Academic Staff

PhD, MSc, BEng

Areas of specialisation

• Sustainable Human-AI Collaboration: Virtual co-pilot design and development; Shared Situational Awareness; Expectation mismatching; Double transparency.
• Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) for Aviation: Cognitive States Modelling; Adaptive Support; EEG data analytics; Eye-tracking data analytics.

Brief Biosketch

Prof. Fan Li (ORCID: 0000-0002-3929-6625) is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Aeronautical and Aviation Engineering (AAE), at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, HKSAR. Before joining AAE, she has been a Research Fellow in Design and Human Factors Laboratory, the School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and Fraunhofer IDM@NTU center, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. She received BEng Degree in School of Aeronautic Science and Engineering, Beihang University, and MSc Degree and and PhD Degree in School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore in 2015 and 2020.

ORCID: 0000-0002-3929-6625

Scopus: https://www.scopus.com/authid/detail.uri?authorId=57196404325

Google scholar: https://scholar.google.com.sg/citations?user=HE77YDgAAAAJ&hl=en

ResearchGate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Fan-Li-10

Teaching

• Human Factors, Accident Prevention and Aviation Safety Risk Management (graduate level – HK PolyU, AAE 5111)

Selected Projects:

• Looking but Not Seeing? Mitigating Inattentional Blindness in Remote Digital Towers for Safe and Watchful Air Traffic Control, Early Career Scheme 2025, University Grants Committee, HK $557,571.00, 01/01/2025 – 31/12/2027, PI, PPAV)
• When AI Fails the Older Adults: Biosignal based Agentic AI for Analysing Older Adult–AI Collaboration Errors, General Research Fund (GRF) 2027, University Grants Committee, HK $762,522.00, 01/01/2027 – 31/12/2029, PI)
• Research on the Degradation Mechanism of Pilot Vigilance in Response to Dynamic Task Workload Conditions, The Young Scientists Fund, National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), RMB￥300,000.00 (01/01/2025 – 31/12/2027, PI, 52405295, ZGPC)
• Driving Style-based Adaptive Virtual Training Platform: Build Safe Human Driving Habits in Autonomous driving, Smart Traffic Fund, Transport Department, HK $1,974,381.00, (07/08/2023 – 06/08/2025, PI, PSRI/43/2207/PR, ZB4Z)
• AI-driven Virtual Co-Pilots in Aviation, COMAC Shanghai Aircraft Design & Research Institute, RMB￥498,000.00 (28/10/2025 – 27/04/2027, PI,KJKT25-070, ZGWG)
• Human-Centered Optimization of AI-BMS: Integrating Physiological Feedback and Cognitive Ergonomics for Enhanced Safety and Performance, Siphone Science and Technology Limited, HK $431,710.00 (01/10/2025 – 30/09/2027, PI, ZDJG)
• Key Technologies of Genetic Engineering for Carbon Fiber Composite Design, Shandong Kuanyuan New Material Technology Co., LTD, RMB ￥420,000.00 (16/10/2023 -31/12/2025, PI, ZGKD)
• Sustainable Team Coordination in Team Sports through Wearable-Based Monitoring and Agentic AI Intervention, RISports, HK $500,000.00, (01/07/2026 – 30/06/2028, PI, CDRM)
• Agentic AI-enabled Safe and Inclusive Assisted Driving for Older Adults,Departmental General Research Fund, HK $300,000.00, (22/12/2025 – 21/06/2027, PI, WZDQ)
• Biosignal data-based assessment of Driving Style in human-machine codriving, Research centre for Data Sciences and Artificial Intelligence, HK $177,438.00, (07/08/2023 – 06/08/2025, PI, CE1H)
• Visual Attention Analytics in Aviation Automation via Deep Learning Model, PolyU Start-up Grant, HK $500,000.00, (07/03/2022 – 06/02/2026, PI, ZVWV)
• Psychophysiological Data-based Knowledge Transfer Model for Adaptive Training, PolyU Start-up Grant, HK $550,000.00, (01/10/2021 – 30/09/2025, PI, BE6S)
• Improved Student Attention and Engagement via Visual Attention Analytics-based Slides and Lesson Plan Design, Teaching Development Grant, Educational Development Centre, HK $371,729.04, (03/01/2023 – 26/06/2024, PI, 49PV)

Journal Editorship:

• Scientific Reports, Editorial Board Member
• Humanities and Social Sciences Communication, Editorial Board Member
• Advanced Engineering Informatics, Guest Editor
• Journal of Engineering Design, Guest Editor
• World Patent Information, Guest Editor

Community service

Community Council Member:

• 2025 - present: Hong Kong Ergonomics Society (HKES)
• 2023 - present: Engineering Construction Management Professional Committee of China

Community Member:

• 2023 – present: Hong Kong Ergonomics Society (HKES)
• 2021 – present: Chinese Ergonomic Society
• 2021 – present: The Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFES)
• 2023 – present: Hong Kong Society for Transportation Studies (HKSTS)
• 2024 – present: Engineering Construction Management Professional Committee of China

Research opportunities in PolyU AAE

We encourage strong candidates with outstanding academic profiles, research ability and publications to apply for the Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme (HKPFS), PhD, postdoctoral fellows and project/research assistant/associate. Candidates with the degree and knowledge of human factors, product design and development, artificial intelligence, computer science and/or aviation engineering are preferred.

Please email Prof. Fan Li your profile, CV, transcript and list of publications via fan-5.li@polyu.edu.hk.