Mr. Qing XIA, a PhD student from the Department of Mechanical Engineering at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU), has been selected as a 2026 Schmidt Science Fellow. This achievement marks a historic milestone as Mr. Xia is the first-ever PolyU student to receive this prestigious honour and also the sole recipient from Hong Kong this year. This success underscores PolyU’s steadfast commitment to research excellence and nurturing world-class talent, dedicated to addressing global challenges with innovation.
The Schmidt Science Fellows programme is globally recognised as one of the most prestigious opportunities for early-career scientists. With only 32 fellows selected worldwide this year, the programme identifies emerging research leaders poised to pursue an ambitious “interdisciplinary pivot” by embarking on postdoctoral research in a new field of study from their PhD.
Under the supervision of Prof. Xiao ZHANG, Assistant Professor of the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Mr. Xia has demonstrated exceptional talent and interdisciplinary vision that the Schmidt Science Fellows programme seeks to cultivate.
Mr. Xia will pivot from Electrocatalysis to Physical Engineering. His research aims to transform nitrogen-based production by moving away from the high-energy, high-pollution traditional methods. By harnessing physical forces such as vibration, light, and sound, Mr. Xia seeks to create highly reactive particles capable of breaking apart nitrogen from the air and converting it into useful forms.
His goal is to design a small, efficient, modular nitrogen-fixation system that works under normal conditions, supports low-carbon agriculture, and helps reduce reliance on fossil-fuel-based fertilisers worldwide. The approach aims to reduce global emissions and to support more sustainable, accessible food production.
