Professor Shauhrat Chopra

Associate Professor, School of Energy and Environment
World’s Top 2% most-cited scientist 2023 by Stanford University

“Everything is connected.”

Born in the 90’s, he is one of the youngest faculty members in CityUHK to be ranked as one of the World's Top 2% most-cited scientists by Stanford University. Growing up in cities like New Delhi, Yangon and Hyderabad, Professor Chopra, from the School of Energy and Environment, witnessed firsthand the intricate relationship between economic development and environmental sustainability. His childhood experiences in these rapidly developing urban landscapes laid the groundwork for his future endeavours in sustainable urban systems.

In his formative years, Professor Chopra observed the visible impact of urbanisation: air pollution from vehicles, deforestation for new developments, and more. These experiences evoked a deep-seated awareness of the challenges that accompany urban development. He recalls the sensory overload of littered streets and polluted air, which served as constant reminders of the challenges faced by cities striving for progress. They made him realise that cities must evolve without compromising their ecological integrity. This understanding propelled him towards a quest for solutions that harmonise economic growth with environmental sustainability.

Professor Chopra chose to deepen this work on academic research in Hong Kong, as he was attracted by the availability of data on city infrastructure. These data are crucial as they enable him to develop resilience models—computational frameworks that model various sustainability metrics and resilience strategies, ultimately guiding decision-making processes. Professor Chopra has been working on the resilience of transportation in Hong Kong and discovered that increasing the interconnectedness between different modes of transportation and making it easy for commuters to switch from one mode to another greatly benefits resilience. However, he found that the biggest challenge is to communicate the findings and present them in a palatable manner for policymakers to take action.

Professor Chopra has been actively involved in advocating for sustainability on campus as well. Since joining CityUHK in 2018, he has been part of the Campus Sustainability Committee. Part of his work in this committee involves designing the carbon neutrality assessment methodology for CityUHK to ensure that the university is leading the sustainability transition for all universities in Hong Kong.

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