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Prof. Kin-fai HO

Associate Director (Graduate Studies and Research) / Professor

BSc (Hons), MPhil, PhD


ORCID: 0000-0001-7464-3437

Scopus Author ID: 56895512600

ResearcherID: D-7311-2013


Prof. Kin-Fai Ho is a Professor at the JC School of Public Health and Primary Care, Faculty of Medicine at The Chinese University of Hong Kong. Prof. Ho is an environmental scientist with over 20 years of research experience in atmospheric chemistry, aerosols, and their impact on health. His research interests focus on the development of exposure assessment techniques and the modification of chemical/toxicological characterization methods to quantify personal exposure and health impacts related to air pollution. These techniques aim to bridge the gap between air pollution sources and their effects on health. His studies encompass the entire spectrum from pollution sources to exposure to health sciences, seeking to identify adverse human health effects and reduce uncertainties across the source-to-health effects paradigm. This research supports the development of strategies to mitigate the adverse health effects of air pollution in Hong Kong and mainland China. Prof. Ho has an extensive publication record, with over 330 scientific articles published in international peer-reviewed journals. His work has garnered more than 20,500 citations, and he maintains an H-index of 70. His recent research is focused on toxic air pollutants and their impact on human health, with specific attention to the composition and sources of particulate matter and volatile organic compounds (VOCs).


Research Interests

  • Air Pollution and Health

  • Environmental epidemiology

  • Particle Toxicology

  • Exposure Assessment

  • Bioaerosol


Recent Funded Research Projects

  • Volatile organic compound emissions and the toxicological implications of secondary organic aerosol formation from volatile chemical products, Research Grants Council - General Research Fund (PI: 2024-2026)

  • Unravelling the Black Box between Air Pollution and Public Health for Transformative Air Quality Management, Research Grant Council-Theme-based Research Fund (Co-PI: 2023-2027)

  • Spatial and temporal variations of oxygenated volatile organic compounds (OVOCs) and their ozone formation potential (OFP) in Hong Kong, Environment and Conservation Fund (PI: 2021-2023)

  • Personal and ambient exposure to chemical composition of PM2.5 and PMcoarse and change of lung functions and biomarkers for inflammatory and oxidative stress in elderly, Food and Health Bureau - Health and Medical Research Fund (PI: 2020-2022)

  • Relationship between outdoor and personal exposure to bioaerosols and their allergic airway inflammation in vitro, Research Grants Council - General Research Fund (PI: 2020-2022)

  • Inflammatory responses induced by secondary organic aerosols (SOA) generated from NO3- and OH- initiated oxidation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), Research Grants Council - General Research Fund (PI: 2019-2021)

  • Photochemical air pollution in highly urbanized subtropical regions: from micro environments to urban-terrestrial-oceanic interactions, Research Grant Council-Theme-based Research Fund (Co-PI: 2018-2022)

  • Characterization and formation of secondary organic aerosols from biomass burning, National Natural Science Foundation of China (PI: 2017-2019)

Prof. Kin-fai HO
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