Dr. Chris Lai

Assistant Professor

Build a Statement of Purpose

Generate a tailored SOP for Dr. Chris Lai. Improve your application with a focused, well-structured draft.

Biography

Chris Lai is a native of Hong Kong who received both his Bachelor of Engineering and Master of Philosophy degrees in Civil Engineering from the University of Hong Kong. He then pursued his PhD at Texas A&M University, focusing on oil spill modeling, and was awarded his degree in December 2015. Between 2016 and 2019, he worked as a postdoctoral research associate with the Extreme Fluids Team at Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico. In November 2019, he joined the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology as an assistant professor in the Water Resources group. His research interests include the role of fluid turbulence in environmental processes and various applications, including marine outfall designs, accidental oil spill modeling, and the influence of fluid density gradients on turbulent flows. He employs a combination of experimental methods, theoretical approaches, and mathematical modeling to develop practical predictive models that facilitate management-level decisions. He currently focuses on areas such as the breakup and coalescence of droplets and bubbles, mass loss from sea-terminating glaciers, and water transport systems.

Research Interests

Awards

#

GoMRI Scholar

Requirements for Georgia Institute of Technology

Doctorate Program
Requirements
GPA Requirement
Required:3.5
TOEFL
Listening
Required:19
Reading
Required:19
Writing
Required:19
Speaking
Required:19
Total
Required:100
IELTS
Listening
Required:6.5
Reading
Required:6.5
Writing
Required:5.5
Speaking
Required:6.5
Overall
Required:7.5
Prerequisites
Undergraduate degree in computer science or related field
Application Checklist
  • Online application
  • Official transcripts
  • Three letters of recommendation
  • Statement of Purpose
Specialization Notes

Department of Computer Science: GRE scores are optional for Fall 2026.