Hua is an associate professor in the Department of Human Centered Design, a faculty member of the graduate fields of design and environmental analysis and real estate, and the Cornell China Center director.

She came from a background of architecture, building science, and behavioral science. Hua conducts research on methodology for post-occupancy evaluation (POE); interaction between occupants and building systems and resulted influence on building performance; and impact of workplace concepts on behavioral and organizational outcomes. She is also studying strategies to engage and motivate multiple stakeholders in sustainable building practice and in resilience building efforts in multiple building markets in the U.S., Japan, and China.