01/2018--         Associate Professor, Tsinghua University
02/2015—2017/12  Assistant Professor, Tsinghua University
02/2014—12/2014  Postdoc fellow, University of British Columbia, Canada              
06/2013—02/2014  Postdoc researcher, Delft University of Technology

  In general, Dr. Chen’s main research interest is in physical metallurgy of steels with an emphasis on thermodynamics and kinetics. His PhD project was thermodynamics and kinetics of phase transformation in steels, while his research area was then extended to other topics which are linked to thermodynamics and kinetics. In the past 5 years, he has worked on the following topics: (i) Fundamentals of phase transformation in steels; (ii)Thermo-kinetic design of advanced steels for automotive applications and fusion energy applications; (iii) Hydrogen embrittlement with an emphasis on thermodynamics and kinetics of H diffusion and trapping in the multiscale microstructure; (iv) Additive manufacturing of advanced steels.

2019    National science fund for excellent young scholar from National Science Foundation
2015    “Aaronson award” by International phase transformation committee
2013    Doctor Cum Laude, The highest distinction  (top 4%)
2012    Outstanding Self-Financed Students Abroad Award by Chinese Government

1) Xinhao Wan, Geng Liu, Zhigang Yang, Hao Chen*, Flash annealing yields a strong and ductile medium Mn steel with heterogeneous microstructure, Scripta Materialia, 2021, in press.

2) Boning Zhang, Jie Su, Maoqiu Wang, Zhenbao Liu, Zhigang Yang, Matthias Militzer, Hao Chen*, Atomistic Insight into Hydrogen Trapping at MC/BCC-Fe Phase Boundaries: The Role of Local Atomic Environment, Acta Materialia, 2021( 208)116744.

3) Zongbiao Dai, Hao Chen*, Ran Ding, Zhigang Yang, Chi Zhang, Sybrand van der Zwaag， Fundamentals and application of solid-state phase transformations for advanced high strength steels containing metastable retained austenite. Materials Science and Engineering: R: Reports, 2021, 143:1-39

4) Jun Zhang, Minxin Huang*, Binhan Sun, Ran Ding, Cheng Luo, Chi Zhang, Zhigang Yang, Sybrand van der Zwaag, Hao Chen*, Critical role of Lüders banding in hydrogen embrittlement susceptibility of medium Mn steels, Scripta Materialia, 2021, 190: 32-37

5) Geng Liu, Tong Li, Zongbiao Dai, Zhigang Yang, Chi Zhang, Jun Li, Hao Chen*, On the role of chemical heterogeneity in phase transformations and mechanical behavior of flash annealed quenching & partitioning steels. Acta Materialia, 2020, 201: 266-277.

6) Zongbiao Dai, Zhigang Yang, Chi Zhang, Hao Chen*, Incomplete carbon partitioning during quenching and partitioning of Fe–C–Mn–Si steels: Modeling and experimental validations, Acta Materialia, 2020, 200: 597-607.

7) Ran Ding , Yingjie Yao, Binhan Sun, Geng Liu, Jianguo He, Tong Li, Xinhao Wan, Zongbiao Dai, Dirk Ponge, Dierk Raabe, Chi Zhang, Andy Godfrey, Goro Miyamoto, Tadashi Furuhara, Zhigang Yang, Sybrand van der Zwaag, Hao Chen*, Chemical boundary engineering: a new route towards lean, ultrastrong yet ductile steels. Science Advances 6 (13), eaay1430.

8) Geng Liu , Zongbiao Dai, Zhigang Yang, Chi Zhang, Jun Li, Hao Chen*, Kinetic transitions and Mn partitioning during austenite growth from a mixture of partitioned cementite and ferrite: role of heating rate, Journal of Materials Science and Technology 49(2020)70-80

9) Abdul Rehman, Mohammad Hassan Shirani Bidabadi, Yang Liang, Zheng Yu, Chi Zhang, Hao Chen, Zhigang Yang, Hot corrosion behaviour of yttrium and aluminium modified wear resistance coating alloy in mixed sulphate at 900° C, Corrosion Science,165(2020)108369

10) Abdul Rehman, Yang Liang, Mohammad Hassan Shirani Bidabadi, Zheng Yu, Chi Zhang, Hao Chen, Zhigang Yang, Enhancement of cyclic oxidation resistance and effect of transition oxides on wear mechanism of yttrium plus aluminium modified tribaloy T-900 alloy, Corrosion Science, 163(2020)108283.

11) Mohammad Hassan Shirani Bidabadi, Yu Zheng, Abdul Rehman, Liang Yang, Chi Zhang, Hao Chen, Zhigang Yang, Effect of CO2 gas pressure on composition, growth rate, and structure of duplex oxide formed on 9Cr steel at 550° C, Corrosion Science, 2020, In press.

12) Xinhao Wan, Geng Liu, Ran Ding, Nobuo Nakada, Yaw-Wang Chai, Zhigang Yang, Chi Zhang, Hao Chen*,Stabilizing austenite via a core-shell structure in the medium Mn steels, Scripta Materialia, 166(2019)68-72.

13) Cong-Yu Zhang , Hao Chen*, Zhu Jianing, Wenbo Liu, Geng Liu, Chi Zhang, Zhigang Yang, A new treatment of alloying effects on migrating interfaces in Fe-X alloys, Scripta Materialia, 162(2019)44-48.

14) Hu Chen, Chi Zhang, Qianli Lu, Hao Chen, Zhigang Yang, Youhai Wen, Shenyang Hu, Lei Chen, A two-set order parameters phase-field modeling of crack deflection/penetration in a heterogeneous microstructure, Computer Methods in Applied Mechanics and Engineering, 347(2019)1085-1104.

15) ShiHui He, Binbin He, Kangying Zhu, Ran Ding, Hao Chen, Mingxin Huang, Revealing the role of dislocations on the stability of retained austenite in a tempered bainite, Scripta Materialia, 168(2019)23-27.

16) Yuantao Xu, Wei Li, Xunwei Zuo, Yu Li, Caiyi Zhang, Na Min, Hao Chen, Xuejun Jin, Nanoprecipitation-suppressed ferrite transformation (γ→ α) during tempering in a medium‑manganese steel, Scripta Materialia, 162(2019)391-396.

17) Jianguo He, Juan Du, Wenzheng Zhang, Chi Zhang, Zhi-Gang Yang, Hao Chen*, Abnormal Anisotropic Dilatation During Bainitic Transformation of Ausformed Austenite, Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A, 50(2019)540-546.

18) Zongbiao Dai, Ran Ding, Zhigang Yang, Chi Zhang, Hao Chen*, Thermo-kinetic design of retained austenite in advanced high strength steels, Acta Materialia, 152(2018)288-289.

19) Haokai Dong, Hao Chen*, Wei Wang, Yongjie Zhang, Goro Miyamoto, Tadashi Furuhara, Chi Zhang, Zhigang Yang, S. van der Zwaag, Analysis of the interaction between moving α/γ interfaces and interphase precipitated carbides during cyclic phase transformations in a Nb-containing Fe-C-Mn alloy, Acta Materialia, 158(2018)59-69.

20) Zongbiao Dai, Ran Ding, Zhigang Yang, Chi Zhang, Hao Chen*, Elucidating the effect of Mn partitioning on interface migration and carbon partitioning during Quenching and Partitioning of the Fe-C-Mn-Si steels: Modeling and experiments, Acta Materialia, 152(2018) 288-299.

21)  Ran Ding, Zongbiao Dai, Mingxin Huang, Zhigang Yang, Chi Zhang, Hao Chen*, Effect of pre-existed austenite on austenite reversion and mechanical behavior of an Fe-0.2C-8Mn-2Al medium Mn steel, Acta Materialia, 147(2018)167-179.

22) Kangying Zhu, Hui Shi, Hao Chen, Coralie Jung, Effect of Al on martensite tempering comparison with Si, Journal of Materials Science, 53(2018)6951-6967.

23)  Zongbiao Dai, Ran Ding, Zhigang Yang, Chi Zhang, Hao Chen*, Elucidating the effect of Mn partitioning on interface migration and carbon partitioning during Quenching and Partitioning of the Fe-C-Mn-Si steels: Modeling and experiments, Acta Materialia, 144(2018)666-678.

24) Huidong Wu, Goro Miyamoto, Zhigang Yang, Chi Zhang, Hao Chen, Tadashi Furuhara, Carbon enrichment during ferrite transformation in Fe-Si-C alloys, Acta Materialia, 149(2018)68-77.

25) Jianing Zhu, Ran Ding, Jianguo He, Zhigang Yang, Chi Zhang, Hao Chen*, A cyclic austenite reversion treatment for stabilizing austenite in the medium manganese steels, Scripta Materialia, 136(2017)6-10.

26) Jianing Zhu, Haiwen Luo, Zhigang Yang, Chi Zhang, Sybrand van der Zwaag, Hao Chen*, Determination of the intrinsic austenite/ferrite interface mobility during massive transformations in interstitial free Fe-X alloys, Acta Materialia, 133(2017)258-268.

27) Zongbiao Dai, Xu Wang, Jianguo He, Zhigang Yang, Chi Zhang, Hao Chen*, Effect of Interfacial Mn Partitioning on Carbon Partitioning and Interface Migration During the Quenching and Partitioning Process, Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A, 48(2017)3168-3174.

28) Hu Chen, Yanzhou Ji, Chi Zhang, Wenbo Liu, Hao Chen, Zhigang Yang, Longqing Chen, Lei Chen, Understanding cementite dissolution in pearlitic steels subjected to rolling-sliding contact loading: A combined experimental and theoretical study, Acta Materialia, 141(2017)193-205.

29) Hao Chen, Congyu Zhang, Jianing Zhu, Zenan Yang, Ran Ding, Chi Zhang, Zhigang Yang, Austenite/Ferrite Interface Migration and Alloying Elements Partitioning: An Overview, Acta Metallurgica Sinica, 54(2017) 217-227. (Invited review)

30) Huidong Wu, Goro Miyamoto, Zhigang Yang, Chi Zhang, Hao Chen, Tadashi Furuhara, Incomplete bainite transformation in Fe-Si-C alloys, Acta Materialia, 133(2017)1-9.

31) Hao Chen*, Benqiang Zhu, Matthias Militzer, Phase Field Modeling of Cyclic Austenite-Ferrite Transformations in Fe-C-Mn Alloys, Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A, 47(2016)3873-3881.

32) Hao Chen*, Zhigang Yang, Chi Zhang, Kangying Zhu, Sybrand van der Zwaag, On the transition between grain boundary ferrite and bainitic ferrite in Fe-C-Mn and Fe-C-Mo alloys: The bay formation explained, Acta Materialia, 104(2016)62-71.

33) Hao Chen*, Sybrand van der Zwaag, The Effect of Interfacial Element Partitioning on Ferrite and Bainite Formation, JOM, 68(2016)1320-1328. (Invited review)

34) Hao Chen*, Sybrand van der Zwaag, A general mixed-mode model for the austenite to ferrite transformation kinetics in Fe-C-M alloys, Acta Materialia, 72(2014)1-12.

35) Kangying Zhu, Hao Chen, Jean-Philippe Masse, Olivier Bouaziz, Gabriel Gachet, The effect of ferrite/austenite interface on bainite and martensite transformations, Acta Materialia, 61(2013)6025-6036.

36) Hao Chen*, Kangying Zhu, Lie Zhao, Sybrand van der Zwaag, Analysis of transformation stasis during isothermal bainitic ferrite formation in Fe-C-Mn and Fe-C-Mn-Si alloys, Acta Materialia, 61(2013)5458-5468.

37) Hao Chen*, Annika Borgenstam, Joakim Odqvist, Ian Zuazo, John Ågren, Sybrand van der Zwaag, Application of interrupted cooling experiments to study the mechanism of bainitic ferrite formation in steels, Acta Materialia, 61(2013)4512-4523.

38) Hao Chen*, Ernst Gamsjäger, Siegfried Schider, Hamideh Khanbareh, Sybrand van der Zwaag, In situ observation of austenite-ferrite interface migration in a lean Mn steel during cyclic partial phase transformations, Acta Materialia, 61(2013)2414-2424.

39) Hao Chen*, Sybrand van der Zwaag, Analysis of ferrite growth retardation induced by local Mn enrichment in austenite created by prior interface passages, Acta Materialia, 61(2013)1338-1349.

40) Hao Chen*, Benoît Appolaire, Sybrand van der Zwaag, Application of cyclic partial phase transformations for identifying kinetic transitions during solid-state phase transformations: Experiments and modeling, Acta Materialia, 59(2011)6751-6760.