Academic Credentials
  • Ph.D., Physics, Georgia Institute of Technology, 2013
  • B.S., Physics, Tsinghua University, 2007
Licenses & Certifications
  • Certified Fire and Explosion Investigator (CFEI)
  • Certified ISO 9001:2000 Lead Auditor
  • exida Functional Safety Practitioner
Professional Affiliations
  • Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers – IEEE (Senior member)
  • National Fire Protection Association—NFPA (member)

Dr. Hu is a highly skilled professional with expertise in automotive failure investigations, consumer product safety evaluation and electronic devices failure analysis. With a proven track record of supporting clients across diverse industries, Dr. Hu excels in identifying root causes of failures and developing validated remedies. Her approach involves warranty analysis, field return inspection, supplier data review, and recreation testing to enhance product reliability and support client decision-making.

In consumer product design review and safety evaluation, Dr. Hu evaluates design documents and prototype devices to identify potential safety risks. She performs failure analysis and assists clients in responding to regulatory authorities, ensuring compliance and product safety. Dr. Hu's utilization of ISO 9001 principles, coupled with her product domain expertise, enables her to routinely perform manufacturing factory evaluations. She assesses assembly processes for battery packs, PCBA, and product assembly lines, aiding clients in vendor selection and identifying potential weaknesses in manufacturing quality systems.

In addition, Dr. Hu supports legal teams on matters related to electric vehicle fires, advanced driver assistance systems, and regulatory compliance. She conducts reviews on various types of automotive component qualification testing and assists in regulatory and standards review processes for different market entry requirements. With extensive experience as a fire investigator, Dr. Hu specializes in electrical devices and battery fires. She conducts thorough fire scene investigations and evaluates battery-powered device protection systems, ensuring effective mitigation of risks and enhancing safety measures.

Before joining Exponent, Dr. Hu was a senior scientist at Halliburton where she worked on developing sensors  for oil and gas exploration. She is also an inventor of oil field technology with more than ten US patents issued. As a graduate research assistant at the Georgia Institute of Technology, Dr. Hu performed fundamental research in graphene physics and worked on understanding the growth mechanism to achieve high quality graphene on silicon carbide.