University of the Western Cape, South Africa
Dr. Wenkai Hu, is a postdoctoral astrophysicist at the University of the Western Cape, South Africa, focusing on cosmological studies via HI intensity mapping with MeerKAT. He completed his BSc in Physics at USTC (2014), and earned his PhD in Astrophysics (2020) from the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, researching neutral hydrogen in the universe. His career includes international collaborations and postdoctoral research at LAM (France) on the CONCERTO project. Dr. Hu has worked extensively with radio and (sub-)millimetre data to investigate the ISM, IGM, and galaxy evolution. His work spans several major observatories including FAST, GBT, and MeerKAT. Known for leading high-impact surveys and developing processing pipelines, he also collaborates on global projects like HIIMGS, CONCERTO, and SKA science working groups. Passionate about cosmology and HI science, Dr. Hu continues to push the frontiers of extragalactic radio astronomy.
Profile
Orcid
🎓 Education
Dr. Wenkai Hu began his academic journey with a Bachelor’s in Physics from the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) in 2014. He then pursued a Ph.D. in Astrophysics at the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences and the National Astronomical Observatories of China (NAOC), completing it in 2020. His doctoral research, supervised by Prof. Xuelei Chen and Prof. Lister Staveley-Smith, focused on the detection of neutral hydrogen (HI) in the universe using intensity mapping and absorption techniques. His Ph.D. work also involved international collaborations with institutions in Canada, the USA, and Australia, where he contributed to groundbreaking research in HI cosmology. These academic achievements laid a strong foundation for his postdoctoral work in France and South Africa, where he further honed his expertise in radio astronomy and cosmological studies through state-of-the-art instrumentation and big data analysis from facilities like FAST and MeerKAT.
🧪 Experience
Dr. Hu’s professional journey began with research collaborations during his PhD, including HI absorber searches with GBT and group-based HI studies at ICRAR, Australia (2017–2019). He returned to China in 2019 to contribute to the FAST HI Intensity Mapping Survey and characterize 1/f noise. From 2020–2023, he was a postdoctoral researcher at LAM in Marseille, France, leading data analysis efforts for the CONCERTO CII intensity mapping project. Since 2023, Dr. Hu has held the SKA Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of the Western Cape, where he leads data processing for the MeerKAT Large Area Synoptic Survey (MeerKLASS). His diverse experience includes observational campaigns, software development, noise modeling, and scientific leadership across multiple international institutions. He is actively involved in SKA working groups and has managed several high-impact astrophysical research projects as a PI, making significant contributions to radio cosmology, galaxy evolution, and observational data pipelines.
🏅 Awards & Honors
Dr. Wenkai Hu has earned prestigious recognition throughout his career, including being awarded the SKA Postdoctoral Fellowship in South Africa in 2023. He has led 12 national and international research projects as Principal Investigator, a remarkable achievement for an early-career scientist. He has made pioneering contributions to HI and OH absorption studies, intensity mapping forecasts, and tidal field reconstructions. His work has resulted in high-impact publications and contributions to global survey catalogs. His innovative HI absorber blind search techniques and spectral stacking analyses have garnered attention in the radio astronomy community. Dr. Hu is a member of elite collaborations like SKA Working Groups, HIIMGS, CONCERTO, and Astro 3D, reflecting peer recognition of his scientific caliber. Additionally, he has led major data pipeline development efforts for MeerKAT and CONCERTO, demonstrating exceptional project leadership and technical expertise that distinguish him as an emerging leader in observational cosmology.
🔬 Research Focus
Dr. Hu’s research centers on neutral hydrogen (HI) and cosmological structure formation, with a strong emphasis on HI and CII intensity mapping. His expertise includes studying large-scale structures, cosmic HI density, galaxy evolution, and environmental effects through radio and (sub-)millimeter observations. He specializes in HI/OH emission and absorption analysis, spectral stacking, and foreground mitigation. His work addresses the epoch of reionization and post-reionization eras via surveys like MeerKLASS, CONCERTO, and FAST. He also investigates instrumental noise (1/f), develops advanced data processing pipelines, and forecasts cosmological constraints from intensity mapping surveys. A recurring theme across his research is linking physical theory with observational data using innovative computational techniques. Dr. Hu is at the forefront of developing methodologies for next-generation radio cosmology, aiming to unravel the nature of dark energy and the evolution of the intergalactic medium with cutting-edge instruments and deep cosmological datasets.
Conclusion
Dr. Wenkai Hu embodies the qualities of a promising and impactful early-career researcher. His contributions to cosmology, especially in HI and CII intensity mapping, position him at the forefront of observational astrophysics. His international research experience, technical leadership, and innovative scientific output make him a strong and deserving candidate for the Young Scientist Award. With continued publication momentum and increased outreach, he is poised to become a leading voice in next-generation radio cosmology.
Publication
Title: The FAST H i 21 cm Absorption Blind Survey II: Statistical Exploration for Associated and Intervening Systems
Year: 2025
Author: Wenkai Hu
Link: https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4365/adb0c0
Title: CONCERTO at APEX: On-sky Performance in Continuum
Year: 2024
Author: W. Hu
Link: https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202449260
Title: Environmental Effects on Satellite Galaxies from the Perspective of Cold Gas
Year: 2024
Author: Hongxing Chen
Link: https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/stae162
Title: FAST Drift-Scan Survey for H i Intensity Mapping I: Preliminary Data Analysis
Year: 2023
Author: Yichao Li
Link: https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ace896
Title: CONCERTO: Extracting the Power Spectrum of the [C II] Emission Line
Year: 2023
Author: Mathilde Van Cuyck
Link: https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202346270
Title: Detections of 21 cm Absorption with a Blind FAST Survey at z ≤ 0.09
Year: 2023
Author: Wenkai Hu
Link: https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202245549
Title: CONCERTO: Simulating the CO, [C II], and [C I] Line Emission of Galaxies in a 117 deg² Field and the Impact of Field-to-Field Variance
Year: 2023
Author: Athanasia Gkogkou
Link: https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202245151
Title: CONCERTO at APEX: Installation and First Phase of On-sky Commissioning
Year: 2022
Author: Wenkai Hu
Link: https://doi.org/10.1051/epjconf/202225700010
Title: CONCERTO: High-fidelity Simulation of Millimeter Line Emissions of Galaxies and [C II] Intensity Mapping
Year: 2022
Author: Wenkai Hu
Link: https://doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361/202243888
Title: CONCERTO: A Breakthrough in Wide Field-of-View Spectroscopy at Millimeter Wavelengths
Year: 2022
Author: Wenkai Hu
Link: https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2629228