Chiu is a marine ecologist with a specialty in biogeomorphology and biogeochemistry of subtidal and intertidal habitats.
He received a bachelor's degree in Environmental Science from Moravian University in America in 2009, followed by a master's degree in Biological Oceanography from Florida State University in 2013. He then worked for the State of Florida in environmental management and permitting.
In 2021, he did his doctoral research at NIOZ in Yerseke. In this project, he focused on the bidirectional interactions between biotic and abiotic aspects of the (subtidal) seafloor and how this can influence the development of bedforms (ridges, mega ridges and sand waves) and the reverse. He also investigated the influence of sediment composition (i.e., shells) on the migration rate of sand ridges.
After the PhD, Chiu worked at Wageningen Marine Research (Yerseke) as a marine ecologist and project leader, where he was mainly involved in monitoring projects in the Southwest Delta. These projects included the efficacy of outer dike measures and their influences on benthic and bird communities and sediment composition.
He has been a coastal ecologist with the research group Building with Nature since September 2023. Here he works on research projects in the Southwest Delta.