive deionization, and resource recovery from waste streams.

With interdisciplinary expertise and international research experience, Dr. Chen is dedicated to fostering student growth and advancing cutting-edge environmental technologies with real-world impact.

The Sustainable Resource and Water Recycling Laboratory at Tunghai University is dedicated to advancing innovative solutions for environmental sustainability through resource recovery and water treatment technologies. Led by Dr. Po-An Chen, the lab focuses on the development of eco-friendly and energy-efficient processes to address global challenges in water scarcity, pollution control, and circular resource utilization.

Key research areas include:

Capacitive Deionization (CDI) and its advanced configurations (e.g., fluidized CDI, membrane CDI) for desalination and ion separation

Recovery of critical and valuable metals (such as lithium, copper, and rare earth elements) from industrial and mining wastewater

X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy (XAS) for material and environmental interface characterization

Electrochemical water treatment and pollutant degradation

Biomass-derived activated carbon and electrode materials

The lab integrates interdisciplinary approaches combining environmental chemistry, electrochemistry, nanomaterials, and analytical science, aiming to develop scalable and sustainable technologies for both academic advancement and industrial application. Through collaboration with local and international institutions, the lab also provides a dynamic training environment for students interested in cutting-edge environmental research.