Rate My Professor Meng Nan

Professor Ir. Dr. Chong Meng Nan is a Professor in the Malaysia School of Engineering at Monash University and Director of the Centre for Net-Zero Technology at Monash University Malaysia. He possesses over 20 years of experience in academic, research, consultancy, and editorial endeavors. Chong earned his B.Eng with 1st Class Honours and Ph.D., with his doctoral research investigating solar photocatalysis as an advanced oxidation process (AOP) for treated sewage effluent reuse at Bolivar WWTP in South Australia through an ARC Linkage project partnering AWQC, SA Water, University of Adelaide, and University of South Australia. Before Monash, he served as Research Scientist at CSIRO, leading urban water research and project-leading two CSIRO capability theme projects funded by UWSRA in Southeast Queensland. He joined Monash University Malaysia as Senior Lecturer, advancing to Associate Professor and Professor.

His research specializes in solar fuel production via photoelectrochemical oxidation of water and reduction of carbon dioxide using sunlight-abundant novel nanostructured photoelectrodes. This sustainable approach avoids fossil fuels and greenhouse gas emissions, though challenged by low efficiency and photostability. Chong's group engineers photoelectrodes with semiconductors, carbon materials, polymers, dopants, photosensitizers, and co-catalysts, probing photophysics and photochemistry via synchrotron facilities. He has secured over RM 25 million in competitive funding as PI/CI, published more than 200 high-impact outputs, and accepts PhD students. Key publications encompass "Engineering high-performance BiVO4 homo- and heterojunction Photoanodes for solar-driven Photoelectrochemical water splitting applications" (Coordination Chemistry Reviews, 2025), "Elucidating the dynamics and transfer pathways of photogenerated charge carriers in V2O5/BiVO4 heterojunction photoanodes: A transient absorption spectroscopy study" (Journal of Alloys and Compounds, 2025), "Surface and interface engineering of p-type Cu2O-CuO heterostructures featuring innovative 2D-CuO nanoflake morphology on Cu2O thin film for enhanced photoelectrochemical water splitting" (Applied Surface Science, 2026), and "Engineering synthesis of Bi2Zr2O7 via modified Pechini method with long-chain diols for advanced Z-scheme photocatalytic ciprofloxacin treatment" (Journal of Water Process Engineering, 2025). Chong has received the Royal Society of UK Newton Advanced Fellowship, Green Talents Award, Top Research Scientist Malaysia, and Stanford University’s World’s Top 2% Scientists ranking in Chemical Engineering and Environmental Sciences for 2020-2025.