Education

Current Positions

Research Assistant Professor, School of Life Sciences, CUHK

Research Interests

• Fluorescence microscopy
• Fluorescent materials
• Optical Instrumentation
• Sub-cellular Structures and Dynamics

Representative Publications

1. Y. Zhang ¹, X. Lao ^{1 *}, E. Cheng, S. Chen ^*, L. Jiang, A Small-Molecule AIE Fluorescent Probe Targeting Plant Mitochondria and Its Application in Super-Resolution Imaging, Chem. Commun., 2026, 62, 4117.
2. Y.M. Zhou, C.Y. Li, F. Tang, X.Z. Fang, X. Li, X. Lao, G.W. Du and S.J. Xu. Highly efficient large-size ultrathin phosphor-glass composites for super-bright LED lights. Laser Photonics Rev 2026, 20, e01513.
3. X. Fang, F. Tang, Z. Yan, X. Lao, X. Li, G. Du, L. Gao, and S. Xu, Visible-Light Driven Nd3+ Emission Enabled by a Garnet-Based Cr3+-Doped Phosphor–Glass Composite for Broadband-to-NIR Spectral Conversion, Laser Photonics Rev 2026, 20, e02534.
4. M. Mao, T. Lam, W. To, X. Lao, W. Liu, S. Xu, G. Cheng, C. Che, Stable, High-Efficiency Voltage-Dependent Color-Tunable Organic Light-Emitting Diodes with a Single Tetradentate Platinum (II) Emitter Having Long Operational Lifetime, Advanced Materials 2021, 33, 2004873.
5. X. Lao ¹, Y. Bao ¹, S. Xu, Impact of excitation energy on the excitonic luminescence of cesium lead bromide perovskite nanosheets, Optics Letters 2020, 45, 3881.
6. X. Lao ¹, W. Zhou ¹, Y. Bao, X. Wang, Z. Yang, M. Wang, S. Xu, Photoluminescence signatures of thermal expansion, electron-phonon coupling and phase transitions in cesium lead bromide perovskite nanosheets, Nanoscale 2020, 12, 7315.
7. X. Lao, Z. Yang, Z. Su, Y. Bao, J. Zhang, X. Wang, X. Cui, M. Wang, X. Yao and S. Xu, Anomalous Temperature-Dependent Exciton-Phonon Coupling in Cesium Lead Bromide Perovskite Nanosheets, J. Phys. Chem. C 2019, 123, 5128.
8. X. Lao, Z. Yang, Z. Su, Z. Wang, H. Ye, M. Wang, X. Yao and S. Xu, Luminescence and Thermal Behaviors of Free and Trapped Excitons in Cesium Lead Halide Perovskite Nanosheets, Nanoscale 2018, 10, 9949.
9. Z. Su, Z. Ren, Y. Bao, X. Lao, J. Zhang, J. Zhang, D. Zhu, Y. Lu, Y. Hao, and S. Xu. Luminescence landscapes of nitrogen-vacancy centers in diamond: quasi-localized vibrational resonances and selective coupling. J. Mater. Chem. C 2019, 7, 8086.
10. Z. Yang, M. Wang, H. Qiu, X. Yao, X. Lao, S. Xu, Z. Lin, L. Sun and J. Shao, Engineering the Exciton Dissociation in Quantum-Confined 2D CsPbBr₃ Nanosheet Films, Adv. Funct. Mater. 2018, 28, 1705908.

Research Grants

• 2026-2028, Research Grants Council (RGC) Collaborative Research Fund (CRF) Equipment Grant as Co-PI, “The First State-of-the-Art Molecular Resolution Light Microscope for Live Cell Imaging into our Advanced Imaging Platforms to Timely Promote Interdisciplinary and Advanced Life Sciences Research in Hong Kong and Beyond”, HK$ 7,960,000.
• 2026-2030, Research Grants Council (RGC) Areas of Excellence Scheme (AoE) Grant as Co-PI, “Centre for Plant Vacuole Biology and Biotechnology”, HK$87,777,000.
• 2025-2026, CUHK School of Life Sciences Seed Fund as PI, “MINFLUX for biogenesis mechanistic study of sub-cellular structures and their networks to Timely Promote Interdisciplinary and Advanced Life Sciences Research in Hong Kong and Beyond”, HK$ 200,000.
• 2025-2026, CUHK Faculty of Science Direct Grant as PI, “Investigation of plant vacuole biogenesis mechanisms and networks with neighbourhood organelles using super-resolution fluorescence imaging techniques”, HK$ 150,000.
• 2024-2026, CUHK Faculty of Science Collaborative Research Impact Matching Scheme as Co-PI, “Paving the way for next-generation diagnostic imaging in karyotyping – advancing chromosome periphery staining, high-quality imaging, and imaging processing”, HK$ 500,000.
• 2024-2026, CUHK Strategic Seed Funding for Collaborative Research Scheme as Co-PI, “Area of Excellence (AoE) Centre for Plant Vacuole Biology and Biotechnology”, HK$ 500,000.

Professional Activities

Consultant, Yale University
Guest editor and Topical Advisory Panel Member of Micromachines