Awards and Achievements (Research)

BRE Scholars Ranked Among Top 2% of Scientists in the World by Stanford University in 2023

Congratulations to our colleagues on achieving prestigious positions as the world’s top 2% of most-cited scientists by Stanford University in 2023! BRE scholars include (in alphabetical order): oProf. Albert Chan o Dr Daniel Chan o Prof. Edwin Chan o Dr Chiang Yat Hung o Dr Amos Darko o Dr Patrick Fong o Prof. Eddie Hui o Dr Patrick Lam o Prof. Li Heng o Prof. Ni Meng o Prof. Geoffrey Shen o Prof. Michael Yam o Dr Ann Yu o Prof. Zayed Tarek Stanford University made a publicly available database of top-cited scientists ready to offer standardized information on citations, h-index, co-authorship adjusted hm-index, citations to papers in different authorship positions and a composite indicator (c-score). Scientists are classified into 22 scientific fields and 174 sub-fields according to the standard Science-Metrix classification. More about BRE Academic Staff:https://www.polyu.edu.hk/bre/people/academic-staff/ More about#BREBSc (Hons) Scheme in Building and Real Estate Programme:https://polyu.hk/EzRGo More about#BRETaught Postgraduate Programmes:https://polyu.hk/rPAOS

Congratulations to Dr Jin Xue, BRE PhD Graduate and Postdoctoral Fellow, on his new academic journey at the University of Sydney

Dr Jin Xue, BRE PhD graduate and Postdoctoral Fellow, has accepted a position as a lecturer in the School of Project Management at the prestigious University of Sydney, Australia. Dr Xue successfully completed his PhD degree under the guidance of Prof. Geoffrey Shen in 2021 and subsequently engaged in two years of postdoctoral research within Prof. Shen's team. Demonstrating exceptional performance throughout a rigorous selection process, Dr Xue emerged as an outstanding candidate among global competitors, securing a highly esteemed long-term continuing position at this world-renowned institution. Dr Xue expressed his sincere gratitude to his supervisor, Prof. Geoffrey Shen, and the entire BRE team for their support in providing him with an exceptional platform for personal and academic growth over the past six years, which has nurtured his self-confidence and fostered a solid track record in academia. Dr. Xue will continue to strive for the best in his new role on the global academic stage.   Dr Xue undertakes pioneering project studies on stakeholder management in the dynamic and complex environment of megaprojects with data-driven methods. He has a list of publications in the leading journals in construction project management and is also a key member of the distinguished Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) Best Research Team of the Year Award (2022).   We wish Dr Xue every success in his new endeavours!   More about #BRE BSc (Hons) Scheme in Building and Real Estate Programme: https://polyu.hk/EzRGo More about #BRE Taught Postgraduate Programmes: https://polyu.hk/rPAOS

Congratulations to Dr WENG Yiwei’s Team on Successful Application for Teaching Development Grants

With the grants totaling HK$584,000-, our Assistant Professor, Dr Weng Yiwei’s winning project entitled ‘Integrating Artificial Intelligence with BIM to facilitate Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) Education’ has kicked off. It brings our students a new level of interactive learning experiences in the construction practices. Dr Weng highlights, “The digital transformation of the construction sector in Hong Kong is pressingly needed. Building Information Modelling (BIM) is considered one of the most important platforms to facilitate digital transformation. Traditional methods to equip students with BIM knowledge are limited by low efficiency and a steep learning curve, due to the compatibility and the complexity of the BIM platform. Recognizing these facts, this project proposes to develop a platform by combining Artifice Intelligence (AI) with BIM to promote interactive teaching and learning activities.” Apart from Dr Weng, the team members include the colleagues, Mr Kong Wai Kei (BRE), Dr Liu Xintao (LSGI), Dr Seo JoonOh (BRE), Dr Wei His-Hsien (BRE) and Dr Chi Hung-Lin (BRE). We wish Dr Weng and his teammates every success with the project! More about Dr Weng: https://www.polyu.edu.hk/.../academic-staff/dr-weng-yiwei/ More about #BRE BSc (Hons) Scheme in Building and Real Estate Programme: https://polyu.hk/EzRGo More about #BRE Taught Postgraduate Programmes: https://polyu.hk/rPAOS

Hearty Congratulations to Prof. Ni Meng on His Success in RGC Senior Research Fellow Scheme in 2023/24

After a rigorous selection, Prof. Ni Meng, Associate Dean of the Faculty of Construction and Environment (FCE) and Professor of the Department of Building and Real Estate (BRE), was awarded the fellowship together with funding in the Senior Research Fellow Scheme (SRFS) 2023/24 of the Research Grants Council (RGC). The achievement is a richly deserved recognition of Prof. Ni’s making remarkable strides to advance clean energy generation.  With a strong team, Prof. Ni is committed to researching fuel cells, hydrogen energy, rechargeable metal-air batteries, electrochemical water-splitting, and electrochemical systems for low grade waste heat utilization.  Also, Prof. Ni serves as an active reviewer for over 80 academic journals including Science, Nature Energy, Nature Communications, Joule, Advanced Materials etc.  He served as Associate Editor for Science Bulletin in 2015-2017.  Currently, he is a Co-Editor-in-Chief for Energy Reviews (Elsevier), a Senior Editor for Sustainable Energy Technologies and Assessments (Elsevier) and e-Prime (Elsevier) and an Associate Editor for International Journal of Green Energy (Taylor & Francis) and Canadian Journal of Chemical Engineering (Wiley). Hearty Congratulations to Prof. Ni Meng! More about Prof. Ni:https://www.polyu.edu.hk/bre/people/academic-staff/prof-meng-ni/ More about #BRE BSc (Hons) Scheme in Building and Real Estate Programme:https://polyu.hk/EzRGo  More about #BRE Taught Postgraduate Programmes:https://polyu.hk/rPAOS

BRE MiC Team Awarded in The 9th Hong Kong University Student Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition

Our PhD students, WANG Dong and LIU Rongsheng were awarded the 2nd prize in the 9th Hong Kong University Student Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition for their creativity and endeavours in research. The winning project, ‘GIS and Metamodeling for Best MiC Logistics and Crane Layout’, aimed to use several techniques (i.e., AI, metamodeling, simulations, GIS) to realize 1) automated logistic planning and 2) the best crane layout design for Modular Integrated Construction (MiC). According to the validation via several real MiC projects, the team’s solutions could reduce logistics duration by 28%, cost by 50%, and carbon emissions by 28%. Regarding the crane layout performances, the 81% reduction in crane collision possibility, 38% improvement in crane operation duration, and 26% decrease in module installation degrees were achieved. The Team shared, “It was an interesting, memorable, and meaningful journey to join the 9th Hong Kong University Student Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition. Under the supervision of Prof. Tarek Zayed and Dr Mohamed Hussein, we received positive comments and suggestions from the experts and judges, which motivates us to further enhance our research and techniques in the future. It is also a great opportunity to transfer our research into practice, contributing to construction safety and productivity in Hong Kong and all over the world.” Also, the Team was grateful to forward to the “Internet Plus” and “Challenge Cup” National Entrepreneurship Competitions. Well done to the Team! *Dr Wang Dong is currently our postdoctoral fellow, continuing to pursue his research ambitions. More about #BRE BSc (Hons) Scheme in Building and Real Estate Programme: https://polyu.hk/EzRGo More about #BRE Taught Postgraduate Programmes: https://polyu.hk/rPAOS #polyu #mic #innovation #Entrepreneurship #hku #competition #gis #metamodeling #crane

BRE PhD Student Awarded Best Presentation Award in ICSCER 2023

Let’s have a round of applause for Mr Ali Fares.  Ali, our PhD student, received the Best Presentation Award in the 7th International Conference on Structure and Civil Engineering (ICSCER) 2023 in Madrid, Spain from 24 to 26 May 2023. Titled ‘Using Machine Learning for Road Performance Modelling and Investigation of Influential Factors’, Ali’s winning paper focuses on the utilization of machine learning algorithms to develop deterioration models for asphalt pavement. These models were employed to assess the significance of multiple structural, environmental, and operational factors on the performance of asphalt pavement over time. This research is part of Ali's PhD study under the supervision of Prof. Tarek Zayed.  Ali expressed his appreciation to his supervisor and the university for supporting his research and facilitating the participation in international conferences. More about #BRE BSc (Hons) Scheme in Building and Real Estate Programme: https://polyu.hk/EzRGo More about #BRE Taught Postgraduate Programmes: https://polyu.hk/rPAOS

PolyU and University of Shenzhen Winning Bronze Medal in TERA-Award Smart Energy Innovation Competition

PolyU and University of Shenzhen Winning Bronze Medal in TERA-Award Smart Energy Innovation Competition Congratulations to the research team of PolyU and University of Shenzhen on winning the bronze medal in the 2nd TERA-Award Smart Energy Innovation Competition jointly organized by#Towngas and State Power Investment Company Limited! The competition aims to find outstanding innovative technologies and solutions in the field of smart energy for the future, attracting 275 entries from 41 countries and regions. Under the leadership of Professor Meng NI and Dr Bin CHEN (PhD graduate of BRE), the PolyU research team has developed a "The next generation of high-efficiency hydrogen production technology” project, which uses a low-energy solid oxide hydrogen production electrolysis cell and system based on a new generation of proton conductor. Through innovative techniques such as exclusive large-size battery symmetrical sintering preparation process and negative expansion optimized electrodes, the team has achieved high-efficiency and stable hydrogen production at 500 degrees Celsius, with a conversion efficiency of more than 80% and a hydrogen production energy consumption of only 3.5 kWh/m3, successfully overcoming the technical difficulties and market pain points of high energy consumption and cost in alkaline electrolysis water and PEM electrolysis water hydrogen production. The project aims to make hydrogen energy a truly affordable carbon-free energy source for all industries. Once again, congratulations to the PolyU research team for their outstanding achievements in smart energy innovation, and we look forward to their continued contributions to the development of green economy in the future! Prof. Meng NI, Associate Dean (Faculty of Construction and Environment) & Professor, PolyU (https://www.polyu.edu.hk/.../academic-staff/prof-meng-ni/) Dr Bin CHEN, Founder, HydroPro (PolyU academic-led startup) More about#BRE:https://polyu.hk/PDFsx More about BRE Scheme Programme:https://polyu.hk/opMsq More about Taught Postgraduate Programmes:https://polyu.hk/rPAOS

Recognition of Excellent Research Performance of BRE PhD Students and Research Staff

Many congratulations to the recipients of ‘BRE Outstanding Dissertation Award 2021/22’ and ‘BRE Outstanding Young Researcher Award 2021/22’! Here are the awardee lists: BRE Outstanding Dissertation Award 2021/22 o 1st Award: EKANAYAKE MUDIYANSELAGE Anushika C.E. o 2nd Award: LI Fangxin o 3rd Award: ABDELKHALEK Sherif Ibrahim Farag Mohamed BRE Outstanding Young Researcher Award 2021/22 o 1st Award: Dr HASSAN M. HUSSEIN FARH o 2nd Award: Dr YU Jie Launched in 2022, both Awards are richly deserved tributes to the awarded students and research personnel, recognizing their hard work, commitment and dedication in pursuing research excellence. Working through a series of comprehensive assessments, they are honoured to succeed in the selection. The Selection Committee was composed of the Chairman and members of BRE Departmental Research Committee as well as a professional from the industry. Graced by Prof. Michael Yam, Head of BRE with his presence, Prof. Tarek Zayed, Associate Head (Research) of BRE chaired the virtual presentation ceremony with a view to expressing our incredible appreciation to the awardees on 23 March 2023. This special occasion was full of the awardees’ dazzling smiles, our rapturous applause and hearty congratulations, adding an important chapter on their research journey. More about#BRE:https://polyu.hk/PDFsx More about BRE Scheme Programme:https://polyu.hk/opMsq More about Taught Postgraduate Programmes:https://polyu.hk/rPAOS

BRE Academic Staff Winning HKIPM Project Management Achievement Awards (2021) under Research Category

BRE Academic Staff Winning HKIPM Project Management Achievement Awards (2021) under Research Category   In the Project Management Achievement Awards (2021) organized by the Hong Kong Institute of Project Management (HKIPM), Dr Daniel W.M. Chan, Associate Professor and Associate Head (Teaching) of the Department of Building and Real Estate (BRE), together with his PhD graduate student (Dr Timothy Olawumi), was the winning team from PolyU under the Research category. Dr Daniel Chan received an award certificate from the Chairman of the Judging Panel at the HKIPM Annual Dinner 2022 held on Tuesday, 13 December 2022 at the Royal Plaza Hotel, Mongkok, Kowloon, Hong Kong.   Project Title:Development of a BIM-Enabled and Cloud-Based Sustainability Assessment System for Buildings in Sub-Saharan Africa: The Case of Nigeria Principal Investigator: Dr Timothy Olawumi Co-Principal Investigator: Dr Daniel Chan   The HKIPM Project Management Achievement Awards (HKIPM Awards) is held each year in Hong Kong, and the awards are aimed to provide an opportunity for organizations and project managers in different disciplines showing their project success amongst their counterparts.The HKIPM Awards (Category: Research) are based on the quality of application submission and the practical outcomes of research projects conducted by academics in Hong Kong, the contents of which should be focused on the pertinent aspects of project management.  

Dr Kelvin Heung’s Team ‘Fleming Medlab’ Scooping Awards in Hong Kong Techathon 2023 and Inno Impact Award 2022​

 and Inno Impact Award 2022 We are rooting hard for Dr Kelvin Heung’s team ‘Fleming Medlab’! Dr Kelvin Heung, Research Assistant Professor of BRE and Co-founder/CTO of Fleming Medlab, and his team member, Mr Edwin Ty, Co-founder/CEO of Fleming Medlab, scooped the ‘Championship of Healthcare & GeronTech’ in Hong Kong Techathon 2023 and the ‘Elderly Health Care Award’ in Inno ImpactAward 2022. With neuroscientific principles and soft robotics, Dr Heung’s team focused on the development of innovative wearable exoskeleton characterized as lightweight, portable, medical-grade and safe for enhancing stroke patients’ neural pathways and mobility. The product will give patients a new level of well-being and confidence. Dr Heung shares, “We have already obtained patent protection and are currently preparing for human trials. We expect to launch the product to market in this year and benefit more people.” Scooping awards is never easy. Despite fierce competitions, the team’s acts of persistence, innovation and efforts deserve the wonderful achievements in Hong Kong Techathon 2023 and Inno Impact Award 2022. The success marked an important milestone of realizing their belief of making positive impacts on society.   Jointly organised by the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation and nine universities, a week-long hackathon event ‘Hong Kong Techathon 2023’ aimed at gathering participants to bring in new and possible business solutions. This year’s keen competition came with over 180 projects by more than 900 participants.   Organized by the Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups, ‘Inno Impact Award 2022’ aimed to publicise innovation and entrepreneurship as well as encourage youth to suggest solutions for creating social impacts in Hong Kong. Amid roaring applause, the awardees received the honour and hearty congratulations in the award presentation ceremony on 28 February 2023. More about Dr Kelvin Heung:https://www.polyu.edu.hk/.../acade.../dr-heung-holam-kelvin/ More about Fleming Medlab:https://flemingmedlab.com/ More about#BRE:https://polyu.hk/PDFsx More about BRE Scheme Programme:https://polyu.hk/opMsq More about BRE Taught Postgraduate Programmes:https://polyu.hk/rPAOS