News

SETAC Asia-Pacific Student Research Grant

Congratulations to Mr Hengyu Wu, CEE PhD student supervised by Prof. Ling Jin, for being one of two winners of the 2026 Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) Asia-Pacific Student Research Grant. Mr Wu’s project, titled “ToxiCell: Knowing when to trust virtual-cell predictions for environmental chemicals”, asks a question that’s becoming more urgent as AI moves into toxicology. ToxiCell is a virtual-cell framework designed to predict how environmental chemicals may alter gene expression under different exposure conditions. This project will extend and validate ToxiCell using independent datasets and laboratory experiments, with particular emphasis on determining when its predictions are sufficiently reliable for interpretation. The work aims to support more scalable and evidence-informed assessment of data-poor environmental chemicals by improving chemical prioritisation and guiding targeted toxicological testing. This highly competitive grant supports student-led research that advances environmental chemistry and toxicology forward across the society, while offering recipients valuable opportunities for professional development, scholarly collaboration, and impactful research outcomes. We extend our heartfelt congratulations to Mr Wu on this remarkable achievement and look forward to his continued ground-breaking work towards a better living environment.  

PolyU Patents Achievement Award 2025

We are proud to announce that CEE has received outstanding recognition at the PolyU Patents Achievement Award (PPAA) 2025, an annual scheme that honours departments and inventors who have demonstrated exceptional commitment to translating intellectual property into societal and commercial value. Designed to celebrate outstanding contributions to innovation and commercialization, the award features four categories, “Top Patents Filing Award”, “Most Active Patents Filing Award”, “Most Active IP Commercialisation Award”, and “Outstanding IP Commercialisation Award”.  CEE was proudly awarded both the “Top Patents Filing Award 2025” and “Most Active Patents Filing Award in the year 2025”. Our warmest congratulations go to Prof. Yi-Qing Ni, Chair Professor of Smart Structures and Rail Transit, and Prof. Chi Sun Poon, Distinguished Research Professor, for receiving the “Top Patents Filing Award 2025”, as well as the Wenzhou Technology and Innovation Research Institute, supervised by Prof. Tao Yu, for clinching the “Most Active Patents Filing Award 2025”.  These awards reflect our researchers’ outstanding innovation, active patent portfolios, and continuous dedication to transforming cutting-edge research into real-world applications. They also underscore CEE’s commitment to fostering a vibrant ecosystem for intellectual property development and knowledge transfer. We extend our heartfelt appreciation to all our inventors for their dedication in driving excellence in IP creation, commercialisation, and knowledge transfer.  

ANR/RGC Joint Research Scheme 2026/27

Congratulations to Prof. Chi Sun Poon, Distinguished Research Professor of CEE, for securing HK$2,122,054 from the French National Research Agency (ANR) / Research Grants Council (RGC) Joint Research Scheme 2026/27. Under the scheme, Prof. Poon will conduct a research collaboration with Prof. Roland J.M. Pellenq, Director of Research at CNRS, French National Centre for Scientific Research, for 48 months. Prof. Poon’s research project, titled “Innovative Concrete Materials for Performance, Resilience and Optimization Economics (IMPROVE-Concrete)”, aims to develop high-performance, resilient, and cost-effective concrete materials for harsh environments and long-term durability. Integrating multi-scale modeling, experimental investigation, artificial intelligence, and life-cycle assessment, it systematically optimizes concrete performance, promotes construction waste recycling, and reduces carbon emissions to deliver innovative solutions for sustainable and resilient infrastructure. The Joint Research Scheme aims to strengthen collaboration between the French and Hong Kong research communities. Both basic and applied research proposals of high academic merits in all areas are invited under the scheme. Notably, Prof. Poon’s project is one of only six funded proposals in the highly competitive 2026/27 exercise. We extend our heartfelt congratulations to Prof. Poon and we look forward to the impactful advancements arising from this international collaboration. For more details about the funding results of the scheme, please visit: https://www.ugc.edu.hk/eng/rgc/funding_opport/anr/funded_research/anr2627.html   

CEE China Chongqing Study Tour 2026

Led by Prof. Yuner Huang, the CEE China Chongqing Study Tour dedicated to advancing the collaborative project, “Theoretical and Experimental Research on Hybrid Support Structures for Wind Turbines”, alongside the School of Civil Engineering at Chongqing University (CQU), was held from 18-24 August 2026 The programme featured a project kick-off meeting to conduct in-depth discussions on cutting-edge topics, including climate-resilient offshore infrastructure, aerodynamic challenges of ultra-flexible wind turbine blades, and the technological evolution of wind turbine support structures. Our students also presented their field research on Chongqing’s distinctive mountainous architecture, sharing insights into local civil engineering and historical heritage.  Throughout the tour, the delegation visited PowerChina Chongqing Engineering Co., Ltd. to align academic research with industry needs. They also toured CQU’s State Key Laboratory of Mountain Bridge and Tunnel Engineering (National Key Laboratory of Mountain Civil Engineering Safety and Resilience) and Shaking Table Laboratory, completing hands-on finite element analysis training to bridge theory with advanced numerical simulation. Students also explored Chongqing’s cultural landmarks such as the Chongqing China Three Gorges Museum, Jiefangbei, and Hongyadong, to appreciate the city’s unique urban landscape. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to Chongqing University for their warm hospitality and tremendous support. This fruitful exchange deepened students’ expertise in renewable energy engineering and laid a solid foundation for future institutional collaboration.  

Prof. Ling Jin Receives The World Young Aerosol Scientist Award 2026 by the International Aerosol Research Assembly

We are thrilled to announce that Prof. Ling Jin, Associate Professor of CEE, has been awarded the World Young Aerosol Scientist Award (WYASA 2026) by the International Aerosol Research Assembly (IARA). Presented biennially at the International Aerosol Conference (IAC 2026 in Xi'an), this global award recognises outstanding early-to-mid-career researchers who demonstrate exceptional promise and impactful contributions to aerosol science and technology. Prof. Jin actively engages in cutting-edge research at the intersection of environmental chemistry, toxicology, microbiology, and data science to tackle critical planetary health challenges. His research focuses on human health impacts of air pollution, wildlife health impacts of marine pollution, and ecohealth impacts of solid waste. We extend our heartfelt congratulations to Prof. Jin on this well-deserved international recognition, and we look forward to his continued breakthroughs in environmental science and public health protection. For more information about the award, please visit: https://www.iac2026.cn/?bust=1742818271577&sid=3742&mid=954&v=100#/awards/world-young-aerosol-scientist  

New joiner – Dr Youtian Wang

Dr Youtian Wang received his B.Eng. and Ph.D. degrees from The University of Sydney in 2021 and 2024, respectively. He subsequently served as a Postdoctoral Fellow at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University for two years before being appointed as a Research Assistant Professor at the same institution. His research centres on sustainable and resilient steel and composite structures, with a particular focus on advanced materials and emerging construction technologies. Dr Wang is committed to translating fundamental research into engineering practice to enhance the safety, resilience, and sustainability of the built environment. Dr Wang has reported on 21 September 2026.  

ShanghaiRanking’s Global Ranking of Academic Subjects 2026

The recent announcement by the ShanghaiRanking revealed CEE’s world-leading results in the Global Ranking of Academic Subjects (GRAS) 2026. CEE has achieved remarkable positions globally in three key research areas, securing 1st in Transportation Science and Technology, 3rd in Civil Engineering, and 23rd in Environmental Science and Engineering, while also ranking at the top in Hong Kong for the first two disciplines. These accolades underscore CEE’s international standing and reaffirm our unwavering commitment to academic excellence, high-impact research, and visionary engineering solutions. The GRAS uses a range of objective academic indicators and third-party data to evaluate the performance world universities across various criteria, including research output, research impact, international collaboration, research quality, and international academic awards. Among the listed 2,000 universities across 100 countries and regions, CEE stands out for its ongoing pursuit of academic and research excellence. Heartfelt congratulations to all CEE members whose continuous dedication, hard work, and innovation have made this remarkable milestone possible. For the full version of GRAS 2026, please visit:  https://www.shanghairanking.com/rankings/gras/2026  

CEE PhD Students Won First Place in KAJIMA-FOMLIG AI Challenge 2026

We are delighted to share that the team comprising Mr Hansong Pang and Ms Yang Liu, CEE PhD students supervised by Prof. Andy Y. F. Leung, has secured First Place among 11 participating teams in the KAJIMA-FOMLIG AI Challenge (Challenge 1) and received a cash award sponsored by Kajima Corporation Technical Research Institute Singapore (KaTRIS). The competition formed part of the GeoTechathon at the Fourth Workshop on the Future of Machine Learning in Geotechnics (4FOMLIG), held from 26 to 28 August 2026 at Dongguk University in Seoul, Korea. Challenge 1, “Automatic Extraction of Geotechnical Foundation Data”, invited graduate and PhD students to develop practical AI-based systems for converting information from scientific papers into structured foundation-engineering databases.  The team’s award-winning solution employs a hybrid architecture that integrates large language models (LLMs) with deterministic algorithms. Through semantic interpretation, evidence linkage, figure and table digitization, and quality control, the system converts unstructured geotechnical literature into traceable, verifiable and reusable structured data. Congratulations to the team on this remarkable achievement! More information about the challenge, please visit: https://www.issmge.org/news/student-competitions-announced-for-the-4th-fomlig-workshop-in-seoul   

Prof. Charles Xu Elected as Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada

We are proud to announce that Prof. Charles Chunbao Xu, Chair Professor of Advanced Biorefinery of CEE and Director of Research Centre for Resources Engineering towards Carbon Neutrality (RCRE), has been elected as a Fellow of the Academic of Science of the Royal Society of Canada (RSC). This prestigious honour recognizes his outstanding contributions and dedication to developing transformative biorefinery technologies that benefit multiple industrial sectors in Canada.  This year, 105 distinguished scholars worldwide were elected as new RSC Fellows, with Prof. Xu being one of only three scholars across Hong Kong SAR to receive this recognition. Founded in 1882, the RSC is composed of leading international scholars in the arts, humanities, social sciences, and sciences. It is dedicated to recognising the academic excellence of outstanding scholars, promoting knowledge innovation, and providing scientific solutions and academic advice for public policy and global challenges. Prof. Xu said, “I am deeply honored to be elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, Academy of Science. This fellowship reflects my team’s ongoing work in fundamental and applied research, transforming biomass and bioresources into fuels, chemicals, and materials across molecular and system levels. With the strong support of PolyU, PAIR, FCE, CEE, and especially the Research Centre for Resources Engineering towards Carbon Neutrality, we continue to advance transformative biorefinery technologies to industrial scale, turning organic waste into high-value bioproducts.”  Join us in congratulating Prof. Xu for this well-deserved recognition. This remarkable achievement not only highlights Prof. Xu’s stellar academic and research career, but also reinforces CEE’s commitment to driving world-class research and sustainable innovation for the betterment of society.  

CEE PhD Student Receives Best Paper Award at the 38th Conference on Mechanical Vibration and Noise

We are proud to announce that Ms Yixuan Liu, CEE PhD student supervised by Prof. Kai Zhou, has won the 2026 Best Paper Award (1st Place) at the 38th Conference on Mechanical Vibration and Noise (VIB), a prestigious track within the ASME IDETC/CIE conference. This award recognizes her outstanding contributions to vibration and noise research. Ms Liu’s award-winning paper, titled “Vision-Enabled Dynamic Response Tracking of Floating Platforms Under Degraded Observations”, focuses on developing a reliable vision-enabled motion tracking of floating platforms is critical for structural fatigue assessment, yet remains challenging under degraded marine observations due to water-surface refraction, reflection, and occlusion. This work proposes a new robust vision-enabled framework combining stable-region geometric alignment, a recurrent diffusion model for motion proposals, and particle-filter integration with rendering-based scoring and structure-aware refinement, enabling accurate long-term tracking under severe visual degradation. Organized by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), the annual IDETC/CIE conference is a premier, high-impact platform where theoretical advances meet practical engineering applications across mechanical and civil engineering, design engineering, manufacturing, and cyber-physical systems. Kudos to Ms Liu for this remarkable achievement. This award highlights her dedication to research excellence and underscores CEE’s ongoing commitment to fostering cutting-edge, impactful innovation. More information about the conference, please visit: https://event.asme.org/IDETC-CIE