We are pleased to announce that Prof. Charles Chunbao Xu has been appointed Chair Professor of Advanced Biorefinery in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) and the Director of the Research Centre for Resources Engineering towards Carbon Neutrality (RCRE) of the PolyU Academy for Interdisciplinary Research (PAIR), with effect from 2 July 2026.
Prof. Xu earned his first PhD in Metallurgical Engineering from the University of Science and Technology Beijing, China in 1998, followed by his second PhD in Chemical Engineering from the University of Western Ontario, Canada in 2005. Prior to joining PolyU, he served as Chair Professor of Advanced Biorefinery at the City University of Hong Kong.
Prof. Xu is an acclaimed expert in the resource-efficient valorisation of biomass and organic solid wastes for the production of eco-friendly biofuels, green chemicals, and biopolymer materials. With over 20 years of research experience, he holds 12 patents in the United States, Canada, Europe, and China and has published more than 400 journal articles, accumulating over 29,000 citations. His outstanding engineering achievements have been recognised with fellowships from the Chemical Institute of Canada, the Canadian Academy of Engineering, and The Engineering Institute of Canada. Furthermore, he has received numerous prestigious accolades worldwide, including the Humboldt Research Award from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation and the Changjiang Scholars Chair Professorship.
Please join us in welcoming Prof. Xu.
