Collective Dynamics Lab

About the PI

Kai HUANG (Dr. rer. nat. habil.) is currently a professor of physics in the division of natural and applied sciences (DNAS) at Duke Kunshan University (DKU). He had served as the chair of the division of natural and applied sciences from 2020 to 2024, envisioning the rapid development of DKU during its Phase II development. In Nov.2024, he started to serve as the dean of research and lab infrastructure, overseeing lab management office (LMO), lab safety office (LSO) and the office of research support (RSO) at DKU. He did his PhD in physical acoustics at Nanjing University, and habilitation in physics at University of Bayreuth.

He is interested in understanding, predicting and controlling the collective behavior of macroscopic particles (e.g., sand grains) from a fundamental perspective, in order to shed light on widespread applications ranging from space exploration through prevention of natural disasters to the energy efficiency of relevant industrial processes (e.g., civil engineering, process engineering, pharmaceutics). In addition, he is interested in the acoustical design of opera theatres, particularly comparing traditional European (e.g., the Bayreuth Festspielhaus of Richard Wagner and Margravial Opera House in Bayreuth, Germany) with Chinese opera theatres (e.g., Kun opera performing places), as an extension of his lecture on Acoustics. 

He teaches fundamental level “Integrated science – physics” (PHYS121), “General Physics” (PHYS122), “Physics of Particulate Matter” (PHYS310), “Advanced Physics Lab” (PHYS405), and “Integrated Science: Scientific methods meet food and cooking” (INTGSCI205) courses, in addition to a miniterm course on “Room Acoustics”, various “Independent Study” and “Capstone” courses.