PolyU is a global leader in structural health monitoring, advancing innovations that contribute to enhancing infrastructure safety. In a testament to this leadership, Professor Xia Yong was recently named the Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) Person of the Year––making him the third PolyU scholar to receive this esteemed award over the years. PolyU is in fact the only university in Hong Kong to receive this prestigious honour and ties with another university for having the most number of recipients in the world since the award’s establishment over 20 years ago.

The SHM Person of the Year Award (SHM-POY) recognises individuals worldwide who have made outstanding contributions to structural health monitoring that benefit society. It honours excellence in theory, analysis, applications, education, or other advancements within the field, focusing on achievements in the past few years. Sponsored by SAGE Publishing, a leading international academic and professional publisher, the award is selected by the editorial board of the Structural Health Monitoring journal and presented annually at the International Workshop on SHM in Stanford, California, USA.

Distinguished contributions to structural health monitoring

This year’s SHM-POY Professor Xia, from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and the Associate Dean of Graduate School and Director of Joint Research Centre of Marine Infrastructure, is honoured for his transformative contributions to structural health monitoring over the past two decades. His pioneering research includes developing vibration-based damage detection methods, numerical and analytical solutions for bridge responses under thermal loads, and substructuring techniques for monitoring large-scale structures. These advancements have shaped design standards and textbooks, impacting education and engineering globally.

His research has been applied to major local and national projects, including the Tsing Ma Bridge, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, the Canton Tower and the Shanghai Tower, as well as internationally to the Akashi Kaikyo Bridge in Japan and the Humber Bridge in the UK. As a leader in the field, he has established several research centres, such as the Guangdong-Hong Kong Joint Laboratory for Marine Infrastructure, demonstrating his commitment to collaboration and innovation.

Moreover, he has developed unique educational systems such as the Benchmark Problem for SHM of High-rise Structures and the real-time PolyU Footbridge Digital Twin System, significantly advancing global SHM practices. His award recognition not only honours his personal achievements but also highlights the strength of PolyU’s SHM research team and the University’s vital role in tackling critical infrastructure challenges worldwide.

Notable past honourees from PolyU

Previous honourees from PolyU include Professor Su Zhongqing, Head and Chair Professor of Intelligent Structures and Systems; and Professor Ni Yiqing, Yim, Mak, Kwok & Chung Professor in Smart Structures, Chair Professor of Smart Structures and Rail Transit, and Director of National Rail Transit Electrification and Automation Engineering Technology Research Centre (Hong Kong Branch). They were awarded in 2012 and 2017, respectively.

With a robust research team, PolyU is committed to advancing next-generation SHM, climate-resilient infrastructure, and smart construction technologies. These initiatives aim to tackle the critical challenges of climate change and ageing infrastructure in Hong Kong, the Greater Bay Area, and beyond.