News

Renowned expert in organic semiconducting polymers from Princeton University delivers PAIR lecture

Prof. Iain McCULLOCH from Princeton University, United States, delivered the 34th PAIR Distinguished Lecture titled “Designing Organic Semiconductors to Optimise Charge Transport” on 14 January 2025 on PolyU campus. The lecture attracted over 100 participants to join in person and captivated an online audience of over 12,700 from different countries and regions who watched the live broadcast on multiple social media platforms, including Bilibili, WeChat, Weibo and YouTube. The lecture commenced with a warm welcome and introduction of the speaker by Prof. CHEN Qingyan, Director of PAIR. Prof. McCulloch kickstarted his presentation by giving a brief overview of the current molecular designs of organic semiconductor polymers for charge transport. He explained how they enable organic thin film transistors to achieve high charge carrier mobility and their applications in flexible screens and other electronic devices. He then elaborated on the molecular characteristics of the indacenodithiophene-co-benzothiadiazole copolymer, a semiconductor polymer that exhibits high carrier mobility and is commonly used in organic transistors. Prof. McCulloch also emphasised the importance of “conformational coplanarity” and “side chain assisted self-assembly”. These features help enhance one-dimensional transport along the “conjugated polymer backbone” and form sterically free “crossing points”, allowing charges to hop between chains. He further highlighted that current research has shown that the molecular conformation and film microstructure are influenced by the design and processing conditions of organic semiconductor polymers, and these significant findings can help achieve optimal charge transport properties. Following the presentation was a question-and-answer session moderated by Prof. YAN Feng, Associate Director of the Research Institute for Intelligent Wearable Systems (RI-IWEAR) and Chair Professor of Organic Electronics in the Department of Applied Physics. The audience engaged in a productive discussion with Prof. McCulloch. Please click here for an online review.

Prof. XIA Yong awarded ASCE Greater China Distinguished Leadership Medal 2025

Congratulations to Prof. XIA Yong, Member of Research Institute for Sustainable Urban Development (RISUD), Research Centre for Deep Space Explorations (RCDSE), and Professor of Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, on receiving the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Greater China Distinguished Leadership Medal at the 3rd ASCE Greater China Conference held at Guangxi University from 10 to 12 January 2025. This award recognises Prof. Xia’s exceptional innovative contributions and outstanding leadership in advancing the ASCE Greater China Section and the civil engineering profession in the region. The selection process for this award involved a comprehensive evaluation of criteria such as professional contributions, academic influence and international engagement. The ASCE Greater China Section serves as a vital platform for fostering the growth of civil engineering in Greater China. It facilitates knowledge exchange, networking opportunities and professional development among its members, uniting engineers across diverse disciplines within civil engineering, including structural, geotechnical, construction, environmental, materials and water resources.

PolyU extends partnership with PATA for Asia Pacific Visitor Forecasts

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) has extended its partnership with the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA) for another three years (2024–2027) to continue the publication of the Asia Pacific Visitor Forecasts reports. The agreement was signed by Prof. Christopher CHAO, Vice President (Research and Innovation), and Mr Noor Ahmad HAMID, Chief Executive Officer of PATA.   Prof. SONG Haiyan, Director of the Research Centre for Digital Transformation of Tourism (RCDTT), Mr and Mrs Chan Chak Fu Professor in International Tourism, and Associate Dean and Chair Professor of the School of Hotel and Tourism Management visited the PATA Headquarter on 10 January 2025 to discuss this important collaborative project with Mr Noor Ahmad HAMID.  The two parties agreed to collaborate on the project titled “Further Development of the Tourism Demand Forecasting for Asia Pacific Region (Phase 4)”. The project aims to leverage advanced statistical forecasting techniques, scenario analyses, artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms and stakeholder insights to produce comprehensive Asia Pacific Visitor Forecasts reports. These reports cover inbound visitors, tourism receipts and departures, providing tourism professionals, businesses and destinations with crucial insights for policymaking, strategic planning and operational management, thus enabling them to navigate evolving demand patterns and make informed decisions in the face of current and future global challenges. Online coverage: Travel Daily News - https://polyu.me/4gUcVip LeMonde - https://polyu.me/4jdiNEN Travel and Tour World - https://polyu.me/40l4C82 TTR Weekly - https://polyu.me/4hgWmwH  

Fourteen research projects led by PAIR members awarded RGC funding

The Research Grants Council (RGC) announced the results of its 2024/25 funding schemes, and a total of 18 PolyU projects have received approximately HK$91.76 million funding in total from the Collaborative Research Fund (CRF) and Research Impact Fund (RIF), the highest amount among the UGC-funded universities. Among them, 14 are led by PAIR members: Project Title Project Coordinator Affiliation with PAIR Constituent Research Unit Collaborative Research Project Grant Unraveling the Mechanisms of Targeted Therapy Resistance as a Novel Therapeutic Strategy for Hepatocellular Carcinoma Prof. LEE Kin-wah Terence Associate Head and Professor of Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology (in collaboration with HKU) Member of Research Institute for Future Food (RiFood) and Research Centre for Chinese Medicine Innovation (RCMI) Seeing like Dragonflies: Optical-fiber-based Artificial Compound Eyes for 3D Vision Prof. ZHANG Xuming Associate Head and Professor of Department of Applied Physics (in collaboration with HKU) Associate Director of Research Institute for Quantum Technology (RIQT), Management Committee Member of Photonics Research Institute (PRI), Member of Research Institute for Advanced Manufacturing (RIAM) and Research Centre for Resources Engineering towards Carbon Neutrality (RCRE) Next-generation AI-XR Empowered Surgical Planning and Intraoperative Guidance System via Effective Fusion of Empirical Knowledge, Human Interaction, and Machine Inference Prof. QIN Jing Harry Professor of School of Nursing (in collaboration with CUHK and HKU) Member of Photonics Research Institute (PRI) and Mental Health Research Centre (MHRC) Optimising Spinal Curvature Corrective Outcomes in Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis: An Investigation into Spinal Flexibility, Biomechanical Behavior and Predictive Modeling Prof. YIP Yiu-wan Joanne Associate Dean (Industrial Partnership) and Professor of School of Fashion and Textiles (in collaboration with CUHK and HKU) Management Committee Member of Research Institute for Future Food (RiFood), Member of Photonics Research Institute (PRI), Research Institute for Sports Science and Technology (RISports) and Research Centre of Textiles for Future Fashion (RCTFF) Ultrahigh-resolution Optical Vector Analysis for Broadband Photonic Devices Prof. YU Changyuan Professor of Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering (in collaboration with CityU and CUHK) Management Committee Member of Photonics Research Institute (PRI), Member of Research Institute for Intelligent Wearable Systems (RI-IWEAR), Research Institute for Sports Science and Technology (RISports), Research Institute for Sustainable Urban Development (RISUD) and Research Centre for Deep Space Explorations (RCDSE) Advancing Compound Hazard Resilience and Adaptation for Urban Building Community in a Changing Climate Prof. DONG You Associate Professor of Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (in collaboration with CityU, HKUST and HKU) Member of Research Institute for Land and Space (RILS), Otto Poon Charitable Foundation Research Institute for Smart Energy (RISE), Research Institute for Sustainable Urban Development (RISUD), Research Centre for Resources Engineering towards Carbon Neutrality (RCRE) and Research Centre for Digital Transformation of Tourism (RCDTT) Collaborative Research Equipment Grant A Multifunctional Time-space-energy-helicity Resolved Transient Absorption Microscopy Imaging System for Advanced Materials and Devices Research Dr LI Mingjie Assistant Professor of Department of Applied Physics (in collaboration with CityU, CUHK, HKUST, HKU) Member of Photonics Research Institute (PRI) State-of-the-art Dynamic Nuclear Polarisation Enhanced Solid-State NMR Spectroscopy Prof. YUNG Ka Fu Associate Dean of Faculty of Science, and Professor of Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology (in collaboration with CityU, HKBU, CUHK, HKUST, HKU and EdUHK) Member of Otto Poon Charitable Foundation Research Institute for Smart Energy (RISE) and Research Centre for SHARP Vision (RCSV) Development of a Colorimetric and Photometric Characterisation Platform for Binocular VR/AR Headsets Prof. WEI Minchen Tommy Professor of Department of Building Environment and Energy Engineering (in collaboration with CityU and HKUST) Management Committee Member of Photonics Research Institute (PRI), Member of Otto Poon Charitable Foundation Smart Cities Research Institute (SCRI), Research Institute for Sustainable Urban Development (RISUD), Research Centre for Digital Transformation of Tourism (RCDTT) and Research Centre for SHARP Vision (RCSV) Young Collaborative Research Grant Design of Ultrastrong, Ductile, and Thermally Stable Nanocrystalline Dual-phase Alloys via Coherent Nano-honeycomb Architectures Dr JIAO Zengbao Associate Professor of Department of Mechanical Engineering (in collaboration with CityU and HKUST) Member of Research Institute for Advanced Manufacturing (RIAM) AI-empowered Wind Field Simulation for Sustainable Urban Microclimate Design Dr YOU Ruoyu Assistant Professor of Department of Building Environment and Energy Engineering (in collaboration with HKU) Member of Otto Poon Charitable Foundation Smart Cities Research Institute (SCRI) and Research Institute for Sustainable Urban Development (RISUD) Research Impact Fund WASTESto WINGS– Constructing aHigh-throughputSustainableAviationFuelResearchPlatform toFacilitateZeroCarbonAirTravel in Hong Kong Dr Shao-Yuan LEU Associate Professor of Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Management Committee Member of Research Centre for Resources Engineering towards Carbon Neutrality (RCRE), Member of Research Institute for Future Food (RiFood), Otto Poon Charitable Foundation Research Institute for Smart Energy (RISE) and Research Institute for Sustainable Urban Development (RISUD) Development ofModularIntegrated 3D-printedConcreteConstruction (MI3DC) Prof. POON Chi-sun Michael Anson Professor in Civil Engineering, Chair Professor and Head of Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering Director of Research Centre for Resources Engineering towards Carbon Neutrality (RCRE), Member of Research Institute for Land and Space (RILS) and Research Institute for Sustainable Urban Development (RISUD) CreatingDelightfulExperience in Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality Headset throughOptimal OpticalDesign Prof. WEI Minchen Tommy Professor ofDepartment of Building Environment and Energy Engineering   Management Committee Member of Photonics Research Institute (PRI), Member of Otto Poon Charitable Foundation Smart Cities Research Institute (SCRI), Research Institute for Sustainable Urban Development (RISUD), Research Centre for Digital Transformation of Tourism (RCDTT) and Research Centre for SHARP Vision (RCSV) Press release: https://www.polyu.edu.hk/en/media/media-releases/2025/0109_18-polyu-research-projects-awarded-rgc-collaborative-research-fund-and-research-impact-fund/   Online coverage: Sing Tao Daily - https://polyu.me/4ae85K3 (subscription required) Ta Kung Pao - https://polyu.me/4gORlvs Wen Wei Po - https://polyu.me/425YOBM  

PolyU-invented Mobile Ankle-foot Exoneuromusculoskeleton wins CES 2025 Innovation Award in US

The Mobile Ankle-foot Exoneuromusculoskeleton developed by Prof. HU Xiaoling, Associate Professor of the Department of Biomedical Engineering and Co-founder of PolyU startup Thecon Technology (HK) Limited, and her research team, received the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2025 Innovation Award in the Accessibility and AgeTech category at the CES 2025 held in Las Vegas, United States.  Prof. Hu is a Member of the Research Institute for Smart Ageing (RISA) and the Research Institute for Sports Science and Technology (RISports). The award-winning innovation is a multimodal robot rehabilitation designed for ankle-foot rehabilitation, specifically aimed at improving the motor function and walking ability of stroke patients.  Organised by the Consumer Technology Association, CES is the world’s largest and most influential consumer electronics technology exhibition. This year’s event features over 4,500 global exhibitors, showcasing innovations demonstrating the integration of cutting-edge electronic technology with modern living. Press release: https://polyu.me/4gFquC5 Online coverage: KTSF26 - https://polyu.me/3WaypyT The Sun Daily - https://polyu.me/3C3ukGa Sina HK - https://polyu.me/40uDlRR Hong Kong Economic Times - https://polyu.me/3E4pfxG Wen Wei Po - https://polyu.me/40cAQSN Hong Kong Commercial Daily - https://polyu.me/403wlda HK01 - https://polyu.me/4jbzgcI Dot Dot News - https://polyu.me/4fNvaVn Hong Kong China News Agency - https://polyu.me/4hc8f7k Forbes - https://polyu.me/3WgK2V6

First International Conference on Digital Intelligence for Energy Systems successfully held

The First International Conference on Digital Intelligence for Energy Systems, co-organised by The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) and Zhejiang University, was successfully held from 5 to 8 January 2025 on PolyU campus. The opening ceremony was graced by distinguished guests including Ir Dr Otto POON Lok-to, BBS, OBE, and Ir Raymond POON Kwok-ying, JP, Director of Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSD). The Conference attracted over 200 experts from academia, industry and government across various countries. Participants shared valuable insights and innovative ideas on various topics related to smart energy, such as artificial intelligence of things (AIoT) in energy system planning, building-grid interaction, carbon neutrality transformation, energy storage, renewable energy, power transmission, smart grid and microgrid operation, energy sustainability, and energy policies. Further reading: https://www.polyu.edu.hk/rise/news-and-events/news/2025/icdies2025/?sc_lang=en

Inaugural issue of Innovation Digest is now available

We are pleased to share that PolyU has launched its brand new research newsletter Innovation Digest! The inaugural issue showcases the ground-breaking research work undertaken by PolyU’s academics in the field of artificial intelligence (AI), and highlights eight cutting-edge research studies, including projects led by PAIR researchers. These studies exhibit the breadth and depth of AI research at our university, reflecting our dedication to addressing real-world challenges through technological advancement. Six Research Highlight articles featuring studies by PAIR researchers: Collaborative Edge Computing Enabled AIoT by Prof. CAO Jiannong https://polyu.hk/IbIXJ Bioinspired In-sensor Computing Architectures and Optimisation in Sensory AI Systems by Prof. CHAI Yang https://polyu.hk/TgpPO AI-Driven Topographic Analysis of Asteroids to Support Future Asteroid Exploration and Sampling Missions by Prof. WU Bo https://polyu.hk/mgIkD Smart Adaptation: The Fusion of AI and Robotics for Dynamic Environments by Prof. ZHANG Dan https://polyu.hk/odVdn Machine Learning Accelerates the Synthesis of Novel Catalyst for Green Energy by Prof. NI Meng https://polyu.hk/apQEc Integrating Machine Learning with Total Network Controllability Analysis to Identify Therapeutic Targets for Cancer Treatment by Prof. ZHANG Weixiong https://polyu.hk/qCulR Check out full e-version: https://www.polyu.edu.hk/publications/innovationdigest/

PolyU holds New Year’s Day flag-raising ceremony and University Gallery opening ceremony

PolyU held a flag-raising ceremony and the opening ceremony of the University Gallery on 1 January 2025 on campus. Both ceremonies were graced by Council Chairman Dr LAM Tai-fai, President Prof. TENG Jin-Guang and other management members. Through engaging profiles and exhibits, the University Gallery illustrates the University’s evolution and rich history in the past eight decades. It highlights the University’s endeavours over the years in offering quality education and nurturing future leaders to meet the needs of social and economic development, while also sharing stories of distinguished PolyU researchers including scholars at PAIR who are devoted to translating their research outcomes into innovative solutions to address global challenges, thereby benefiting Hong Kong, the Nation and the world. Come visit now to discover the stories of PAIR researchers and receive an exquisite souvenir while stock lasts! Play the University Gallery video via Facebook. Press release: https://polyu.me/4fEVDo0 Online coverage: Ming Pao Daily News - https://polyu.me/3W0RlQE Ta Kung Pao - https://polyu.me/49XQpT5 Wen Wei Po - https://polyu.me/3PkdBkK Hong Kong Commercial Daily - https://polyu.me/49YS76E Dot Dot News - https://polyu.me/4fBmhhz Hong Kong China News Agency - https://polyu.me/3DEDmK2  

Prof. BU Siqi develops real-time assessment method for addressing multiple stability problems in power systems

Prof. BU Siqi, Member of the Otto Poon Charitable Foundation Research Institute for Smart Energy (RISE), Associate Professor and Associate Head of the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, and his colleagues recently published a research paper titled “Real-time Multi-stability Risk Assessment and Visualization of Power Systems: A Graph Neural Network-based Method” in IEEE Transactions on Power Systems. The paper proposed a real-time Multi-stability Risk Assessment (MSRA) method based on a graph neural network (GNN) for addressing multiple stability problems in renewable energy-integrated power systems effectively, including rotor angle (small-disturbance and transient), voltage (short-term and long-term), frequency and converter-driven stability. The team employed a GraphNorm method to tackle the over-smoothing problems and improve the generalisability of GNN. The method proposed by the team can simultaneously and continuously predict the risks of the multiple types of stability based on real-time data, and visualise the stable and unstable operation regions (SURs) based on alpha shapes. The effectiveness of the proposed method was verified in the IEEE 39-bus system, the 179-bus western electricity coordinating council (WECC) system, and the Great Britain (GB) system. Read the full paper: https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10819251/metrics#metrics

RIAIoT member Dr ZHANG Shuowen recognised as “N²Women Rising Star”

Congratulations to Dr ZHANG Shuowen, Member of the Research Institute for Artificial Intelligence of Things (RIAIoT), for being recognised by N2Women (Networking Networking Women) as one of the ten “N²Women 2024 Rising Stars in Computer Networking and Communications”, for her outstanding contributions to solving challenging beamforming and resource allocation optimisation problems in various wireless communication systems. N2Women is a discipline-specific community of researchers in the fields of networking and communications. It encourages diversity and aims at fostering connections among under-represented women in the computing sub-field. Its annual list of rising stars recognises women who have outstanding research outcomes and/or service contributions in the field. Full list: https://n2women.comsoc.org/awards/rising-stars/2024-rising-stars-in-computer-networking-and-communications/