Beyond the Beaker with Dr. Chen: Around the World, but Austin is Home

Authors: Haset Mekuria and Shreemayi Undavalli

“The eye contact when, you know, you’re walking and then meet somebody just passing by.”

To bring a smile to Dr. Jonathen Chen’s face, give him a quick hello when you cross paths with

him. As someone who has traveled the world, he finds joy in the everyday and something much

more within reach than flying across the planet: friendly acknowledgement. It’s this kind of

down-to-earth personality and calm demeanor that makes his acquaintances describe him as “a

friendly guy.” If you weren’t aware of his academic background before meeting him, you may not

realize his global regard as a leader within the field of textile science and engineering.

Dr. Jonathan Chen is a professor in the Textiles and Apparel department in the College of

Natural Sciences. Currently, Dr. Chen’s research focuses on fibers and their applications to

water and air filtration, medical fabrics, automotive interiors, and more. He serves on numerous

journal editorial boards and is a recognized leader in his field.

To get to Austin, though, Dr. Chen had to travel the world.

From Wuxi, China, Dr. Chen completed his Bachelor's Degree in Textile Engineering at

Jiangnan University before moving to England to earn his PhD at the University of Leeds. When

asked about his favorite place he’d lived in, Dr. Chen remarked on Leeds’ beauty. During his

time at Leeds, Dr. Chen was able to tour Buckingham Palace, a memory he describes as one of

his favorites from graduate school.

After his PhD at Leeds, Dr. Chen worked as a postdoctoral researcher at Louisiana State

University before joining UT faculty as a professor in Textiles and Apparel. His traveling does

not end here, though. Dr. Chen is an avid traveler, and his favorite place he's traveled has been

Banff, Canada. Recently, he visited Switzerland for an academic conference.

Having been everywhere in the world, at the end of the day, Austin is Dr. Chen’s chosen home.

He resonates with the local cowboy culture, and if given the choice to eat lunch with anyone, he

would enjoy the company of Clint Eastwood, a star in many action-packed Western movies. His

lunch venue of choice? Probably Kerbey Lane, it being his favorite restaurant around campus.

At UT, Dr. Chen loves visiting the Main Tower for its stunning views of campus and the Capitol.

He lists his favorite things about the city as its live music, classical being his favorite, and getting

to connect with his students. If traveling is part of your aspirations/you’re feeling inspired by Dr.

Chen’s world tour of life, Dr. Chen might pass on the best advice he’s ever received about

persevering to achieve your dreams: “It’s very short, but try and try again.”

Resources:

https://txa.utexas.edu/directory/jonathan-chen