New directorship appointments for RISUD and RCRE

We are pleased to announce the appointment of Ir Prof. NIU Jianlei, Chair Professor of Building Environment and Energy of the Department of Building Environment and Energy Engineering, as Director of Research Institute of Sustainable Urban Development (RISUD) with effect from 1 July 2026. 

An internationally recognised expert in building environment and energy, Prof. Niu’s research focuses on indoor environmental quality, thermal comfort, HVAC systems and urban microclimates.  He currently leads a major RGC Theme-based Research Scheme project on healthy and resilient cities and serves as Editor-in-Chief of Energy and Buildings. He is also a Fellow of American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), Fellow of International Society of Indoor Air Quality and Climate (ISIAQ) and Fellow of the International Building Performance Simulation Association (IBPSA).

We are also delighted to announce the appointment of Prof. Charles XU Chunbao as Director of Research Centre for Resources Engineering towards Carbon Neutrality (RCRE) and Chair Professor of Advanced Biorefinery in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering with effect from 2 July 2026. 

Joining PolyU following a global search, Prof. Xu is an internationally renowned scholar in advanced biorefinery and sustainable resource engineering.  With more than 20 years of research experience, he has published over 400 journal papers, holds 12 international patents and is recognised for his pioneering work in converting biomass and organic wastes into sustainable fuels, green chemicals and biopolymer materials.  He is a Fellow of the Chemical Institute of Canada, the Canadian Academy of Engineering and the Engineering Institute of Canada.

We extend our warmest congratulations to Ir Prof. Niu and Prof. Xu on their new appointments.  We are confident that, under their leadership, RISUD and RCRE will continue to strengthen their research excellence and make significant contributions to sustainable urban development and carbon neutrality.