Meet Our Academicians

Professor Xiang-dong LI is Dean of the Faculty of Construction and Environment and Chair Professor of Environmental Science and Technology at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. He is a highly distinguished scholar in environmental science and sustainable urban development. In 2022, he was honoured with the prestigious Clair C. Patterson Award (Innovative Breakthrough in Environmental Biogeochemistry in the last decade) from the Geochemical Society. This accolade is presented annually for an outstanding scholar in innovative breakthrough in environmental geochemistry of fundamental significance within the last ten years, particularly in service to society. The Award acknowledged Prof Li’s pioneering research in the fields of regional contamination, urban air PM_2.5 pollution, and the origin and dissemination of antimicrobial resistance.

Prof Li’s groundbreaking research project entitled “Unravelling the Black Box between Air Pollution and Public Health for Transformative Air Quality Management” was awarded HK$44.52 million from the Research Grants Council (RGC) Theme-based Research Scheme in 2022/23. This project aims to identify the key toxic components and their associated sources responsible for PM_2.5 health effects and develop effective and economical approaches to manage air quality and public health.

In addition, Professor Li has been the principal investigator of numerous research projects funded by the RGC, National Natural Science Fund (NSFC), and University Grants Committee (UGC) Area of Excellence Scheme. He boasts an impressive publication record, with over 250 papers primarily appearing in prestigious international journals. Additionally, he has authored more than ten publications that rank among the top 1% most cited papers in Environment/Ecology, according to the ISI database. Professor Li’s research team has been engaged in important environmental studies to trace metals and organic pollutants in atmospheric particles, soils, sediments, and biological samples, investigating their impacts on human health and ecological systems, and the environmental origins and dissemination of antimicrobial resistance.

In recognition of his exemplary research expertise, Professor Li was elected as a Fellow of the Hong Kong Academy of Engineering Sciences. He also serves as the Director of the Research Institute for Sustainable Urban Development (RISUD) and is a Ko Jan Ming Professor in Sustainable Urban Development.