CEE assistant professor Lei Zhao has been selected as a 2024-2025 Fellow with the Center for Advanced Study (CAS) at the University of Illinois.
As a CAS Fellow, Zhao will conduct research and participate in public events, lecture series and large-scale initiatives that bring top scholars together and forge bonds across disciplines.
Zhao joined the CEE faculty in 2018 and is additionally affiliated with the National Center for Supercomputing Applications and the Institute for Sustainability, Energy and the Environment. His research focuses on the physical and engineering processes in the Atmospheric Boundary Layer where most human activities and environmental systems are concentrated, with a particular focus on built surfaces and urban environments.
The Center for Advanced Study was established in 1959 with a mission to promote the highest levels of scholarship and discourse. Today, CAS maintains that mission by encouraging interdisciplinary thought that starts conversations, inspires action and transforms the world. From hard science and engineering to humanities and the arts, the Center for Advanced Study works with every department on campus to provide high-achieving faculty with the support, connections and funding necessary to bring their ideas to life
Zhao’s appointment will take place pending CAS Board of Trustees approval.