Associate Professor
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Department of Materials Science and Engineering
City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
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Department of Materials Science and Engineering (Cross-appointment)
Yonsei University, Seoul, South Korea
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Co-Principal Investigator
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Hong Kong Centre for Cerebro-Cardiovascular Health Engineering
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Prof. Derek Ho is currently an associate professor at the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at City University of Hong Kong. He serves as co-principal investigator at the Hong Kong Centre for Cerebro-Cardiovascular Health Engineering, where he commercializes soft sensory materials and devices for wearable medical electronics. Prof. Ho is also cross-appointed by the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Yonsei University, Seoul, South Korea.
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Prof. Ho was born in Hong Kong and received his education in Canada. After obtaining his PhD, he returned to Hong Kong to begin his academic career. Prof. Ho received his B.A.Sc. (first-class honours) and M.A.Sc. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of British Columbia (UBC), Vancouver, Canada. At UBC, he focused on microelectronics and became fascinated with micro-nano devices. Prof. Ho received his Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada in 2013, focusing on integrating stimuli-responsive materials for bioanalysis microsystems.
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​Prof. Ho's research interests are in soft materials and devices, with focus on two application areas: bio-integrated sensors and energy harvesting devices. Both areas are linked through his expertise in materials synthesis, device fabrication, and system integration. In terms of fundamental science, Prof. Ho is deeply involved in advancing our understanding of the piezoionic effect -- a force-induced ion generation phenomenon, as of now, the only nano-power generation paradigm available for soft materials.
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Outside of the lab, Prof. Ho enjoys nature, hiking, photography, and tennis (in Hong Kong), and snowboarding (in Canada). Update: Prof. Ho has little life outside the university and has no hobbies :)
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For more information, please feel free to check out his academic genealogy or his interview with Materials Horizons.
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D Ho*, Materials Horizons, 10, 2723-2725, 2023. (DOI)
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