News

Prof. LIU Liang elected IEEE Fellow 2026

Prof. LIU Liang, Member of Research Institute for Artificial Intelligence of Things (RIAIoT) and Associate Professor of Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, has been elected a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) in the Class of 2026. Prof. Liu has been recognised for his influential contributions to next-generation cellular networks, particularly in 6G integrated sensing and communication and massive IoT connectivity.  His pioneering research enables future networks to transmit data while simultaneously sensing environments, supporting applications such as drone operations in the low-altitude economy, robotic navigation, and smart city infrastructure. IEEE Fellow is the Institute’s highest grade of membership. This prestigious distinction honours individuals whose extraordinary accomplishments have significantly advanced engineering, science, and technology worldwide.

Prof. CHAI Yang appointed as Director of Research Institute for Artificial Intelligence of Things (RIAIoT)

We are honoured to announce the appointment of Prof. CHAI Yang as Director of the Research Institute for Artificial Intelligence of Things (RIAIoT) under the PolyU Academy for Interdisciplinary Research (PAIR), effective 1 January 2026.  Prof. CHAI’s leadership will further advance interdisciplinary research and innovation in this rapidly evolving field. Prof. Chai is a distinguished scholar specialising in nanoelectronics devices and emerging computation paradigms.  He currently serves as Associate Dean of the Faculty of Science, Director of the University Research Facility in Materials Characterization and Device Fabrication, and Chair Professor of Semiconductor Physics in the Department of Applied Physics.  His research has been published in prestigious journals such as Nature, Nature Electronics and Nature Nanotechnology, and featured in leading publications including Nature and IEEE Spectrum.  Prof. Chai’s outstanding research contributions have earned him recognition among the world’s top 2% most-cited scientists, as compiled by Stanford University. At PAIR, Prof. Chai holds multiple important roles, serving as a Management Committee Member of the Research Institute for Intelligent Wearable Systems (RI-IWEAR) and as a Member of the Photonics Research Institute (PRI).

Establishment of Research Centre for Environmental, Social, and Governance Advancement

We are pleased to announce the establishment of the Research Centre for Environmental, Social, and Governance Advancement (RCESGA) with effect from 1 January 2026 as one of the constituent research units of PAIR! RCESGA aims to serve as a leading research centre focusing on the interactions among environmental, social, and governance issues for balancing the needs of the environment, society, and economy to ensure the long-term prosperity and sustainability of Hong Kong, the Chinese Mainland and the world. Prof. WU Qiang, Associate Head (Research) and Professor of the School of Accounting and Finance, will lead the Centre as RCESGA Director.  Prof. Mike LAI Kee-hung, Associate Dean (Academic Support) of Faculty of Business, Interim Head and Chair Professor of Shipping and Logistics of the Department of Logistics and Maritime Studies (LMS) will serve as RCESGA Co-Director. Prof. Eric CHUI, Head of Department of Applied Social Sciences, Co-Director of Policy Research Centre for Innovation and Technology and Chair Professor of Social Work and Criminology, Prof. Jerry YAN, Editor-in-Chief of Nexus and Chair Professor of Energy and Buildings of the Department of Building Environment and Energy Engineering, and Prof. YANG Dong, Associate Head and Associate Professor of LMS, will serve as RCESGA Associate Directors.

Prof. LIN Jianguo discusses Hot Forming Quenching Technology on Phoenix TV

Prof. LIN Jianguo, Associate  Director of Research Institute for Advanced Manufacturing (RIAM) and Chair Professor of Materials Technologies, was recently featured in an interview with Phoenix TV, where he shared insights into the pioneering Hot Forming Quenching (HFQ®) technology he developed.  The discussion highlighted Prof. Lin’s ground-breaking research in lightweight metal forming and its applications in the automotive, aerospace and railway industries. Reflecting on his journey, Prof. Lin recalled that as early as 2002, he faced the significant challenge of forming the inner panel of an aluminium alloy car door in a single piece. The brittleness of the material made this task seem impossible using the technologies available at the time.  After fourteen years of relentless effort, he ultimately achieved a breakthrough with the innovative HFQ® technology, enabling the efficient manufacture of complex, lightweight, and high-strength components.  Prof. Lin emphasised that this technology not only effectively reduces costs and enhances design flexibility, but also brings substantial economic benefits to industry, such as saving billions of dollars in automotive development costs. Prof. Lin further analysed the profound impact of this technology in the aviation and aerospace sectors, highlighting the importance of lightweight, high-strength light alloys in improving fuel efficiency and overall performance.  He explained the challenges involved in forming such materials, and how precise control of the microstructure ensures optimal performance and durability.  Prof. Lin further noted that computer simulation and artificial intelligence play a crucial role in digitising and preserving the experience of senior technicians, ensuring that innovation continues despite personnel changes.  His international collaborations and industry partnerships have led to the establishment of multiple research centres and the successful transfer of HFQ® technology worldwide. Finally, Prof. Lin shared his vision for the future of manufacturing and materials science upon coming to Hong Kong.  He highlighted Hong Kong’s strong emphasis on scientific and applied research and the translation of scientific achievements, noting that micro-forming technology holds tremendous potential in the electronics and high-tech industries.  Addressing the misconception that materials science is a “dead end”, Prof. Lin stressed that its wide-ranging applications open up diverse career opportunities, from research to finance.  He advocates for interdisciplinary education and research, emphasising that modern scientific challenges require knowledge from multiple disciplines to be solved collaboratively.   Online coverage: Phoenix TV - https://polyu.me/4qqtren; https://polyu.me/4p79M1I  

Prof. LIN Jianguo elected as HKAE Fellow

Congratulations to Prof. LIN Jianguo, Associate Director of the Research Institute for Advanced Manufacturing (RIAM) and Chair Professor of Materials Technologies, on being elected as one of the 2025 Fellows of the Hong Kong Academy of Engineering (HKAE). Prof. Lin is a leading expert in metal forming, materials technologies, and process modelling.  His research focuses on developing models that simulate microstructural evolution and material formability during metals processing for a wide range of engineering materials and applications.  He pioneered Hot Form Quench (HFQâ) Technology, which has been used in automotive and aerospace industries.  This breakthrough process enables the production of complex-shaped, high-strength aluminium components for vehicles, contributing to lighter and more environmentally friendly designs.  Prof. Lin’s engineering excellence has been widely recognised.  In 2021, he was awarded a Gold Medal by the Institute of Sheet Metal Engineering for his outstanding contribution to the UK sheet metal industry.  His significant contributions to the field have also earned him recognition among the world’s top 2% most-cited scientists, according to an index compiled by Stanford University. He was elected as a Fellow of Royal Academy of Engineering (FREng) in 2013. 

When physics meets biology: Prof. Yeomans of Oxford unravels how mechanical forces sculpt tissue shape

Prof. Julia M. YEOMANS of the University of Oxford, UK, delivered a PAIR Distinguished Lecture titled “Active Matter meets mechanobiology: Evading the decay to equilibrium” on 18 December 2025.  The event drew over 70 in-person participants and an online audience exceeding 15,500 across various social media platforms. Prof. Yeomans commenced her presentation by introducing the concept of active systems—systems pushed out of thermodynamic equilibrium by energy at the particle level.  This framework is particularly valuable for understanding biological phenomena such as biomechanics and self-assembly, and supports the design of novel micro-engines and internally driven microchannel flows.  These examples underscore the broader principles of non-equilibrium statistical physics. Building on this foundation, Prof. Yeomans explored the physics of active matter and its implications for mechanobiology and developmental biology.  She discussed how active matter provides a new perspective on the organisation and behaviour of living systems, illustrating this with examples including the intricate patterns that emerge in bacterial colonies and the dynamics of dense active nematics, such as microtubules propelled by motor proteins.  In these systems, far-field flow patterns exhibit nematic symmetry—where liquid crystal molecules align in the same general direction.  Gradients in the magnitude or direction of nematic order—essentially, misalignments of molecules across a surface—create regions with different alignment directions, making them susceptible to splay distortions that lead to bending or curving deformations in tissues.  Notably, active turbulence within these systems can be suppressed by confinement, and in deformable nematic systems, the force axis is not necessarily aligned with the shape axis—adding to the complexity of their behaviour. Prof. Yeomans also addressed the relevance of these principles to medical science, specifically the distribution of lesions in invasive breast cancer.  By comparing histological slides with computational simulations, she presented evidence suggesting that cluster motility, rather than cell proliferation, is the primary driver of the distinctive patterns seen in malignant breast cancer.  This insight has significant implications for understanding tumour progression and could inform future therapeutic strategies. Furthermore, she examined the dynamics of epithelial cells, which can be modelled as deformable active nematics.  In addressing such systems, it is essential to develop theoretical approaches that decouple cellular shape from mechanical stress to provide a more accurate representation of tissue behaviour and development. In conclusion, Prof. Yeomans emphasised the importance of interdisciplinary research at the intersection of physics, biology and engineering, noting that advances in the study of active matter are continually reshaping our understanding of living systems and their complex behaviours. Following the presentation was a lively question-and-answer session moderated by Prof. WANG Liqiu, Member of Research Institute for Sports Science and Technology and Research Centre of Textiles for Future Fashion, Otto Poon Charitable Foundation Professor in Smart and Sustainable Energy and Chair Professor of Thermal-Fluid and Energy Engineering in the Department of Mechanical Engineering.  Prof. Yeomans led a productive discussion that engaged both the on-site and online audiences. Please click here for an online review.

PolyU builds advanced human-robot collaboration system, empowering high-end manufacturing tasks

Prof. ZHENG Pai, Member of Research Institute for Advanced Manufacturing, Wong Tit Shing Young Scholar in Smart Robotics and Associate Professor of Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, together with his research team, has developed the “Mutual Cognitive Human-Robot Collaboration Manufacturing System” (MC-HRCMS). This innovative system enables real-time perception of complex environments, accurate interpretation of operators’ intentions, and skill transfer through simple demonstrations. It can autonomously generate process codes and execute high-precision tasks, and is already being applied in advanced manufacturing scenarios such as autonomous aircraft drilling and electric vehicle battery disassembly. The MC-HRCMS utilises advanced machine learning and 3D scene perception to enhance efficiency, safety, and seamless human-robot interaction in complex scenarios. Through industry collaborations, the team has customised and deployed these systems for leading enterprises, addressing demanding requirements for precision and complexity. To tackle challenges in semi-structured and unstructured production, the team introduced a novel vision-language-guided planning framework that integrates Large Language Models, Deep Reinforcement Learning, and Mixed-Reality Head-Mounted Displays. This allows robots to analyse visual and linguistic cues, understand complex tasks, and collaborate with humans more effectively. The head-mounted device offers real-time data and guidance, redefining human-machine interaction. Press Release: https://polyu.hk/GaibX   Online coverage: EurekAlert - https://polyu.me/4pQsnk1 IT Pro - https://polyu.me/48PR5uU Mirage - https://polyu.me/4aUrt14 Wen Wei Po - https://polyu.me/44EyEXw Bastille Post - https://polyu.me/4pVq7b9    

Prof. Nathanael JIN Ling receives Asian Young Aerosol Scientist Award and James J. Morgan Early Career Award

Prof. Nathanael JIN Ling, Member of Research Institute for Future Food (RiFood), Research Institute for Sustainable Urban Development (RISUD) and Mental Health Research Centre (MHRC), and Assistant Professor of Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Department of Health Technology and Informatics, received the 2025 TSI Asian Young Aerosol Scientist Award from the Asian Aerosol Research Assembly, recognising his contributions to advancing mixture-toxicity modelling and uncovering chemical-microbial drivers of PM2.5 health risks. He has also been named one of the four winners of the 2026 James J. Morgan Early Career Award. The award, presented by Environmental Science & Technology (ES&T), Environmental Science & Technology Letters, and the American Chemical Society (ACS) Division of Environmental Chemistry (ENVR), recognises early career scholars who are pioneering new directions in environmental science and technology through innovative approaches. Prof. Jin’s research integrates environmental chemistry, microbiology, and toxicology to examine the ecological and health impacts of air and marine pollution, as well as solid waste. His notable achievements include developing the first full-length 18S rRNA database for harmful algae, establishing cell lines of the Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin (Chinese white dolphin) to study pollutant effects, and advancing PM2.5 mixture-toxicity modelling to inform regulatory policies. He also created a global atlas of plastic-associated bacteria and introduced the concept of the “microplastome”, deepening our understanding of the multifaceted impacts of plastic pollution.

Harnessing sensors and AI for sustainable urban futures: Insights from Prof. Banthia’s distinguished lecture

Prof. Nemkumar BANTHIA of The University of British Columbia, Canada, delivered a PAIR Distinguished Lecture titled “Toward Carbon-Neutral Cities: Sensors and Cyber-Physical Networks for Green Infrastructure” on 17 December 2025.  The event attracted over 90 in-person participants and an online audience of more than 17,900 across various social media platforms. Prof. Banthia commenced his presentation by emphasising the contribution of construction and building operations to global carbon emissions, and the urgent need for data-driven mitigation strategies.  He cited statistics indicating that the built environment accounts for at least 51% of annual global CO2 emissions.  He warned that, if current practices persist and no action is taken, many regions—including Vancouver—could be submerged by 2100.  He then explored how sensor networks underpin the digital economy and facilitate the transition towards smarter, greener, and more energy-efficient urban systems.  Prof. Banthia further highlighted the role of environmental and occupancy sensors in optimising building performance, enhancing user comfort, and reducing operational carbon.  He discussed how advancements in machine learning, such as edge computing, data integration, and cloud platform updates, enable more accurate real-time detection.  He explained that digital twins of building energy systems support data-driven modelling, operational forecasting and control, anomaly detection, predictive maintenance, and multi-objective optimisation of building systems. The lecture continued with an overview of sensor technologies for assessing structural integrity, extending service life, and reducing embodied carbon through informed maintenance and retrofitting.  Prof. Banthia underscored the importance of real-time monitoring and predictive analytics for anticipating and mitigating both natural and human-induced hazards, citing a case study of damage monitoring to a university building in Chile following the 2010 earthquake.  He proposed integrated frameworks that combine operational, structural, and resilience monitoring for holistic carbon management and enhanced infrastructure performance.  He also reviewed significant datasets obtained from currently monitored structures, assessing their implications for carbon reduction, safety, and resilience.   In conclusion, Prof. Banthia introduced emerging approaches for leveraging sensor data, artificial intelligence (AI), and digital twins to enable carbon-neutral, smart, and resilient infrastructure systems.  He stressed that digital infrastructure equipped with Internet-of-things (IoT) enabled sensors represents the future—enabling minimised life-cycle costs, prudent asset management, and carbon neutrality.  He noted that substantial data are essential for machine learning and AI to reach their full potential. After the presentation, Ir Prof. POON Chi-sun, Director of Research Centre for Resources Engineering towards Carbon Neutrality (RCRE), moderated a dynamic question-and-answer session. The audience participated actively in a thoughtful exchange with Prof. Banthia. Please click here for an online review.

PolyU wins 18 awards at Asia Exhibition of Innovations and Inventions

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) achieved noteworthy results at the 5th Asia Exhibition of Innovations and Inventions Hong Kong (AEII), taking home 18 accolades from 16 participating projects and retaining the event’s Grand Award for the second consecutive year. The PolyU haul comprised one Grand Award, one Special Award, two Gold Medals with Congratulations of Jury, five Gold Medals, eight Silver Medals and one Bronze Medal. Among them, 11 projects were led by PAIR members: Project Principal Investigator PAIR Constituent Research Unit Grand Award and Gold Medal with Congratulations of Jury Viromids: A Redosable, Low-Cost Gene-Delivery Platform for Ocular Therapy Prof. HUANG Chien-ling Associate Professor, Department of Health Technology and Informatics Management Committee Member of Research Institute for Future Food (RiFood) 1st Prize of Inventions Geneva Award and Gold Medal with Congratulations of Jury PD-001R: A New Breakthrough for the Treatment of Neurodegenerative Diseases Prof. Simon LEE Ming-yuen Cally Kwong Mei Wan Professor in Biomedical Sciences and Chinese Medicine Innovation; Chair Professor of Biomedical Sciences, Department of Food Science and Nutrition Management Committee Member of Research Centre for Chinese Medicine Innovation (RCMI); Member of RiFood, Research Institute for Smart Ageing (RISA) and Member of Mental Health Research Centre (MHRC) Gold Medal PolyPi: Edge-AI Empowered Autonomous Robot for Pipeline Inspection and Maintenance Prof. CAO Jiannong Vice President (Education); Otto Poon Charitable Foundation Professor in Data Science; Chair Professor of Distributed and Mobile Computing, Department of Computing Founding Director of Research Institute for Artificial Intelligence of Things (RIAIoT); Management Committee Member of Research Institute for Sustainable Urban Development (RISUD); Member of RiFood, Research Institute for Intelligent Wearable Systems (RI-IWEAR), Otto Poon Charitable Foundation Research Institute for Smart Energy (RISE), RISA, Otto Poon Charitable Foundation Smart Cities Research Institute (SCRI) and Research Institute for Quantum Technology (RIQT) Intelligent Driving Training and Evaluation System for Heavy-duty Trucks Prof. FU Xiaowen Professor and Head, Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering Management Committee Member of Research Institute for Advanced Manufacturing (RIAM); Member of SCRI, Research Centre for Environmental, Social, and Governance Advancement (RCESGA) and Research Centre for Digital Transformation of Tourism (RCDTT) Silver Medal ProMuki — Wearable Ultrasound Monitoring and Analysing of Muscle Activities for Fitness, Sports, and Rehabilitation Prof. ZHENG Yongping Henry G. Leong Professor in Biomedical Engineering; Chair Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Department of Biomedical Engineering Director of RISA; Member of RI-IWEAR, Research Institute for Sports Science and Technology (RISports) and Research Centre for SHARP Vision (RCSV) MetaBridge: A 3D Gaussian Splatting and Blockchain Platform for Cultural Heritage Digital Assetisation and Immersive Experience Prof. Peter NG Hiu-fung Assistant Professor, Department of Computing and Department of Rehabilitation Sciences Member of RISports and MHRC A Proactive Early Warning System for Structural Health Monitoring of Wind Turbine Blades and Towers Based on Finite Element Simulation, Fiber Bragg Grating Sensing and Reinforcement Learning Prof. YU Changyuan Professor, Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering Management Committee Member of Photonics Research Institute (PRI); Member of RISports, RI-IWEAR and Research Centre for Deep Space Explorations (RCDSE) PipeInspect: Cutting-Edge Inspection on Water Distribution Network with Fiber-optic Positioning Prof. DING Xiaoli Chair Professor of Geomatics, Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics Director of Research Institute for Land and Space (RILS) and Member of SCRI Automated Freeform Eyeglass for Instant Refractive Control Dr Elie Aymard Jonathan de LESTRANGE-ANGINIEUR Research Fellow, School of Optometry Prof. George WOO Emeritus Professor and Senior Advisor, School of Optometry Member of RCSV Biomimetics Nanoplatform for the Treatment of Retinal Diseases Prof. DO Chi-wai Associate Professor, School of Optometry Member of RiFood, RISA, RCMI and RCSV Bronze Medal Non-invasive, Ultrasensitive and Portable Saliva Glucose Sensors Prof. YAN Feng Chair Professor of Organic Electronics, Department of Applied Physics Associate Director of RI-IWEAR; Member of PRI, RISE, RISUD and RISports Press release: https://polyu.me/457hCkP Online coverage: Wen Wei Po - https://polyu.me/3Yv8ouV; https://polyu.me/4pIdpN2; https://polyu.me/3MBgX52 Bauhinia - https://polyu.me/4rZgWb7