Academic Staff

Dr. Zhiling Guo is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Building Environment and Energy Engineering at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU), and leads the Laboratory for Embodied Intelligence in Energy Systems (EIES Lab) at the International Centre of Urban Energy Nexus (UEX). He received his M.E. and Ph.D. degrees from The University of Tokyo and gained industrial experience as a data scientist before joining PolyU.

His research focuses on embodied intelligence in energy systems, exploring how energy dynamics and physical constraints shape intelligent perception and decision-making, and how physical actions and feedback enable energy systems to adapt autonomously. His group pursues three interconnected research directions: Energy-System Perception & Observability, which investigates how to obtain decision-relevant information from incomplete observations; Physics-Grounded Energy World Models, which aim to understand and predict how energy systems evolve and respond to actions; and Energy-Constrained Embodied Decision & Control, which focuses on safe, adaptive decision-making and physical interaction with energy systems. Building on his expertise in renewable energy assessment, AI-enhanced geospatial data science, and urban sensing and simulation, the group integrates these directions through a unified Energy–Information–Action framework, with applications in urban solar–storage systems, data-center energy and cooling, and climate-resilient urban renewable energy networks.

He has led or participated in over ten competitive research projects as PI, Co-PI, or Co-I across Japan, Hong Kong, and mainland China, including the Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists and the Research Fellowships for Young Scientists from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), the National Key R&D Program of China, and major collaborative projects with Hong Kong's public utilities and construction sector. His honors include the R&D 100 Award, IAAA Finalist, and the Smart50 Award, in recognition of his contributions to AI-powered urban sustainability solutions. His work has been published in leading journals in energy, geoscience, and remote sensing, and he serves as an Assistant Editor for Cell Press Nexus, Advances in Applied Energy, and Energy Proceedings.

• Bachelor of Engineering, Chongqing University
• Master of Engineering, The University of Tokyo
• Doctor of Philosophy, The University of Tokyo