Dr. Alicia An is a Professor in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), where she leads the Water-Energy and Membrane Nexus research group. Alicia obtained her PhD from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at HKUST. She began her academic career at the University of Tokyo, Japan, and further developed her career at the City University of Hong Kong before joining HKUST.

With over 20 years of experience in the field of membrane-based water and wastewater treatment, she has published more than 140 peer-reviewed journal articles on emerging technologies such as Membrane Distillation, Forward Osmosis, and hybrid Reverse Osmosis systems, focusing on the removal of emerging pollutants and resource recovery. Dr. An has been listed among the top 2% of the world's most highly cited scientists by Elsevier and Stanford University since 2020. She serves as an Associate Editor for the Journal of Process Safety and Environmental Protection and as an Editorial Board member for both Desalination and the Journal of Water Process Engineering. Dr. An was conferred the title of RGC Research Fellow by the Hong Kong Research Grants Council in 2022.