The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) is committed to fostering outstanding young researchers and enhancing their innovative research capabilities to address urgent societal needs. Seven PolyU projects have been awarded funding under the Research Grants Council (RGC) Junior Research Fellow Scheme 2026/27, which supports promising postdoctoral researchers to pursue impactful projects at a pivotal stage of their careers.
Led by PolyU senior researchers, the awarded projects span diverse, forward-looking fields, including energy storage and advanced materials, artificial intelligence, port operations, and doctoral education. These initiatives not only expand the frontiers of knowledge but also tackle critical challenges in sustainability, digital transformation and talent development.
The RGC Junior Research Fellow aims to provide supports to promising local and non-local postdoctoral researchers at UGC-funded universities at a pivotal time in their very early careers. In each round of the yearly exercise, the scheme funds 60 researchers for a period of 24 months to conduct postdoctoral research on a full-time basis at a UGC-funded university, with an optional extension of the postdoctoral stage for up to 12 months upon request. List of awarded PolyU projects:
| Principal Investigator | Project Title |
|---|---|
| Prof. HU Guangwei Interim Dean of Faculty of Humanities and Chair Professor of Applied Linguistics of Department of English and Communication |
Advancing Professional Doctoral Education in Hong Kong: Supervision, Academic Socialisation, and the Practice-Research Nexus |
| Prof. WANG Shuaian Professor of Department of Logistics and Maritime Studies |
From Prediction to Operation: Data-Driven Port Operations in Hong Kong Port |
| Prof. CHUNG Chi-yung Head and Chair Professor of Power Systems Engineering of Department of Building Environment and Energy Engineering |
BEST: A Battery Energy Storage Toolbox Enabling Real-Time Health Monitoring and Lifespan |
| Prof. GE Jingjie Assistant Professor of Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology |
In-situ study on formation and catalytic mechanism of strong oxide-support interactions towards carbon-based small molecule catalytic conversion |
| Prof. CHEN Changwen Interim Dean of Faculty of Computer and Mathematical Sciences, Chair Professor of Visual Computing of Department of Computing |
From Conversational to Agentic AI: Interactive Multi-modal Content Understanding and Generation |
| Prof. LI Mengying Assistant Professor of Department of Mechanical Engineering |
Optical fiber photoelectrodes unlock next-generation zinc-air batteries |
| Prof. Joselito Macbuhay RAZAL Professor of School of Fashion and Textiles |
Elucidating the Mechanistic Pathways in MXene Fibre Formation towards Functional Textiles |
