Past Events

Robot metamorphosis: Prof. DAI Jiansheng of King’s College London delivers PAIR Distinguished Lecture

Metamorphosis is an innate natural attribute in the evolution and survival of species. The development of shape-shifting robots is a core area within the field of intelligent structures. By integrating computational intelligence, there is hope for achieving true embodied intelligence in today’s rapidly advancing world of artificial intelligence.

PolyU hosts Global Smart Cities Summit cum the 4th International Conference on Urban Informatics and unveils Smart City Index 2025

The three-day conference brings together over 240 speakers from around the world to share cutting-edge insights and innovations in urban informatics and smart city development, attracting over 600 scholars and industry professionals. It features keynote speeches by internationally renowned scientists, forums with government and industry leaders, and innovation and technology exhibitions, providing an excellent platform to foster collaborations among government, industry, academia, and research sectors in the field of smart cities.

Uncertainty posed by AI: Geospatial science pioneer Prof. Michael GOODCHILD dissects past, present and future

Geospatial data finds applications in a wide array of fields, including urban planning, environmental management, disaster response, and transportation, leveraging spatial patterns to support decision-making in various sectors. Nevertheless, errors, imprecision, and complexities in datasets containing information about space and/or time can undermine the quality and reliability of spatial data and analyses. This issue of uncertainty in geospatial science (GIS) is expected to intensify as AI-driven geospatial applications become increasingly widespread, according to Prof. Michael GOODCHILD, Distinguished Professor Emeritus in the Department of Geography, University of California, Santa Barbara, USA.

RISA hosted Research Seminar- Molecular Endotyping of Osteoarthritis for Precision Medicine

RISA Seminar – Molecular Endotyping of Osteoarthritis for Precision Medicine, organised by the Research Institute for Smart Ageing (RISA) and the Department of Biomedical Engineering of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU BME), took place on 28 July 2025. We were honoured to have Prof. Ali Mobasheri, Professor of Musculoskeletal Biology at the University of Oulu as the speaker to share his insights in researching Osteoarthritis (OA). The event enticed participants from diverse backgrounds.

RISA co-organized The 6th Focused Ultrasound Neuromodulation (FUN25) Conference

The 6th Focused Ultrasound Neuromodulation (FUN25) Conference, presented by the International Transcranial Ultrasonic Stimulation Safety and Standards Consortium (iTRUSST), hosted by the Department of Biomedical Engineering of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU BME), co-organized by the Research Institute for Smart Ageing (RISA) and Zhuhai Society for Neuroscience took place on 9-11 July 2025 at PolyU. Through inspiring talks and exhibitions, FUN25 successfully connected global experts and industrial leaders to share insights on focused ultrasound neuromodulation.

RISE: World Fuel Cell Conference

This year, Hong Kong which is a cosmopolitan and energetic city, was selected to oragnise the WFCC 2025! The conference was chaired by Prof. Meng Ni, the Head of Department of Building Environment and Energy Engineering and a member of the management committee of Research Institute for Smart Energy (RISE) of PolyU, and was co-chaired by Prof. Liang An (PolyU), Prof. Mengying Li (PolyU), Prof. Jian Wang (CityU), Prof. Weihong Li (CityU), Prof. Xianguo Li (University of Waterloo) and Prof. Jianbo Zhang (Tsinghua University). Miss Kate Fung served as the secretariat for the conference.

SCRI Distinguished Lecture on Domain-Specific Acceleration Targeting AI for Science

The Smart Cities Research Institute (SCRI) successfully hosted a Distinguished Lecture on 8 July 2025, focusing on the cutting-edge field of "Domain-Specific Acceleration Targeting AI for Science". The event featured the internationally renowned Professor Wayne Luk from Imperial College London, UK, drawing an engaged audience of over 60 participants.

Towards the future of long-duration energy storage: Prof. ZHAO Tianshou of SUSTech on novel flow cells

Prof. ZHAO Tianshou, Director of Energy Institute for Carbon Neutrality, Chair Professor of Mechanical and Energy Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech), China, delivered the 41st PAIR Distinguished Lecture titled “Flow Cells for Long-Duration Energy Storage” on 4 July 2025 on the PolyU campus. The lecture drew over 90 attendees in person and captivated an online audience of more than 15,400 from different countries and regions who watched the live broadcast on social media platforms.

Exploring New Frontiers in Nanotechnology: Prof. David PUI Unpacks Applications in Microelectronics and Environmental Health

Prof. David Y. H. PUI from the University of Minnesota, U.S.A., delivered the PAIR Seminar titled “Nanoparticle Technologies in Microelectronics, Air Quality, Health Effects, and Filtration” on 13 June 2025 on the PolyU campus. The seminar drew over 60 attendees in person and engaged an online audience of more than 13,100 from various countries and regions who joined the live broadcast on social media platforms.

Exploring the frontiers of mechanics: Prof. GAO Huajian of Tsinghua University on mechano-X innovations

Prof. GAO Huajian, Xinghua Distinguished University Professor and Director of the Mechano-X Institute of Tsinghua University, China, delivered the 40th PAIR Distinguished Lecture titled “Mechano-X: Interdisciplinary Research and Innovation at the Frontiers of Mechanics” on 13 June 2025 on the PolyU campus. The lecture drew over 130 attendees in person and captivated an online audience of more than 14,000 from different countries and regions who watched the live broadcast on social media platforms.