The Endowed Professorship Scheme of PolyU was launched in 2012 to honour distinguished scholars for their outstanding academic and research achievements. The Scheme provides funding and support to the appointed Professors in their respective research areas, helping them to strive to the next level of academic excellence.

Meet four renowned Professors of PolyU, who are highly recognised in their designated academic disciplines and have made significant achievements in research and innovation. They are Professor Chen Guohua, Professor John Shi and Professor Hector Tsang.

Professor Chen Guohua - Otto Poon Charitable Foundation Professor

in Smart and Sustainable Energy

An adequate energy supply has been one of the world’s most pressing issues due to limited fossil resources and scientists are looking at sustainable energy as a part of the solution to this problem. Over the years, Professor Chen Guohua, Chair Professor of Energy Conversion and Storage at the Department of Mechanical Engineering, has placed his research focus on electrochemical technologies for energy and environment applications, in order to develop more innovative and advanced materials for smart and sustainable energy applications. Prof Chan is committed to making Hong Kong a recognisable Research and Development Centre for energy conversion and storage. “Together, we can make the world a greener place,” says Prof Chan.

Watch the video to hear his views on addressing today’s energy demands by deploying sustainable energy.

Professor John Shi - Otto Poon Charitable Foundation Professor

in Urban Informatics

Professor John Shi is the Chair Professor in Geographical Information Science (GISci) and Remote Sensing, Head of the Department of Land Surveying and Geo-Informatics, and Director of the Laboratory for Smart City and Spatial Big Data Analytics. With deep interests in GISci, remote sensing, and urban informatics, Prof Shi has been dedicating his efforts to analytics and quality control for spatial big data, integrated indoor mapping technology, 3D and dynamic GISci modelling, and smart cities applications. Prof Shi believes that the Endowed Professorship will enable him and his team to develop more transformative research in urban informatics, helping them to further advance smart cities applications in Hong Kong and the Greater Bay Area.

To understand Prof Shi’s views on the future development of smart cities, please view the video.

Professor Hector Tsang - Cally Kwong Mei Wan Professor

in Psychosocial Health

As Head of the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, as well as a veteran Occupational Therapist, Professor Hector Tsang’s research interests focus on neuropsychiatric and vocational rehabilitation of people with mental illness, East meets West approaches in rehabilitation, and stress management with CAM (complementary and alternative medicine) methods. Going forward, he will further his study of mind-body exercises, and promote the development of assistive technologies to help people live a healthier life.

Watch this video to understand Prof Tsang’s holistic approach in making patients’ life easier.