News

New joiner - Dr Zhipeng CHEN

Dr Chen obtained his Ph.D. degree (2021), and B.S. degree (2015) from Southeast University. Before joining PolyU as a Research Assistant Professor, Dr Chen worked as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at PolyU from 2021 to 2023. Dr Chen’s current research interests include smart self-centring seismic-resisting structures based on shape memory alloy (SMA), performance- and resilience-based seismic design, structural seismic assessment, and novel large-span high-rise structures. Dr Chen has joined us on 3 July 2023.

New joiner - Prof. Ahmed Youssef ELGHAZOULI

Prof. ELGHAZOULI obtained his Bachelor’s degree from the Ain Shams University in Egypt in 1984, and Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degrees in Structural Earthquake Engineering from Imperial College London, UK in 1988 and 1992 respectively. Prior to joining PolyU as Chair Professor of Earthquake Engineering and Structural Integrity, Prof. ELGHAZOULI worked in the industry for a period and as a Lecturer at The University of Edinburgh, he joined Imperial College London as a Lecturer in 1996 and has been Professor of Structural Engineering and Head of the Structural Engineering Division since 2009. Prof. ELGHAZOULI is internationally recognised for his research work on the behaviour and design of structures under seismic and other extreme loading conditions, with focus on the areas of structural earthquake engineering, structural fire engineering and structural robustness.  Prof. ELGHAZOULI’s research has been disseminated in more than 300 publications.  He has also been principal investigator or a major contributor in various research projects funded by the European Commission, research councils, government departments, and industry. Prof. ELGHAZOULI is a Chartered Engineer, and a Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers and the Institution of Structural Engineers.  He chairs the British Standards Institution Committee B/525/8 on seismic design, and is an Associate Editor of the Journal of Earthquake Engineering and the Bulletin of Earthquake Engineering.  In 2016, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering in recognition of his outstanding and continuing contributions to engineering.  He is former Chairman of the Society for Earthquake and Civil Engineering Dynamics and UK National Delegate to the International and European Associations for Earthquake Engineering. Prof. ELGHAZOULI has joined us on 3 July 2023.

CEE Members Received Fugro Prize 2022/2023

Congratulations to Dr Dao-Yuan Tan, Research Assistant Professor of CEE and Mr Shao-Qun Lin, CEE PhD student supervised by Prof. Jian-Hua Yin, whose paper titled “Distributed Fibre Optic Sensing for Monitoring a Deep Peanut-shaped Excavation” has been awarded Fugro Prize 2022/23 (1st Runner-up). The Fugro Prize is established and organized by HKIE Geotechnical Division with support of Fugro (Hong Kong) Limited. It aims to recognize geotechnical study, research or project work by young geotechnical engineers that contributes significantly to the advancement of the geotechnical practice in Asia Pacific countries. The award was presented in the HKIE Geotechnical Division 35th Anniversary Grand Award Presentation Ceremony held on 26 June 2023 (Mon).

New joiner - Dr Qiuyun LI

Dr Qiuyun Li obtained her Ph.D. degree from the University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China in 2021. She completed her BEng and MEng degrees at Tongji University, Shanghai, China in 2014 and 2017, respectively. Prior to joining PolyU as a Research Assistant Professor, Dr Li worked as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at PolyU from 2021 to 2023. Dr Li’s research interests are primarily focused on stability analysis of thin-walled structures, high performance steel structures, fire resistance of metal structures and machine learning in structural design. Dr Li has joined us on 1 July 2023.

New joiner - Dr Hongwei LI

Dr Li obtained his bachelor’s degree majored in Civil Engineering from Southeast University, China in 2014. He obtained his Ph.D. degree in 2021 under a joint supervision scheme of Southeast University (China) and Purdue University (USA). Prior to joining PolyU as a Research Assistant Professor, Dr Li worked as a Postdoctoral Fellow at PolyU (August 2022 to June 2023). Dr Li’s research areas cover structural dynamics and control, damage identification, real-time hybrid simulation, and machine learning applications. Dr Li has joined us on 1 July 2023.

New joiner - Dr Yazan ALREFAEI

Dr Alrefaei obtained his Doctor of Philosophy degree in Civil Engineering at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) in 2021 as HKPFS awardee. He graduated with M.S. Degree (2016) and B.S. Degree (2013) from Kuwait University. Prior to joining PolyU as a Research Assistant Professor, he worked as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at PolyU. Further, he worked as Research Assistant and Teaching Assistant at Kuwait University prior to joining PolyU. His research interests primarily revolve around chemically-activated binders, such as one-part alkali-activated materials and silico-aluminophosphate geopolymers. His target is to functionalize such binders in practical engineering applications. In addition, the utilization of recycled materials in construction is his goal to promote sustainability and greener construction. Dr Alrefaei has joined us on 1 July 2023.

FCE Three-minute Thesis Competition

The Three-minute Thesis (3MT®) Competition hosted by FCE was successfully held on 14 June 2023. Five CEE PhD students were nominated by the Department to present their thesis and compete for the cash award on Faculty level and the opportunity to participate the competition on University level. The top three of the competition were all secured by CEE students, who have then been nominated to participate in the PolyU 3MT® Competition, which will be held on 30 June 2023. Congratulations to all the winners of the FCE 3MT® Competition 2023: Name Presentation Title Chief Supervisor Award WANG Manli TULINK: Transient Utilization for Leak Identification in pipe Networks Dr Huan-Feng Duan Champion & People’s Choice Award LI Danning How can we reclaim and repurpose rubberized asphalt pavement? Dr Zhen Leng First Runner-up YE Zhongnan Dynamic Rescue in Flames: Adaptive Indoor Path Planning with Real-time Structural Response Prediction Dr Mark Hsu Second Runner-up  

Transportation Planning & Infrastructure of New Era Half-Day Seminar 2023

The Transportation Planning & Infrastructure of New Era Half-Day Seminar 2023 co-organised by Chartered Institute of Highways and Transportation (CIHT) and the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) of PolyU was successfully held on 24 June 2023 (Saturday). With the high-level support from various Government Departments and industry partners, the seminar attracted 180 participants to exchange their insights and connect will other professionals in the field of transportation and infrastructure development. The seminar was kick-started by Mr Raymond Pau, Chairman of CIHT-Hong Kong Region, and Prof. Anthony Chen, Associate Head (Teaching) of CEE, followed by a keynote speech by Mr Eddie Leung, Principal Assistant Secretary for Transport and Logistics 7 of Transport and Logistics Bureau. Other distinguished speakers included Mr Dennis Wan, Government Engineer of Highways Department, Mr Stephen Lee, Chief Engineer of Transport Department, Mr Walter Lam, Project Manager of TME & HSK of MTR Corporation Limited, Mr Wilson Wong, Associate Director of AECOM, and Mr Alan Yan, Vice Chairman of CIHT-Hong Kong region.

Prof. Tao Wang being Awarded Higher Education Outstanding Scientific Research Output Awards from the Ministry of Education

Congratulations to Prof. Tao Wang, Chair Professor of CEE, whose paper titled ‘Atmospheric Chemistry of Reactive Nitrogen Oxides and its Impacts on Regional Atmospheric Environment’ has received the Second-Class Award in Nature Science of the Higher Education Outstanding Scientific Research Output Awards (Science and Technology) 2022. The research study have enhanced the knowledge of atmospheric chemistry and advanced the air quality model for further application in air quality forecast and research worldwide, resulting in a significant impact on enhancing air quality in Hong Kong, the Greater Bay Area and China. The award is set up by the Ministry of Education (MOE) of China to honor the outstanding contributions of researchers or units of higher education institutions nationwide in the areas of scientific discovery, technological innovation, science and technology advancement and implementation of patented technologies.

CEE/CSE 50th Anniversary One-day Seminar - Civil Engineering In The Next 50 Years

The one-day professional seminar on the topic of "𝐂𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐥 𝐄𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐈𝐧 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐍𝐞𝐱𝐭 50 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬" was successfully held on June 23, 2023, attracting an impressive crowd of around 380 attendees. The event was elevated by the participation of keynote speaker 𝐈𝐫 𝐑𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐲 𝐋𝐚𝐮, as well as our emeritus professor, 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐟. 𝐉𝐚𝐧-𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐊𝐨, and seven distinguished speakers, including 𝐈𝐫 𝐃𝐫 𝐑𝐚𝐲𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐮𝐧𝐠, 𝐈𝐫 𝐃𝐫 𝐁𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐞 𝐂𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐠, 𝐃𝐫 𝐂𝐚𝐥𝐯𝐢𝐧 𝐊𝐚𝐦, 𝐃𝐫 𝐁𝐞𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐤𝐡 𝐊𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐡𝐧𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐬, 𝐃𝐫 𝐉𝐨𝐲 𝐋𝐢, 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐟. 𝐑𝐢𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐋𝐢𝐞𝐰, and 𝐃𝐫 𝐑𝐨𝐛𝐢𝐧 𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐦.   Our keynote speaker, Ir Ricky Lau, provided attendees with a comprehensive understanding of the impact of the construction industry on infrastructure and urban development. His call to action encouraged all attendees to play an active role in shaping the future of the industry, with a focus on achieving carbon neutrality and embracing new opportunities for innovation and growth.   Other distinguished speakers shared their insights on their respective fields including 𝐦𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐫 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐟 3𝐃 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐞-𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐲, 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐠𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐜 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐁𝐈𝐌 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞. They emphasized the flexible adaptation to the increasingly complex and technology-driven community. The speakers also highlighted that the civil engineering industry will need to adapt to the changing landscape to overcome the challenges ahead and continue to serve the needs of society.   We were inspired by the passion and expertise of our speakers and were grateful for the opportunities to connect with other professionals in the field of civil engineering.   Look forward to seeing you all at our future events in 𝑺𝒆𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓 & 𝑫𝒆𝒄𝒆𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓! Stay-tuned!