A Dialogue with FCE Alumnus Dr David Kwok

Dr David KWOK, Chief Operating Officer of Wah Tung Holdings Limited (Wah Tung), shared his insights on promoting Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) through digitalisation and innovative initiatives in an interview following the FCE Outstanding Alumni Talk held on 12 June 2025. A forward-thinking leader in sustainable construction, Dr Kwok was honoured with the Outstanding Young Alumni Award of PolyU FCE 2024 in Professional Achievement for his contributions in integrating technology with ESG principles.

A Transformative Educational Experience

“Enrolling in the Doctor of International Real Estate and Construction programme was a milestone for me; it was my biggest decision in a decade.” As the youngest graduate in the first cohort of the programme, Dr Kwok developed a deep bond with FCE and his fellow cohort members. In addition to acquiring professional knowledge that fuels his pioneering spirit, Dr Kwok also built friendships with fellow professionals who share the same vision of revamping the construction industry for a sustainable future.

Pioneering Digital Solutions for ESG

As a young leader in the industry, Dr Kwok’s top priorities are navigating a traditional engineering company in the era of artificial intelligence (AI)-driven era and steering the company towards ESG goals. His answer is digitalisation. He collaborated with the Department of Building and Real Estate (BRE) and developed an AI-powered Computer-Aided-Design (CAD) Drawing Recognition technology that facilitates the automation of the design-to-manufacturing workflow for large-scale façade projects. The automation results in significant time and labour cost savings, contributing greatly to ESG goals. An advocate for sustainable construction, Dr Kwok also champions the application of Building-Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) and 3D printing in local construction, two new technologies that promote ESG principles in the long term. Leading by example, Dr Kwok practices what he preaches at Wah Tung in four aspects – waste management and recycling, energy and resource management, sustainable innovation, and energy transition, all of which echo ESG principles. He emphasised that aligning operational policies with ESG principles enhances operational efficiency and brings long-term benefits for the company.

A Multifaceted Leader

Apart from being a pioneering professional leader, Dr Kwok also delivers STEM courses at the Technological and Higher Education Institute of Hong Kong (THEi) and the Vocational Training Council (VTC), contributes to research on prefabrication and digital construction at BRE, and runs his own construction technology start-up. When asked about how he balances his multiple roles, Dr Kwok quoted the Chinese proverb “學無止境” (There is no end to learning), emphasising the importance of ongoing self-improvement.

Dr Kwok’s pioneering spirit and dedication to ESG-driven digital transformation exemplify how FCE alumni are shaping a smarter, greener future.

Prof. Asif USMANI, Chair Professor of Building Sciences and Fire Safety Engineering, will cease to be Head of BEEE with effect from 1 July 2025.

The Faculty would like to thank Prof. Usmani for his dedicated leadership and significant contributions during his tenure as the Head of BEEE since August 2016. Prof. Usmani will continue to serve as Chair Professor within the department.

Prof. Meng NI, Chair Professor of Energy Science and Technology of the Department of Building and Real Estate (BRE), will be appointed Head of BEEE with effect from 1 July 2025. On appointment as Head of BEEE, Prof. Ni will be transferred from BRE to BEEE.

Prof. Ni received his PhD from The University of Hong Kong in 2007 and joined PolyU in July 2009. He is a winner of the RGC Senior Research Fellow Scheme 2023/24 and was promoted to Chair Professor in 2024. He serves as one of the Editors-in-Chief for Energy Reviews and as the Senior Editor for Sustainable Energy Technologies and Assessments. He is an active reviewer for over 80 journals, including Science, Nature Energy, Joule, Advanced Materials, etc. Prof. Ni’s research interests include fuel cells, hydrogen energy, rechargeable metal-air batteries, and electrochemical systems for low grade waste heat utilisation. The Faculty looks forward with great anticipation to Prof. Ni’s leadership of BEEE.

Prof. C. S. POON, Chair Professor of Sustainable Construction Materials, and Michael Anson Professor in Civil Engineering, will cease to be Head of CEE and retire from Chair Professorship on 1 July 2025. Prof. Poon will be appointed Distinguished Research Professor in CEE with effect from the same date.

The Faculty would like to thank Prof. Poon for the exemplary service and leadership in his headship capacity since July 2019.

Prof. Songye ZHU, currently Associate Head and Professor of CEE, will be appointed Interim Head of CEE with effect from 1 July 2025 until the new Head of CEE is in post. Prof. Zhu’s appointment as Associate Head of CEE will cease on the same date.

Prof. Jianli CHEN

Chair Professor of Space Geodesy and Earth Sciences

Prof. Shao-Yuan LEU

Prof. Alessandro STOCCHINO

Prof. Liming JIANG

Prof. Ruoyu YOU

Prof. Jeff SHEN

Prof. Wen YI

Prof. Wei MA

Prof. Qi ZHAO

Dr Nicole YIU

Prof. Zhiling GUO joined the Department of Building Environment and Energy Engineering (BEEE) as an Assistant Professor in May 2025. He received his Bachelor’s degree from Chongqing University, and earned his Master’s degree and PhD from The University of Tokyo. Specialising in data science, he gained industry experience as a Data Scientist in Japan. Prof. Guo has received multiple prestigious accolades and published extensively in high-impact journals and secured competitive research funding in Japan, Hong Kong, and Mainland China. He currently serves as an Assistant Editor for Advances in Applied Energy and Nexus. His research focuses on generative AI-enhanced geospatial data for renewable energy mapping, integrating remote sensing and machine learning to analyse building envelopes and photovoltaic characteristics, and developing Renewable Energy Simulation and Digital Twin Toolkit for smart infrastructure planning.

The Department of Building Environment and Energy Engineering (BEEE) had a new Assistant Professor, Prof. Hangxin LI, who was promoted from Research Assistant Professor in May 2025. Prof. Li received her PhD in 2020 from BEEE. Prof. Li’s research focuses on smart, energy-flexible, and energy-efficient buildings, building-power grid interaction, system and control optimisation, and uncertainty analysis. Throughout her research career, she has secured over HK$6.5 million in external funding as Principal Investigator or Principal Coordinator, including the Research Grants Council General Research Fund and the Shenzhen Science and Technology Innovation Commission Major Carbon-Neutrality Fund. Prof. Li also serves on the Young Editorial Board for Advances in Applied Energy and as a guest editor for Energy and Building Simulation.

Prof. Xingyu TAO joined the Department of Building and Real Estate (BRE) as an Assistant Professor in April 2025. He obtained his Bachelor's and Master's degrees from Chongqing University, specialising in Cyber-Physical System (CPS)-based construction carbon management. He earned his PhD and gained postdoctoral research experience from The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST). Prof. Tao has been a visiting scholar at Monash University and Tsinghua University. His research focuses on construction digitalisation, including decentralised Building Information Modelling (BIM) collaboration, blockchain-enabled data security, and human-robot collaboration. He has received several awards, including the buildingSMART Award, CIC Construction Digitalisation Award, and Hong Kong Construction Common Data Environment Award (CDEA). His work has been implemented in landmark projects for the Kai Tak Sports Park and the Digital Twin for the HKUST campus.

Prof. Jingcai GUO joined the Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics (LSGI) as an Assistant Professor in May 2025, with a joint appointment in the Department of Computing (COMP). He received his PhD, MPhil, and Bachelor’s degree in computer science and AI respectively from PolyU, Waseda University, and Sichuan University. Prior to his current position, he was a Research Assistant Professor at COMP and a Postdoctoral Researcher at The University of Sydney. His research focuses on Efficient AI, emphasising learning and modelling with limited resources in data and computing, with applications in smart cities, mobility, and utility management. He serves as an Associate Editor for IEEE Open Journal of the Computer Society and regularly chairs committees at top conferences such as the International Conference on Machine Learning (ICML), Conference on Neural Information Processing Systems (NeurIPS), as well as at professional bodies like the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (AAAI).

Dr Samantha KONG joined the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) as an Associate Professor of Practice in May 2025. With over 10 years of experience at international engineering consultancies and a local NGO, she has served as a Visiting Assistant Professor at PolyU since 2021. She currently holds several strategic governance roles appointed by the HKSAR Government, including positions on the Antiquities Advisory Board and the Green Tech Fund Assessment Committee. She has previously served on the Advisory Council on the Environment and the Advisory Committee on Built Heritage Conservation. Her accolades include Asia Pacific Eco-Business Youth A-List in 2021, and Young Woman Engineer of the Year from The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) Hong Kong in 2020.