Rate My Professor Rongjia Tao

Rongjia Tao is a Professor of Physics in the Department of Physics at Temple University's College of Science and Technology. He received his BS from the University of Science and Technology of China in 1970, followed by an MA in Physics from Columbia University in 1980, an M.Ph. in Physics in 1982, and a PhD in Physics from Columbia University in May 1982. His research specializes in experimental and theoretical condensed matter physics, with a focus on soft matter. Tao investigates electrorheological (ER) and magnetorheological (MR) effects in complex fluids, including blood, liquid chocolate, and crude oil. He has developed technologies to reduce blood viscosity using magnetic fields, treating hypertension by simultaneously lowering viscosity along flow direction and suppressing turbulence. Additional applications include using ER effects to produce healthier, tastier low-fat chocolate and to decrease crude oil viscosity for improved pipeline flow and engine efficiency. His early work on superconductors in strong electric fields and the quantum Hall effect laid foundational insights into topological quantization and phases of matter. Recent efforts explore magnetic fields to disassemble blood clots in COVID-19 patients with severe thrombosis.