Fu Zhao, Professor of Environmental and Ecological Engineering and Mechanical Engineering at Purdue University, embodies these ideas in his life and research as he pursues an understanding of the natural world while adhering to moral principles.

Zhao grew up in a small town in northeast China, where he was captivated by the local coal-fired power plant and its massive coal consumption. His curiosity led him to study thermal engineering at Tsinghua University in Beijing.

“While in college, I learned the dark side of coal-fired power plants, especially the air pollution. Acid rain was a major problem in China in 1980s and 1990s. I was inspired by the work done to combat air pollution caused by power plants,” Zhao says.

Zhao continued his studies, focusing on industrial processes with the aim of reducing pollution, earning his MS and PhD degrees. He has been dedicated to industrial sustainability and life cycle assessment ever since. In 2007, Zhao accepted an Assistant Professor position at Purdue University. He was among the founders of the Environmental and Ecological Engineering program and developed several courses including, EEE480, EEE360 (Spring version on industrial sustainability), and EEE 530.

“Given my research interest, EEE is a perfect fit. I also enjoy the small unit and close tied community.”

Nearly 20 years later, Fu Zhao has worked with hundreds of students and conducted numerous research projects. Today, he is involved in several initiatives, including developing an all-in-one software to support the development of EV batteries that facilitate a circular economy. Supported by the US Department of Energy and ARPA-E, the tool will integrate environmental life cycle analysis, technoeconomic analysis, and circularity analysis with a unified database. 

“I do lots of work on life cycle assessment, which aims at providing a holistic view of the environmental performance of a product, process, or system. It could offer insights on how to reduce environmental footprints by identifying the hot spots,” Zhao explains.

Purdue EEE trains students in classic environmental engineering, or as Zhao refers to it, “end of pipe or remediation-type approaches.” This approach is vital in settings with pre-established systems. However, Zhao is more interested in the other side of EEE; making the entire system more sustainable. Intervening at the early stages of product and process development allows for the potential of a win-win solution—more efficient, cost effective, and sustainable.

He states his motivation simply: “To contribute to find the solutions for global environmental problems.” Professor Fu Zhao continues to resonate with Immanuel Kant’s quote as he seeks to understand the natural world while staying true to moral law.

When asked why he appreciates Immanuel Kant’s quote, Zhao shares, “I did lots of star gazing when I was a kid. I still do as we have some decent dark sites close by. The starry sky is a sacred thing to me, and the same for the moral law which is required to have a better society.”

Written by: Lacy Gehmlich

Photo by: Lacy Gehmlich