Alumni Insight Series – There Is No Place Like PolyU For Researchers

The newly introduced Alumni Insight Series aims to provide a platform for knowledge exchange, networking, and mentorship, showcasing the accomplishments of our distinguished research postgraduate (RPg) alumni. The inaugural session on 12 April featured outstanding research postgraduate alumnus Professor Wilson Lu, who obtained his PhD in 2006 from the Department of Building and Real Estate (BRE). He is currently the Chair Professor (Digital Construction) and Head of Department of Real Estate and Construction, Faculty of Architecture, at the University of Hong Kong.

During the talk, Professor Lu reflected on his time at PolyU and shared his personal experiences on climbing the ladder in academia. He highlighted his progression and struggles, from the eagerness to contribute to the knowledge body and industry as a RPg student, to the worries of job seeking as a postdoctoral fellow, and the pressure of securing tenure as an Assistant Professor.

Professor Lu described the process as the making of a “T-shaped individual” - horizontally broadening one’s research discipline and vertically expanding the depth within that discipline. He emphasised the importance of “risk management” during the process by maintaining two different but interrelated research fields.

Towards the end of the session, Professor Lu shared a few tips with our students. He advised them to be engaged in both the research and industrial communities, but most importantly, to be independent. He also reminded students the importance of humility in the research community and the high ethical expectations placed on researchers.