His research includes work on energy efficiency, surface engineering, and tribology. In 2016, Chung, Jiaxing Huang, and other co-authors published an article in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences describing how a lubricant containing crumpled graphene could provide higher lubrication performance than other lubricant oils. In 2017, Chung was featured in the Northwestern Engineering magazine for his research on improving energy efficiency. The article describes a development by Chung and others on reducing friction within automobiles. Their development, a lubricant additive, "can reduce friction by up to 70 percent and wear by up to 90 percent compared to conventional lubricant counterparts." In 2019, Chung was interviewed by Tribology & Lubrication Technology. In his interview, he expressed sentiment that communication skills are a vital part of career tribology, and are not emphasized enough in education.