Professor Ren is a Professor at the University of Hong Kong. She is the Director of the Msc in Sustainable Environment Design and the Associate Director of the HKU Jockey Club Enterprise Sustainability Global Research Institute.  She specializes in applied climatology and climate design. Chao’s multi-dimensional, cross-disciplinary research has transferred scientific data into new knowledge to address social needs, enhance policy-making and support evidence-based designs in China, Taiwan, Singapore, The Netherlands and France since 2006. She is the Awardee of the 2023 HKU University-level Knowledge Exchange Excellence Award and the 2022 Rosie Young 90 Medal Outstanding Young Woman Scholar at HKU. She is also the Recipient of the Timothy Oke Award for early- & mid-career scientists given by the International Association for Urban Climate in 2020.