News

PolyU CEE Webinar Series: Food-related Waste Stream Valorization - Caproate Production via Carboxylate Chain Elongation

Dr Huichuan Zhuang delivered a seminar with the topic of “Food-related Waste Stream Valorization - Caproate Production via Carboxylate Chain Elongation” on 26 Nov 2025. It was co-organized with HKIE Civil Division. Find the full version of the webinar in the below link: https://youtu.be/mxMQrQyexsA?si=uZcMQBAKCUlM0hXH  

CEE Site Visit – Tung Chung Line Extension Project

Led by Dr Nicole Yiu, Programme Leader of BSc (Hons) in Environmental and Occupational Safety & Health, a group of CEE UG students embarked on an insightful site visit to the Tung Chung Line Extension Project on 22 November 2025 (Saturday). The visit provided a valuable opportunity for them to explore the major railway infrastructure development project currently underway in Hong Kong.  During the visit, students were guided through the site by the engineering team, who provided an in-depth overview of the project’s scope and objectives. They examined key construction areas, observed advanced tunneling operations, and learned about the innovative technologies and safety measures implemented on site.  We extend our gratitude to the staff from MTR and Dragages Hong Kong for their warm hospitality and informative guidance throughout the visit. This experience not only exposed students to large-scale railway infrastructure development but also inspired them to contribute to the sustainable future of Hong Kong.  

CEE PhD Student Secures 2025 NSFC Youth Student Basic Research Project Grant

We are delighted to share that Mr Shaofeng Du, CEE PhD student supervised by Prof. Huan-Feng Duan, has been awarded the 2025 National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) Youth Student Basic Research Project Grant. This prestigious grant is designed to foster the independent scientific research abilities of PhD students and will provide each awardee with RMB 300,000 over two years to support their research endeavors. Mr Du’s research, titled “Instability Mechanisms and Active Control of Viscoelastic Liquid Films on Oscillating Substrates”, addresses critical challenges in the semiconductor coating industry, particularly in controlling liquid film stability for viscoelastic fluids, where existing theories fall short. Through theoretical and numerical methods, his research aims to overcome this limitation by investigating the instability mechanisms of viscoelastic films under oscillatory modulation through theoretical and numerical methods. These findings are expected to provide a theoretical basis for enhancing high-performance coating processes.  This recognition highlights Mr Du’s exceptional potential as an emerging leader in the field. We are confident that this opportunity will motivate him to pursue world-class research and make valuable contributions to the community.

Ir Prof. Vincent Ho appoints Secretary General of APOSHO

Ir Prof. Vincent Ho, Professor of Practice (OSH) of CEE, formally assumed the role of Secretary General of the Asia Pacific Occupational Safety and Health Organisation (APOSHO) for a three-year term in November 2025. This voluntary position reflects his commitment to advancing occupational safety and health across the region.   APOSHO is the world’s largest alliance of occupational safety and health organisations, uniting national councils, institutes, and associations across the Asia Pacific and beyond. Its organisational membership model brings together non-profit OSH organizations, corporate entities, and government agencies. This inclusive structure fosters collective progress and strengthens cooperation in occupational safety and health. With around 40 member organisations worldwide, each with its own membership systems and affiliates, APOSHO serves as the largest OSH collaboration platform in the Asia Pacific.  Its mission is to enhance safety and health standards through the sharing of experiences, the development of standards, and the promotion of knowledge exchange. While its core presence is in the Asia Pacific, APOSHO also maintains a footprint in Europe, the Americas, and Africa, further extending its influence and driving the advancement of workplace safety, health, and sustainability on a global scale. We look forward to witnessing Ir Prof. Ho’s ongoing dedication to advancing the field of occupational safety and health.  

Prof. Ling Jin Receives 2026 James J. Morgan Early Career Award – The Asia Pacific Region

Prof. Ling Jin, Assistant Professor of CEE, has been selected as one of four joint winners of the 2026 James J. Morgan Early Career Awards from the Asia Pacific region. The award, presented by Environmental Science & Technology (ES&T), Environmental Science & Technology Letters, and the American Chemical Society (ACS) Division of Environmental Chemistry (ENVR), recognizes early career scholars who are pioneering new directions in environmental science and technology through creative approaches. Prof. Jin’s research bridges environmental chemistry, toxicology, and microbiology to address the ecological and health impacts of air and marine pollution, as well as solid waste. His notable achievements include developing the first full-length 18S database for harmful algae, establishing cell lines for the Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin to study pollutant effects, and advancing mixture-toxicity modeling for PM2.5 to improve regulatory policies. He also created a global atlas of plastic-associated bacteria and introduced the “microplastome” concept, deepening our understanding of plastic pollution’s multifaceted impacts.  The award acknowledges Prof. Jin’s proactive commitment to advancing innovative research in environmental science and technology. We look forward to his new discoveries through interdisciplinary research, bringing cutting-edge solutions to protect biodiversity, ecosystem services, and public health.  More information about the award: https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.est.5c15846  

CEE Members Secure Youth Seed Fund

The Research Grants Council (RGC) and the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) have completed the evaluation of Youth Seed Fund proposals from joint laboratories established between local universities and CAS. Among all submissions, the proposals of Prof. Yi Jiang, Associate Professor of CEE, and Prof. Shipeng Zhang, Assistant Professor of CEE, have been supported by the Youth Seed Fund (YSF). Funded Joint Laboratory: GIG-PolyU Joint Lab of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area for the Environment PI: Prof. Yi Jiang PC of Joint Lab: Prof. Xiangdong Li Funded Amount: HK$ 325,000 Funded Joint Laboratory: Joint Laboratory of Wuhan Institute of Rock and Soil Mechanics, CAS and PolyU PI: Prof. Shipeng Zhang PC of Joint Lab: Prof. Chi Sun Poon Funded Amount: HK$ 247,000 The YSF aims to support young researchers of the accredited joint laboratories by facilitating their academic exchanges and research collaborations, thereby expanding their international network and enhancing the global impact of joint laboratories.  This funding showcased the strength of our joint laboratory partnerships and their role in promoting cross-border research. We look forward to the positive societal contributions their innovative research and collaborations will bring to both local and global communities.  

PolyU CEE Webinar Series: Practice of Machine Learning in Geotechnical Engineering

Ir Prof. Zhen-Yu Yin delivered a seminar with the topic of “Practice of Machine Learning in Geotechnical Engineering” on 5 Nov 2025. It was co-organized with HKIE Civil Division. Find the full version of the webinar in the below link: https://youtu.be/b-fu5cXTlp8?si=pGwxp1d6spWdNKjD  

New joiner – Dr Ye Yuan

Dr Ye Yuan specializes in AI applications for civil engineering and structural health monitoring. With a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from The University of Hong Kong, his research centered on Bayesian modal identification and machine learning optimization for structural systems. He excels in blending traditional civil engineering with advanced AI technologies. His expertise spans several innovative areas, including digital twin systems, large language models, 3D Gaussian Splatting and SLAM, multi-agent reinforcement learning for infrastructure maintenance, structural health monitoring and finite element model updating. Key projects include developing a systematic solution for CNC machine predictive maintenance with IoT and AI tools, creating frameworks for fire safety inspections using multi-agent LLMs, and advancing structural health monitoring through adaptive algorithms. His work has been published in leading journals like Computer-Aided Civil and Infrastructure Engineering, Mechanical Systems and Signal Processing and Journal of Sound and Vibration. Dr Yuan has joined us on 15 Dec 2025.  

PolyU CEE Webinar Series: Decarbonizing cement industry: Advancing toward ultra-low clinker cements

Dr. Muhammad Riaz Ahmad delivered a seminar with the topic of “Decarbonizing cement industry: Advancing toward ultra-low clinker cements” on 15 October 2025. It was co-organized with HKIE Civil Division. Find the full version of the webinar in the below link: https://youtu.be/Q7BmPapp7Aw

CEE Departmental Visit – CCC Kei Long College (27 November)

A group of 20 students from CCC Kei Long College visited CEE on 27 November 2025 (Thursday). Prof. Andy Y.F. Leung, Associate Head and Associate Professor of CEE kicked off the visit by a warm up game. The interactive Q&A quiz effectively allowed students to explore the latest developments in infrastructure and the civil engineering industry in Hong Kong! The group also got the scoop on the admission process and career prospects for the BEng (Hons) in Civil Engineering and the BEng (Hons) in Environmental Engineering and Sustainable Development programmes. Following this, they participated in the Tower Challenge: Engineering with Straws, Tape and Imagination. Equipped with only a limited number of straws and tape, the students applied their innovative thinking and basic civil engineering knowledge to take on the challenge. To wrap up the day, the group visited Structural Engineering Research Laboratory, where they witnessed firsthand how building foundations work through some really interesting demonstrations by heavy equipment. It was eye-opening to discover how civil engineering impacts our daily lives and benefits society!