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The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) has further strengthened its global leadership in structural health monitoring (SHM) and climate-resilient infrastructure, with Professor Xia Yong, Professor of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Associate Dean of Graduate School, and Director of the Joint Research Centre of Marine Infrastructure, being named the Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) Person of the Year. Professor Xia is the third PolyU scholar to receive this prestigious honour, making PolyU the only university in Hong Kong to achieve this distinction and tying for the highest number of recipients worldwide since the award’s inception over twenty years ago.
Sponsored by SAGE Publishing and selected by the editorial board of the Structural Health Monitoring journal, the SHM Person of the Year Award recognises individuals who have made outstanding contributions to SHM, benefiting society through excellence in research, applications, and education. The award is presented annually at the International Workshop on SHM in Stanford, USA.
Professor Xia is recognised for his pioneering research, including vibration-based damage detection methods, analytical solutions for bridge responses under thermal loads, and substructuring techniques for monitoring large-scale structures. His work has shaped design standards and educational materials, making a significant global impact and supporting the development of infrastructure that is more resilient to climate change and extreme weather events.
His research has been applied to major infrastructure projects such as 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. He has also established research centres and developed innovative educational systems, such as the Benchmark Problem for SHM of High-rise Structures and the real-time PolyU Footbridge Digital Twin System.
PolyU remains committed to advancing next-generation SHM and climate-resilient infrastructure technologies, addressing critical challenges in Hong Kong, the Greater Bay Area, and beyond.
