Events

Seminar on "Distributed Optimization Frameworks for Large-Scale Nonlinear Programming in Power Systems " by Dr Xinliang Dai

Date: 3 February 2026, Tuesday Time: 10:00 am Venue: CF303,  The Hong Kong Polytechnic University Speaker: Dr Xinliang Dai

Seminar on "Approaches to modelling and analysis of sustainable, power electronics rich, power networks" by Prof. Jovica V Milanović

Date: 2 February 2026, Monday Time: 3:30 pm Venue: CD301,  The Hong Kong Polytechnic University Speaker: Prof. Jovica V Milanović

Seminar on "Cooperative eco-driving system for mixed traffic on urban roads" by Dr Zhiwei Yang

Date: 30 January 2026, Friday Time: 4:30PM Venue: Online Only Zoom Meeting ID: 383 735 6917 Password: 270831 Cooperative eco-driving system for mixed traffic on urban roads Dr Zhiwei Yang, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen   Abstract: Signalized arterials cause stop-and-go traffic, leading to collisions, delays, energy waste, and discomfort. Connected automated vehicles (CAVs) offer a solution through cooperative eco-driving, but mixed traffic complicates implementation. In this presentation, we introduce rule-based, optimization-based, and reinforcement learning (RL)-based eco-driving systems for CAVs on signalized arterials, balancing safety, efficiency, energy saving, and comfort. These methods include eco-GLOSA, eco-ACC (DDPG, PPO, SAC), and eco-CACC (MADDPG, MASAC). Evaluations use naturalistic pNEUMA trajectory data, benchmarking against human-driven and car-following (CF) models in diverse scenarios. The study comprehensively assesses method effectiveness, platoon stability, and key influencing factors in real-world-inspired conditions, thus delivering actionable and transferable solutions for implementing cooperative automated systems in mixed traffic with current and near-future infrastructure. Speaker’s Bio: Zhiwei Yang is a Postdoctoral Researcher at The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen. She received her PhD degree from The University of Queensland in 2025. Her research focuses on intelligent transport systems, urban mobility, reinforcement learning applications for motion control, and High-speed Rail. She has authored multiple papers in Transportation Research Part A, C, and D, Transport Policy, the Transportation Research Board (TRB) Annual Meetings, the IEEE Intelligent Vehicle Symposium (IV), the Australasian Transport Research Forum (ATRF), and the International Conference of Hong Kong Society for Transportation Studies (HKSTS). She also serves as a reviewer for journals such as IEEE Transactions on Intelligent Transportation Systems (TITS), Transportation Research Part C and TRB.   WEBINAR WEBSITE: https://www.ee.cityu.edu.hk/~cccn/ https://www.ee.cityu.edu.hk/~cccn/centre-seminars.htm

Seminar on "Challenges and Opportunities for LVDC and MVDC in the Energy Transition" by Prof. Johan Driesen

Date: 22 January 2026, Thursday Time: 2:30 PM Venue: FYW-3316, City University of Hong Kong Zoom Meeting ID: 859 8869 4437 Password: 123456 Speaker: Prof. Johan Driesen, KU Leuven, Belgium Abstract: The ongoing energy transition is increasingly enabled by advances in batteries, information and communication technologies, and power electronics. Power electronics in particular has emerged as a key enabler, acting as a game changer for electromobility, the large-scale integration of renewable energy sources, grid-connected battery storage, and the reliable operation of energy-intensive infrastructures such as data centres. As electrification scales up, conventional AC-based architectures face limitations in terms of efficiency, controllability, and flexibility. In this context, low-voltage and medium-voltage direct current (LVDC and MVDC) systems are gaining attention as promising alternatives to further support sustainable electrification. By reducing conversion stages and enabling more controllable power flows, DC systems offer opportunities for more flexible yet reliable operation, particularly at higher power levels. This seminar discusses the potential of LVDC and MVDC technologies, as well as the associated technical and operational challenges, drawing on research conducted at KU Leuven and the EnergyVille research centre in Belgium. Specific use cases, including high-power charging infrastructure for electric trucks and the powering of data centres, are presented to illustrate the opportunities and remaining hurdles for DC-based power systems in the energy transition. Speaker’s Bio: Johan Driesen received the MSc degree in 1996 as Electrical Engineer from the KU Leuven, Belgium. He received the PhD degree in Electrical Engineering at KU Leuven in 2000. In 2000-2001 he was a visiting researcher in the Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, London, UK. In 2002 he was working at the University of California, Berkeley, USA. Currently, he is a full professor at the KU Leuven and teaches power electronics, renewables, drives and electromobility. He conducts research on distributed energy resources, including renewable energy systems, low-voltage DC-systems, power electronics and its applications, for instance in renewable energy, storage and electric vehicles. Within EnergyVille, the research collaboration specializing in energy in smart cities and buildings, in cooperation with VITO and Imec, Johan Driesen is involved in the programmes on power electronics, power systems and distributed energy sources. Currently he serves as the director of the KU Leuven Institute of Energy and Society. In 2026, he became an IEEE fellow for “contributions to the integration of renewables and electric vehicles in the electricity grid”. WEBINAR WEBSITE: https://www.ee.cityu.edu.hk/~cccn/ https://www.ee.cityu.edu.hk/~cccn/centre-seminars.htm

Seminar on "Challenges Posed by the Oversupply of Inverter-Based Resources and Hybrid AC/DC Transmission in the Brazilian Interconnected Power System" by Prof. Glauco Taranto

Date: 22 January 2026, Thursday Time: 11:30 am Venue: FJ303,  The Hong Kong Polytechnic University Speaker: Prof. Glauco Taranto

EEE Career Talks - 2025/26 academic year

A series of EEE Career Talks were organized from October to mid-November 2025 during the 2025/26 academic year, providing an invaluable platform for students to explore future career paths. Building on the overwhelmingly positive feedback from previous years, the talks featured enthusiastic employers from leading organizations. They shared valuable insights into their companys’ backgrounds, available job opportunities, and graduate trainee or internship programs, along with potential progression path. The sessions were valuable for both final-year students and year-3 students seeking internship opportunities. We were grateful for the participation of the following organizations: Airport Authority Hong Kong CLP Holdings Limited Electrical and Mechanical Services Department HK Electric Co., Ltd. Jardine Engineering Corporation The event received excellent engagement from our students, who gained advice on job applications, recruitment processes and timelines, as well as critical industry knowledge and networking opportunities. We extend our sincere thanks to all participating organizations and look forward to building on this success in the future.

Seminar on "New Frontiers in One-Bit Signal Processing: From Sample Abundance to Efficient Intelligence at Scale" by Prof. Mojtaba Soltanalian

Date: 8 January 2026, Thursday Time: 2:00 pm Venue: DE306,  The Hong Kong Polytechnic University Speaker: Prof. Mojtaba Soltanalian

Seminar on "Active Management and Control of Lithium-Ion Power Batteries Concepts and Recent Progress" by Prof. Rui Xiong

Date: 6 January 2026, Tuesday Time: 2:00 pm Venue: EF402a,  The Hong Kong Polytechnic University Speaker: Prof. Rui Xiong

Seminar on "Minimal Stability-Recovery in Perturbed Markov Chains" by Dr Lin Lin

Date: 5 December 2025, Friday Time: 4:30 PM Venue: FYW-3316, City University of Hong Kong Zoom Meeting ID: 859 8869 4437 Password: 123456 Speaker: Dr Lin Lin, The University of Hong Kong Abstract: In this seminar, we will discuss stability-analysis and minimal-recovery problems for perturbed Markov chains, which serve as a fundamental model for autonomous systems operating under stochastic uncertainty and functional perturbations. To tackle the challenges of robustness assurance and resilience quantification, a computational framework is presented that establishes stability criteria through the spatial relation of reachable and invariant sets, introduces a robustness indicator to identify system-critical transitions, and synthesizes minimal recovery strategies to ensure system resilience. The theoretical results are demonstrated through two applications: an ultrasound navigation system that ensures reliable anatomical landmark identification, and a robotic soft tissue surgery plan that guarantees success against anatomical uncertainties.   Speaker’s Bio: Dr Lin Lin is currently a Post-Doc Fellow at The University of Hong Kong and the Multi-Scale Medical Robotics Center, Hong Kong. Prior to that, she was a Post-Doc Fellow in the Department of Electrical Engineering at City University of Hong Kong. She received her Ph.D. degree in Mechanical Engineering from The University of Hong Kong in April 2024. She was a visiting research student at the University of Adelaide, King’s College London, and Hokkaido University in Oct.-Dec. 2022, May-Jul. 2023, and Feb. 2024, respectively. Her research interests include networked collective intelligence, logical networks, and reinforcement learning. Dr. Lin was a recipient of the Hong Kong Young Scientist Award (Honorable mention), IETI PhD Fellowship Award, the Outstanding Engineering Thesis Award from HKU, and Outstanding Master Degree Thesis Award from Chinese Institute of Electronics.   WEBINAR WEBSITE: https://www.ee.cityu.edu.hk/~cccn/ https://www.ee.cityu.edu.hk/~cccn/centre-seminars.htm

Seminar on "Modeling LLMs as Complex Systems: Recent Advances" by Dr Hao Liao

Date: 28 November 2025, Friday Time: 4:30 PM Venue: FYW-3316, City University of Hong Kong Zoom Meeting ID: 859 8869 4437 Password: 123456 Speaker: Dr Hao Liao, Shenzhen University Abstract: This report details key technologies for building next-generation LLM complex agents, focusing on three core capabilities: memory, goals, and character. We will present recent our works: 1) a pre-trained context compressor that enables long-term memory by overcoming context length constraints; 2) a hierarchical reward method for large codebases that guides agents in complex tasks like fault localization; and 3) R-CHAR, a meta-cognitive role-playing framework for generating consistent and believable character behaviors. Together, these works provide a foundation for more powerful and autonomous AI agents.   Speaker’s Bio: Dr. Hao Liao is a Tenured Associate Professor at Shenzhen University, holding a PhD from the University of Fribourg, Switzerland (2015). His research focuses on information mining, complex systems, information diffusion, and LLMs. He has led multiple NSFC grants and industry projects with companies like Microsoft and Tencent, and holds over 60 patents. He has published works in top journals and conferences, and has received accolades such as the CCF-Tencent Rhino Bird Award and the Guangdong Provincial Young Top-Talent.   WEBINAR WEBSITE: https://www.ee.cityu.edu.hk/~cccn/ https://www.ee.cityu.edu.hk/~cccn/centre-seminars.htm