Chia played piano for friends at private parties, and often turned to music as a way of letting off steam. He occasionally wrote songs, and even launched an unsuccessful lawsuit against singer Julio Iglesias in 1991, alleging the unauthorized use of one of his compositions. Chia felt equally enthusiastic about his two main endeavors, telling Georgia Tech's alumni magazine, "When I am in music, I miss metallurgy. And when I am in metallurgy, I miss music." For a time, however, music had to take a back seat while Chia's scientific career developed. An adjunct professorship at Georgia Tech in the department of materials engineering evolved into a special faculty position at the Georgia Tech Research Institute in 1986. In 1990 Georgia Tech football coach Bill Curry recommended Chia for a position in private industry, and Chia became executive vice president of American Fine Wire in Selma, Alabama. He holds more than 40 patents in the field of metallurgy and has published more than 40 scientific papers.