Professor Charels Chunbao Xu has been elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, marking a distinguished milestone in a career dedicated to advancing sustainable technologies and accelerating the global transition towards a carbon-neutral future. Regarded as one of Canada’s highest academic honours, Fellowships of the Royal Society of Canada recognises individuals whose scholarly achievements have made significant contributions to knowledge and society.

In announcing the honour, the Royal Society of Canada described Professor Xu as “one of the few prominent academics in Canada who have the vision, creativity and dedication to develop transformative biorefinery technologies” benefiting multiple sectors, including the agricultural, forestry and chemical industries. It also recognised him as a leading global expert in biorefinery, spanning both molecular-level and system-level transformation of biomass and renewable carbon resources into energy, fuels, chemicals and materials.

As Chair Professor of Advanced Biorefinery in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) at PolyU and Director of the Research Centre for Resources Engineering towards Carbon Neutrality (RCRE) of the PolyU Academy for Interdisciplinary Research (PAIR), Professor Xu has built an international reputation for pioneering research in advanced biorefinery and resource recovery. His work centres on transforming biomass, agriculture and forestry residues, organic waste and other renewable resources into high-value chemicals, advanced materials and clean energy solutions, helping to address some of the world’s most pressing environmental and energy challenges.

The global impact of his work is reflected in both academia and industry. Over the course of his career, Professor Xu has published extensively, secured numerous patents and earned international recognition for his contributions to chemical and environmental engineering.

Commenting on the honour, Professor Xu said, “I am deeply honoured to be elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, Academy of Science. This fellowship reflects my team’s ongoing work in fundamental and applied research, transforming biomass and bioresources into fuels, chemicals, and materials across molecular and system levels. With the strong support of PolyU, PAIR, Faculty of Construction and Environment and CEE, and especially the RCRE, we continue to advance transformative biorefinery technologies to industrial scale, turning organic waste into high-value bioproducts.”

Having joined the PolyU family in July, Professor Xu’s appointment has further strengthened the University’s capabilities in sustainability research and carbon-neutrality innovation, areas that are increasingly vital to addressing global climate challenges.