His research in polymer science and engineering has led to novel water purification techniques, Together with his colleague Benjamin Chu, Hsiao has used combined electrospinning and cellulose nanofibrous membranes technologies to produce an hierarchical non-woven pattern of different size fibers (from micrometers to nanometers) to filter water.
As a material scientist, Hsiao has focused on understanding the fundamental processes involved in the crystallization of polymers.