Xinzhao Chu

Xinzhao Chu is a Professor of Aerospace Engineering Sciences at the University of Colorado Boulder and a Fellow at the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES). He holds a Ph.D. and B.S. in Physics and Electrical Engineering from Peking University (1996 and 1991). His research focuses on lidar remote sensing, atmospheric and space sciences, and the dynamics of the mesosphere and lower thermosphere. Chu’s work includes developing novel lidar technologies, studying gravity waves, and exploring space-atmosphere interactions.

• Affiliations: CIRES Fellow, Department of Aerospace Engineering Sciences
• Key Roles: Director of the NSF Lidar Consortium, Principal Investigator of multiple grants

Research Interests: Lidar instrumentation, atmospheric dynamics, metal layer formation in thermosphere, and climate variability studies. His group has pioneered Antarctic lidar campaigns, including record-breaking 174-hour observations and discoveries of thermospheric Fe layers.

Awards & Recognition: CEDAR Prize Lecture Award (2019), MRI and CAREER Awards (2007), and Antarctic Service Medal (2001). His team has consistently won CEDAR Student Poster Competitions.

Advisees: Notable students include Zhibin Yu, Weichun Fong, and Cao Chen, who have contributed to groundbreaking lidar data and numerical models.

Labs & Projects: Leads the Chu Research Group, developing advanced lidar systems (e.g., OASIS Initiative) and collaborating globally on atmospheric observations. The group operates facilities like the McMurdo Station lidar in Antarctica.