News

New joiner – Dr Ye Yuan

Dr Ye Yuan specializes in AI applications for civil engineering and structural health monitoring. With a Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from The University of Hong Kong, his research centered on Bayesian modal identification and machine learning optimization for structural systems. He excels in blending traditional civil engineering with advanced AI technologies. His expertise spans several innovative areas, including digital twin systems, large language models, 3D Gaussian Splatting and SLAM, multi-agent reinforcement learning for infrastructure maintenance, structural health monitoring and finite element model updating. Key projects include developing a systematic solution for CNC machine predictive maintenance with IoT and AI tools, creating frameworks for fire safety inspections using multi-agent LLMs, and advancing structural health monitoring through adaptive algorithms. His work has been published in leading journals like Computer-Aided Civil and Infrastructure Engineering, Mechanical Systems and Signal Processing and Journal of Sound and Vibration. Dr Yuan has joined us on 15 Dec 2025.  

PolyU CEE Webinar Series: Decarbonizing cement industry: Advancing toward ultra-low clinker cements

Dr. Muhammad Riaz Ahmad delivered a seminar with the topic of “Decarbonizing cement industry: Advancing toward ultra-low clinker cements” on 15 October 2025. It was co-organized with HKIE Civil Division. Find the full version of the webinar in the below link: https://youtu.be/Q7BmPapp7Aw

CEE Departmental Visit – CCC Kei Long College (27 November)

A group of 20 students from CCC Kei Long College visited CEE on 27 November 2025 (Thursday). Prof. Andy Y.F. Leung, Associate Head and Associate Professor of CEE kicked off the visit by a warm up game. The interactive Q&A quiz effectively allowed students to explore the latest developments in infrastructure and the civil engineering industry in Hong Kong! The group also got the scoop on the admission process and career prospects for the BEng (Hons) in Civil Engineering and the BEng (Hons) in Environmental Engineering and Sustainable Development programmes. Following this, they participated in the Tower Challenge: Engineering with Straws, Tape and Imagination. Equipped with only a limited number of straws and tape, the students applied their innovative thinking and basic civil engineering knowledge to take on the challenge. To wrap up the day, the group visited Structural Engineering Research Laboratory, where they witnessed firsthand how building foundations work through some really interesting demonstrations by heavy equipment. It was eye-opening to discover how civil engineering impacts our daily lives and benefits society!  

Prof. Zhen Leng’s Team Wins Merit Award at HICOOL 2025 Global Entrepreneurship Competition

The project "Microwave-Responsive Carbon Nanocoating Functional Aggregates for Smart Cities: Innovation and Applications", led by Prof. Zhen Leng, Professor of CEE and Associate Director of the Carbon Neutrality and Resources Engineering Research Centre (RCRE), along with a core team including Mr Shaowei Zhang, CEE PhD student and Dr Zhifei Tan, former CEE Research Assistant, has distinguished itself from 10,055 competing projects submitted by participants from 139 countries and regions and won the Merit Award at the HICOOL 2025 Global Entrepreneurship Competition, bringing honor to the Department and the University. The award-winning project focuses on Microwave-responsive Carbon-coated Functional Aggregate (MrCFA), endowing roads with the composite functions of "de-icing, crack detection, and self-healing," thereby providing innovative solutions for winter road safety and intelligent pavement maintenance in smart cities. By replacing natural aggregates in asphalt pavement construction, MrCFA effectively addresses the issue of uneven dispersion inherent in traditional carbon material modification processes. It possesses excellent electrical, microwave-heating, thermal, and mechanical properties. While enhancing the pavement's conventional road performance, including high-temperature stability, water stability, and low-temperature crack resistance, the efficient conversion of microwave energy by the carbon nanocoating enables a breakthrough improvement in the asphalt pavement's de-icing capability and self-healing performance. Furthermore, due to its high electrical conductivity, MrCFA generates distinct reflection signals and energy attenuation in Ground-Penetrating Radar (GPR) profiles. When combined with AI intelligent algorithms, this significantly improves the accuracy of pavement crack detection. It offers an intelligent inspection solution for crack prevention and treatment, and assists in determining the optimal timing for healing interventions. The award highlights the ongoing innovation of Prof. Leng’s research team in their field of study. We look forward to seeing their research translated into practical applications that contribute to sustainable development in society.  

CEE PhD Students Receive Best Presentation Award

In the recent 5th Academic Conference of Young Scholars on Disaster Prevention and Mitigation in Civil Engineering co-hosted by The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and Huazhong University of Science and Technology on 21 – 23 November 2025, two CEE PhD students, Mr Hao Wang and Mr Zeyu Gao, received the Best Presentation Award for their reports on disaster prevention and mitigation for engineering structures.  Supervised by Prof. Songye Zhu, Mr Wang presented his paper titled “Ultra-long Period Vibration Control Using Latching-based Smart Dampers”, while Mr Gao, supervised by Prof. Tao Yu, showcased his work titled “Structural Performance and Repair of Precast FRP-Reinforced Concrete Components”. This conference aims to provide a platform for young scholars to exchange ideas, showcase their latest research findings and advancements, and engage in academic discussions on topics such as structural health monitoring, wind engineering, earthquake engineering, and disaster prevention and mitigation in civil engineering.  Our PhD students demonstrated exceptional expertise in disaster prevention studies, achieving remarkable recognition by winning the Best Presentation Award at the conference. We look forward to their continued hard work and success, which will undoubtedly have a positive impact to the society. For more information about the conference, please visit: https://fzjzys2025.aconf.cn/    

CNERC-Rail Research Team Wins Excellence Award at the 2nd International Innovation Competition on Structural Health Monitoring for Railway Systems

CNERC-Rail research team, led by Prof. Yi-Qing Ni, Chair Professor of Smart Structures and Rail Transit of CEE and Director of National Rail Transit Electrification and Automation Engineering Technology Research Centre (Hong Kong Branch) (CNERC-Rail), and composed of Dr Vincent Wai Kei Ao, Dr Yao Hu, Mr Jiahao Lu, and Mr Yuhang Lu won the Excellence Award at the 2nd International Innovation Competition on Structural Health Monitoring for Railway Systems. This recognition attests the high capability and significant achievements of CNERC-Rail in developing advanced structural health monitoring technologies for modern railway systems.  The competition, held on 17 November, 2025, was guided by the China Railway Society and CRRC Co., Ltd., and jointly organised by CRRC Qingdao Sifang Co., Ltd. and Central South University. It attracted global innovation personnel to present advance research and application in data mining, damage diagnosis, and life-prediction technologies for rail transit structural health monitoring. The event emphasised the development of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG)-oriented digital solutions as its core concept. During the competition, the team developed a neural network approach utilising an ensemble model that integrated a one-dimensional Convolutional Neural Network, Attention mechanism, and Voting strategy (ECAV), enabling accurate prediction of impact locations and energy levels. The achievements made in this project provide robust technical support for developing lightweight design and intelligent, safety-focused whole life cycle management of rail facilities. We look forward to their future contributions to the field and the positive impact of their research on structural health monitoring for railway systems.  

Prof. Zhen-Yu Yin Appointed Editor of The International Journal for Numerical and Analytical Methods in Geomechanics

Prof. Zhen-Yu Yin, Professor of CEE, was recently nominated as one of the editors of the International Journal for Numerical and Analytical Methods in Geomechanics (IJNAMG), a prestigious Q1 journal with a high impact factor. Notably, Prof. Yin is the only Asian academic editor on the Editorial Board, highlighting his international standing and leadership in geomechanics. IJNAMG is renowned for publishing high-quality research that advances the understanding of the mechanical behaviour of geomaterials, such as soils, rocks, concrete, ice, snow, and powders. It features innovative experimental techniques and cutting-edge numerical or hybrid modelling approaches, with a strong emphasis on addressing energy and environmental challenges. The journal is committed to a rigorous and fair review process, rapid publication, and broad visibility for authors.  This appointment reflects Prof. Yin’s significant contributions to the field and reinforces the global recognition of Asian scholars in geomechanics. We look forward to seeing the impact of his expertise on the advancement of geomechanical knowledge and its applications in addressing the society’s critical challenges. Editorial Board of the Journal https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/page/journal/10969853/homepage/editorialboard.html  

ShanghaiRanking’s Global Ranking of Academic Subjects 2025

The recent announcement by the ShanghaiRanking revealed CEE’s significant achievements in the Global Ranking of Academic Subjects (GRAS) 2025. CEE has achieved remarkable positions globally in three key research areas, securing 1st in Transportation Science and Technology, 3rd in Civil Engineering, and 44th in Environmental Science and Engineering, while also ranking at the top in Hong Kong for the first two disciplines. These accolades highlight our international standing and reaffirm our commitment to excellence in academic and research. The GRAS uses a range of objective academic indicators and third-party data to evaluate the performance world universities across various criteria, including research output, research impact, international collaboration, research quality, and international academic awards. Among the listed 2,000 universities from 92 countries and regions, CEE stands out for its consistent dedication to advancing knowledge and research in the field.  Heartfelt congratulations to all CEE members whose persistent efforts have led to these commendable positions.  For the full version of GRAS 2025, please visit:  https://www.shanghairanking.com/rankings/gras/2025   

Prof. Shipeng Zhang Received RGC Early Career Award 2025/26

The Research Grants Council (RGC) held an award presentation ceremony on 3 November 2025 to honor 98 academics from the eight UGC-funded universities for their distinguished research accomplishments and significant contributions to the higher education sector. We are proud to announce that Prof. Shipeng Zhang, Assistant Professor of CEE, has won the Early Career Award 2025/26 in recognition of his achievements in research. Prof. Zhang’s research, titled “Development of Lightweight Water-foamed Concrete with Ultrafine Pores using Ultrasonic Carbonation” employs ultrasound-assisted carbonation technology to engineer the flocculation structure of cement paste and develop water-foamed concrete that achieves carbon sequestration. The project has been granted HKD$931,084 under the RGC Early Career Scheme (ECS) 2025/26 exercise. Among the 195 projects funded by the ECS in 2025/26, eight early-career scholars received the Early Career Awards, and Prof. Zhang is one of them. We extend our heartfelt congratulations to Prof. Zhang for this accomplishment. This recognition underscores Prof. Zhang's dedication to advancing sustainable technologies in construction and highlights the importance of innovative research in addressing environmental challenges. His work contributes significantly to both academic knowledge and practical solutions in the field, paving the way for a more sustainable future.  Official Announcement by UGC: https://www.ugc.edu.hk/eng/ugc/about/press_speech_other/press/2025/pr20251103.html Interview by Headline Daily: https://www.stheadline.com/ad-edu/3516900/%E5%82%91%E5%87%BA%E9%9D%92%E5%B9%B4%E5%AD%B8%E8%80%85%E8%A8%88%E5%8A%83%E5%8F%8A%E4%BA%BA%E6%96%87%E5%AD%B8%E5%8F%8A%E7%A4%BE%E6%9C%83%E7%A7%91%E5%AD%B8%E5%82%91%E5%87%BA%E5%AD%B8%E8%80%85%E8%A8%88%E5%8A%83-%E6%8E%A8%E5%8B%95%E7%A0%94%E7%A9%B6%E7%99%BC%E5%B1%95-%E5%A3%AF%E5%A4%A7%E9%A6%99%E6%B8%AF%E4%BA%BA%E6%89%8D%E5%BA%AB  

2025 International Joint VOCs Conference

The 12th Annual National Conference on the Prevention and Control of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), the 5th International Symposium on Catalytic Science and Technology in Sustainable Energy and Environment (5th EECAT), and the 2025 International Expert Symposium on Volatile Organic Compounds (collectively referred to as the 2025 Joint VOCs Conference) were successfully held from 6 to 8 November 2025 in Guangzhou. The event was co-organized by the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Jinan University, South China University of Technology, and the VOCs Pollution Prevention and Control Committee of the Chinese Society for Environmental Sciences. Nearly 600 experts, scholars, industry professionals, and research students from over ten countries and regions attended the conference. Initiated by Prof. Hai Guo, Professor of CEE in November 2023, the first International Expert Symposium on Volatile Organic Compounds was successfully held at PolyU. As the second international expert seminar on volatile organic compounds, this conference was jointly organized with domestic VOCs-related conferences, aiming to extend its international influence while deepening academic exchange within China. The conference featured 10 plenary speeches delivered by leading VOCs experts, including Prof. Donald R. Blake from the University of California, Irvine, and Prof. Mathew Evans from the University of York, UK. As one of the five co-chairs of the organizing committee, Prof. Guo delivered keynote speeches in two sessions, focusing on indoor VOCs and VOCs impacts across different bay areas. The conference recognized outstanding student research, with Dr Enyu Xiong, PhD graduate supervised by Prof. Guo, receiving the Outstanding Student Presentation Award. Participants shared cutting-edge research findings and strategic insights on VOCs pollution mechanisms, monitoring technologies, and control strategies etc. The event provided a high-level platform for academic exchange and aimed to advance VOCs pollution control technologies and global air quality management.