Dr. Yao Zhou is currently a Professor at the School of Electrical Engineering of Xi’an Jiaotong University, China. His research focuses on advanced dielectric materials for energy storage, conversion, and transmission. His main scientific achievements include the design of high-performance polymer dielectrics for harsh environment applications, the development of environmentally friendly polypropylene-based high-voltage cables with enhanced operating temperatures, and the innovation of electro-thermal approach to achieve remarkable actuation strain and mechanical energy density in percolative ferroelectric polymer composites. To date, Dr. Yao Zhou has published over 60 papers in peer-reviewed journals, including Nature, Nature Materials, Advanced Materials, Advanced Energy Materials, etc. He has been honored with the Innovative Contribution Award for China’s Emerging Scientific and Technological Talents in 2023 and the Postdoctoral Excellence in Research Award from Penn State in 2023.