PolyU appoints Professor Zijian Zheng as Vice President (Knowledge Transfer)

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) announces the appointment of Professor Zijian ZHENG as Vice President (Knowledge Transfer) with effect from 1 April 2026.

In his new capacity, Professor Zheng will steer the planning and implementation of the University’s strategic agenda in translational research, knowledge transfer, technology commercialisation, entrepreneurship and stakeholder engagement. He will oversee the Jockey Club Design Institute for Social Innovation, the Knowledge Transfer and Entrepreneurship Office and the Mainland Research Units, and foster a dynamic ecosystem by deepening strategic partnerships with industry, government, academic and community stakeholders, particularly in the Chinese Mainland and the Greater Bay Area. In parallel, he will drive the University’s engagement and collaboration for knowledge transfer initiatives to further strengthen PolyU’s presence and competitiveness on the global stage.

Professor Zheng is currently Director of the PolyU-Daya Bay Technology and Innovation Research Institute, Associate Director of the Research Institute for Intelligent Wearable Systems, Associate Director of the University Research Facility in Materials Characterization and Device Fabrication, and Chair Professor of Soft Materials and Devices. He joined PolyU as an Assistant Professor in 2009.

A leading scholar in manufacturing technology and materials science, he has published over 270 papers in top international journals such as Science, Nature and Nature Materials, and holds more than 50 filed and granted patents. He has a strong track record in securing major competitive research and knowledge transfer grants, and has obtained substantial funding support for high-impact translational research projects. Demonstrating a strong entrepreneurial spirit, he has also founded several PolyU startups to commercialise flexible battery and wearable body sensor technologies.

Professor Zheng brings substantial management experience in knowledge transfer and innovation. As the founding director of the PolyU-Daya Bay Technology and Innovation Research Institute and a senior leader of the PolyU-Wenzhou Technology and Innovation Research Institute, he has played a pivotal role in building research and incubation capacities and expanding partnerships with industry and government stakeholders in Hong Kong and the Chinese Mainland.

Professor Jin-Guang TENG, President of PolyU, said, “Professor Zheng has made significant contributions to both academic research and knowledge transfer. He has demonstrated sustained excellence in translational research, forged strategic partnerships with leading industrial enterprises, secured substantial competitive research and knowledge transfer funding, and accumulated extensive management experience across major research and innovation platforms. As a proven leader of multiple institutes and facilities, I am confident that he will provide visionary leadership in his new role as Vice President (Knowledge Transfer), further strengthening PolyU’s knowledge transfer ecosystem, accelerating technology commercialisation and entrepreneurship, and enhancing the University’s impact in support of national development and Hong Kong’s position as an international innovation and technology hub.”

Professor Zheng received his Doctor of Philosophy degree in Chemistry from the University of Cambridge and his Bachelor of Polymer Materials and Engineering degree from Tsinghua University. He is a Fellow of the International Association of Advanced Materials, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry, a Founding Member of The Hong Kong Young Academy of Sciences, and a Founding Young Fellow of The Hong Kong Academy of Engineering.

Please download Professor Zijian Zheng’s portrait here.

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