Research Assistant Professor

Dr. Ahmad Muhammad Riaz

Dr Ahmad obtained his Ph.D. from Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU), Shanghai, China in 2021. He completed his master’s and bachelor’s degrees from the University of Engineering and Technology, Lahore Pakistan, in 2017 and 2013, respectively. From 2013 to 2017, Dr Ahmad served as a lecturer at MNS University of Engineering and Technology, Multan Pakistan. He joined PolyU as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in 2021 and worked in this capacity until 2023. During this period, he also served as a Visiting Research Fellow at the University of Tokyo in 2022-2023. Dr Ahmad research interests are primarily focused on the development of geopolymer and cement binders-based artificial aggregates, bio-composites supplementary cementitious materials, and waste utilization. 

Dr. Yazan ALREFAEI

Dr. Yazan obtained hi PhD in Civil Engineering at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) in 2021. He graduated with M.S. Degree (2016) and B.S. Degree (2013) from Kuwait University. Prior to joining PolyU as a Research Assistant Professor, he worked as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at PolyU. Further, he worked as Research Assistant and Teaching Assistant in Kuwait University prior to joining PolyU. His research interests primarily revolve around chemically-activated binders, such as one-part alkali-activated materials and silico-aluminophosphate geopolymers. His target is to functionalize such binders in practical engineering applications. In addition, the utilization of recycled materials in construction is my target to promote sustainability and greener construction.

Dr. Hongyuan GUO

Dr Guo Hongyuan obtained his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Tongji University in 2015 and dual Ph.D. degrees from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University in 2021 and Tongji University in 2022. Prior to joining PolyU as a Research Assistant Professor, Dr Guo worked as a Postdoctoral Fellow at PolyU from 2022 to 2023. Dr Guo’s current research interests include the durability and time-dependent behavior behavior of engineering structures, experimental and numerical assessments of structural performance, AI-driven uncertainty estimation, and the development and application of Bayesian theories and algorithms in the field of engineering structures.

Post Doctoral Fellow

Dr. Peng ZHANG

Dr. Peng Zhang joined Prof. Dai’s group from September 2021 as a Research Associate. Later, he was appointed as a Postdoctoral Fellow from December 2021.Dr. Zhang obtained his Ph.D. in Solid Mechanics from Dalian University of Technology, China, in December 2020. His PhD research focuses on developing accurate phase field models for progressive failure in composites at different length scales.

Dr. IWAMA Keitai

Dr. Iwama Keitai joined Prof. Dai’s group from May 2022 as a postdoctoral fellow. Dr. Iwama obtained his PhD in Civil Engineering from Yokohama National University of Japan, in September 2020. He worked as a postdoctoral fellow at Yokohama National University for 1.5 years. His previous research focused on multi-scale structural concrete modelling at high temperatures. He has now developed the multi-scale platform for evaluating the long-term chemical and mechanical behavior of SCC-FRP structures.

Dr. LAN Jirong

Dr. Lan Jirong obtained his Doctor of engineering in resource and environment from Wuhan University, China in Dec 2022 (Outstanding graduate of the year). He joined Prof Dai’s group in Feb 2023 as Post-doctoral fellow. His PhD research work is based on biochemical and mechanochemical methods, low energy consumption, modification and preparation of tailings and biomass into high value-added environmental functional materials.

Dr. PENG Rongxin

Dr. Rongxin Peng joined Prof. Dai’s group from September 2023 as a Post-doctoral fellow. Dr. Peng obtained his Ph.D. in Bridge Engineering from Dalian University of Technology, China, in June 2023. His PhD research focuses on calculation method for performance degradation of cross-sea RC bridges in cold regions under freeze-thaw cycles.

Dr. ZHU Mingzheng

Dr. ZHU Mingzheng obtained his PhD in Civil Engineering from Shanghai Jiao Tong University, in June 2023. He joined Prof Dai’s group in July 2023 as Post-doctoral fellow. His PhD research work was on the development of multi-functional green engineered cementitious composites for reinforcement engineering.

Dr. JIN Zhipeng

Dr. Zhiepeng JIN joined Prof. Dai’s research group from August 2023 as a Post-doctoral fellow. Dr. Jin obtained his Ph.D. from Northwestern Polytechnical University (NWPU) in June 2023. His research interests include multi-functional coating and 3D Printing Ceramics. Currently, his research will particularly focus on radiative cooling and its practical applications.

Dr. Jia Xiang Liew

Dr. Jia Xiang Liew joined Prof. Dai’s research group from October 2023 as a Postdoctoral Fellow. Dr. Liew obtained his Ph.D. from Imperial College London, United Kingdom, in October 2023. His research interests include structural health monitoring of civil infrastructure, durability and reliability of sensors, machine learning-assisted design of composite materials and machine learning for durability and service-life assessment of civil infrastructure. Currently his research will particularly focus on developing experimental and numerical methods to examine the durability and performance of FRP and cementitious materials.

Dr. YU Xinxian

Dr. Xinxian YU joined Prof. Dai’s group from June 2024 as a Post-doctoral fellow. He obtained his Ph.D. from The Chinese University of Hong Kong in November 2022. His research work is focused on radiative cooling and its practical applications.

Dr. ZHU Ji-Xiang

Dr Ji-Xiang ZHU joined Prof. Dai’s group as a Research Associate from August 2019. He obtained his MSc in Civil Engineering from PolyU in July 2019 and PhD in 2024. His research work focuses on the use of high performance cementitious composites ECC and UHPC as permanent formwork for marine and underground structures.

Dr. YANG Ning

Dr YANG Ning joined Prof. Dai’s group as a Research Assistant from June, 2019. YANG obtained her Master Degree of Science in Corrosion and Protection from the Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Science, China, in September, 2019 and PhD from PolyU in 2024. Her research work focus on intelligent or multi-functional coating for steel/concrete structures.

Dr. ZHOU Chang

Dr. Chang Zhou joined Prof. Dai’s research group from April 2024 as a Post-doctoral fellow. Dr. Zhou obtained his bachelor and doctoral degrees from Southeast University, China in Dec 2023. His research interests focus on impact resistance of bridge and other infrastructures. Currently, he is engaged in recycling of wind turbine blade for highway guardrail to protect vehicle in crash accident.

Dr. YANG Lifu

Dr. Yang joined Prof. Dai’s group as a research associate in April 2024, and then was appointed as a postdoctoral fellow at City University of Hong Kong from July 2024. Dr. Yang obtained his Ph.D. in Hydraulic Structural Engineering from Hohai University, China, in March 2022. Prior to joining Prof. Dai’s group, Dr. Yang worked as a postdoctoral fellow at Hunan University, China, from 2022 to 2024. His current research focuses on multiphysics modeling of chemo-mechanical coupling phenomena in infrastructure materials, including Lattice Discrete Particle Modeling (LDPM) of fracture behavior in concrete, and Hygro-Thermo-Chemical (HTC) Modeling of reactive transport behavior in high performance concrete.

Dr. LIU Xiaoyang

Dr. Xiaoyang LIU joined Prof. Dai’s research group from April 2024 as a Post-Doctoral Hong Kong Scholar. Dr. Liu obtained his Ph.D. from Cardiff University, UK, in April 2020. His research interests include the FRP composites for new construction and strengthening of existing structures, analysis and optimization of composite laminates, time-dependent behavior of structures, AI-driven structural analysis and design.

PhD Student

Mr. Chandra Sekhar DAS

Mr. Chandra Sekhar Das joined Prof. Dai’s research group as Research Assistant in September 2019. He completed his Bachelors from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT Dhanbad) and has started his PhD from September 2020. His research work is focused on  corrosion study of reinforced structures.

Mr. Umar Hayat

Mr. Umar Hayat is a Presidential PhD Fellowship Scheme awardee who joined Prof. Dai’s research group from January 2022 as PhD student. He obtained his bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from University of Engineering and Technology Taxila, Pakistan. He completed his master’s degree in Structural Engineering from Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU), South Korea. His PhD work focuses on mechanical behavior of concrete confined with LRS-FRP.

Mr. Tao WANG

Mr. Tao WANG joined Prof. Dai’s research group as a PhD student in September 2022. He obtained his Bachelor from Sun Yat-sen University with First Honor in 2022. His research work focuses on multi functional coating and artificial intelligence for infrastructure.

Mr. Chufa CHEN

Mr. Chufa Chen joined Prof. Dai’s research group as Research Assistant in February 2024. He received his Master degree and Bachelor degree in Civil Engineering from Shenzhen University, P.R. China. He started his PhD studies from September 2024, and his research work focuses on carbonation of incineration bottom ash based eco-friendly materials

Research Associate/ Assistant

Mr. Jia-Hui LIU

Mr. Jia-Hui LIU joined Prof. Dai’s research group from January 2023 as a Research Assistant. He obtained his Master degree in Civil Engineering from Wuhan University of Technology in 2022. His research work focuses on the study of cement-based materials including traditional cement (OPC) and novel cement (geopolymer), using all-atom molecular dynamics and coarse-grained molecular dynamics. 

Ms. Sun YAN

Ms. Yan Sun joined Prof. Dai’s group in June 2023 as a Research Assistant. Currently, she is a PhD student at Huazhong University of Science and Technology. Her doctoral research centers around the catalytic activation of molecular oxygen by sulfurized metal catalysts to effectively degrade refractory organic pollutants . Specifically, she focuses on investigating interfacial electron transfer processes and optimizing catalyst morphology regulation.

Ms. Ziyang CHEN

Ms. Chen Ziyang graduated from Beijing University of Technology, specialising in software engineering. She is now working as a research assistant for Professor Dai, focusing on crack detection.

Former Group Members

Dr. LIU Yongjie

Research Assistant (2008)

Professor, Sichuan University
(National High-level Talent Special Support Program-Young Talents, 国家级人才计划青年学者)

Dr. GAO Wanyang

PhD Student (2008)

Associate Professor, Shanghai Jiaotong University

Dr. LONG Yulin

Research Associate (2009)

Associate Professor, Guangdong Institute of Technology, China

Dr. WANG Guolin

Research Associate (2009)

Associate Professor, Shanghai Institute of Technology

Dr. BAI Yulei

PhD Student (2009)

Professor, Beijing University of Technology
(National High-Level Talent Special Support Program-Young Talents (万人计划“青年拔尖人才”); Beijing Distinguished Young Scholar, 北京市杰青项目获得者)

Mr. SUN Dianyu

MPhil (2011)

The Architectural Design & Research Institute of Zhejiang University Co., Ltd

Dr. WANG Wenwei

Research Fellow (2011)

Professor, Southeast University, China

Dr. WANG Xiaohui

Research Associate (2011)

Professor, Shanghai Maritime University

Dr. HOU Xiaomeng

Research Associate (2011)

Professor, Harbin Institute of Technology, China

Mr. MUNIR Sarfaraz

PhD Student (2011)

-

Dr. DING Zhu

Research Associate (2012)

Professor, Shenzhen University, China

Dr. SUN Xiaoyan

Research Assistant (2012)

Associate Professor, Zhejiang University, China

Dr. DUAN An

Research Assistant (2012)

Associate Professor, Zhejiang University, China

Dr. NI Jing

Research Assistant (2013)

-

Dr. ZHENG Jianjun

Research Fellow (2013)

Professor, Zhengjiang Institute of Technology, China

Mr. LI Tao

Research Assistant (2013)

-

Dr. DING Yao

PhD Student (2013)

Assistant Professor, Chongqing University (JSPS Fellow, NSFC Distinguished Overseas Young Talent, 海外优青)

Dr. WANG Tiao

Research Assistant (2013)

Research Professor, Tongji University

Ms. ZHANG Yuan

Research Assistant (2014)

The Institute of Urban Planning Design & Research, Shenzhen University

Dr. YU Kequan

PhD Student (2014)

Associate Professor, Tongji University
(NSFC Distinguished Overseas Young Talent, 海外优青)

Mr. AN Xiaopeng

PhD Student (2014)

China Academy of Building Materials

Mr. YANG Xu

Research Assistant (2015)

Assistant Professor, Changsha University of Science & Technology

Dr. WANG Yan-Shuai

PhD Student (2015)

Professor, Shenzhen University
(NSFC Distinguished Overseas Young Talent, 海外优青)

Dr. JI Jing

Visiting Scholar (2015)

Professor, Northeast Petroleum University, China

Dr. HUANG Junqi

PhD Student (2015)

Associate Professor, Hefei University of Technology

Mr. WU Jiangchuan

Visiting Scholar (2015)

Associate Professor, Jiangsu Ocean University

Dr. GUO Siyao

Post Doctoral HK Scholar (2016)

Professor, Qingdao University of Technology (山东省泰山学者青年专家、山东省“优青”)

Dr. LI Xiaofeng

Research Assistant (2016)

Lecturer, Beijing Institute of Technology, China

Dr. XU Weiting

Research Associate (2016)

Assistant Professor, South China University of Technology

Dr. XUE Xiao

Research Fellow (2016)

Research Scientist, China Southwest Architectural Design and Research Institute Co. Ltd.

Dr. WANG Huaping

Research Associate (2016)

Associate Professor, Lanzhou University

Dr. GUO Dong

PhD Student (2017)

Post-doctoral Fellow, Guangzhou University
(博士后海外引才专项)

Dr. LIU Yunlin

Visiting Scholar (2017)

Professor, Anhui Institute of Architecture, China

Dr. WANG Hailong

Research Fellow (2017)

Professor, Zhejiang University, China

Dr. XU Yuye

Visiting Scholar (2017)

Professor, Huaqiao University, China

Dr. PENG Kaidi

PhD Student (2017)

Senior Engineer, CCCG Real Estate Group Ltd

Dr. KUMAR Sushil

PhD Student (2017)

-

Dr. TANG Ning

Post Doctoral HK Scholar (2017)

Professor, Shenyang Jianzhu University

Dr. QIU Qiwen

Post Doctoral Fellow (2018)

Assistant Professor, Huizhou University

Mr. LIANG Zilong

Research Assistant (2018)

China VANKE Co. Ltd

Dr. HUANG Bo-Tao

Research Associate (2018)

Research Professor, Zhejiang University
(NSFC Distinguished Overseas Young Talent, 海外优青)

Mr. YANG Zhuo

Research Assistant (2018)

Guangdong Architectural Design & Research Institute Co. Ltd.

Dr. LIU Yang

Research Assistant (2018)

Project Researcher, Hong Kong Productivity Council

Mr. DONG Peng

Research Assistant (2018)

PhD student, Southern University of Science and Technology

Ms. QIAN Lanping

PhD Student (2018)

Assistant Professor, Beijing University of Technology

Mr. MOHAMMADI Mohsen

Post-Doctoral Fellow (2018)

-

Mr. WANG Xiao - hua

Research Assistant (2019)

Research Associate Professor, Tianjin University

Ms. WANG Li-Yi

Visiting Scholar (2019)

Associate Professor, Fujian University of Technology

Mr. XU Lingyu

PhD Student (2019)

Postdoctoral Fellow, Zhejiang University (博士后海外引才专项)

Dr. HAO Zhihao

PhD Student (2019)

Postdoctoral Fellow, Tsinghua University

Dr. TENG Jing-Cheng

PhD Student (2019)

Postdoctoral Fellow, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

Dr. WENG Kefan

PhD Student (2020)

Postdoctoral Fellow, Hong Kong University

Dr. ZHANG Dong-Dong

Post Doctoral HK Scholar (2020)

Associate Professor, Army Engineering University of PLA.

Dr. JIN Yin-Fu

Research Associate (2020)

Professor, Shenzhen University
(NSFC Distinguished Overseas Young Talent, 海外优青)

Mr. LAO Jian-Cong

Research Associate (2020)

PhD Student, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong

Dr. KHAN Mehran

Post Doctoral Fellow (2021)

Post Doctoral Fellow, University College Dublin, Ireland

Dr. LIU Weihe

Post Doctoral Fellow (2021)

-

Dr. FANG Yi

Research Assistant (2021)

Assistant Professor, Hohai University

Dr. KAI Mingfeng

Research Assistant Professor (2021)

Professor, Jinan University
(NSFC Distinguished Overseas Young Talent, 海外优青)

Dr. XUAN Qingdong

Post Doctoral HK Scholar (2022)

Assistant Professor, Hefei University of Technology