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. 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. 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. 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. 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.
Dr. WANG Jiehui
Dr. Jiehui Wang joined Prof. Dai’s group as a postdoctoral fellow at City University of Hong Kong in October 2024. She earned her Master’s degree in September 2018 and her Ph.D. in September 2021 from The University of Tokyo. Before joining Prof. Dai’s group, she worked as a research fellow at Shenzhen University, China, from 2021 to 2024. Her current research mainly focuses on developing advanced structural damage inspection methods, particularly structural health monitoring of FRP-concrete composite structures. Her work also includes computer vision and deep learning-driven damage detection techniques.
PhD Student
Mr. Chandra Sekhar DAS
Mr. Chandra Sekhar Das joined Prof. Dai’s research group as Research Assistant in November 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. 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.
Dr. Mudasir HUSSAIN
Dr. Mudasir Hussain joined Professor Dai’s research group as a Research Assistant (RA) at the City University of Hong Kong in March 2025. He earned his bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Engineering and Technology Peshawar (UETP) in 2018, a master’s degree from Sungkyunkwan University, South Korea in 2020, and a PhD from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University in 2025 under the prestigious Presidential PhD Fellowship Scheme (PPPFS). His research focuses on digital twin technology, construction automation, construction safety, sustainable materials, sustainable design, and BIM-LCA integration.
Former Group Members
Dr. KAI Mingfeng
Research Assistant Professor (2021-2024)
Professor, Jinan University
(NSFC Distinguished Overseas Young Talent, 海外优青)
Dr. YANG Ning
PhD Student; Post-Doctoral Fellow (2019-2024)
Professor, Qingdao University of Technology
(山东省海外优青，博士后海外引才专项)
Dr. PENG Rongxing
Post-doctoral Fellow (2023-2024)
Assistant Professor, Shenzhen University
Dr. IWAMA Keita
Post-doctoral Fellow (2022-2024)
Associate Professor, Hokkaido University
Dr. XUAN Qingdong
Hong Kong Scholar (2022-2024)
Assistant Professor, Hefei University of Technology
Dr. HAO Zhihao
PhD Candidate (2019-2024)
Post-doctoral Fellow, Tsinghua University
Dr. TENG Jincheng
PhD Candidate (2019-2024)
Post-doctoral Fellow, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Dr. HUANG Bo-Tao
Research Associate, Post-Doctoral Fellow (2018-2023)
Research Professor, Zhejiang University
(NSFC Distinguished Overseas Young Talent, 海外优青)
Dr. XU Lingyu
PhD Student (2019-2023)
Postdoctoral Fellow, Zhejiang University (博士后海外引才专项)
Dr. KHAN Mehran
Post-Doctoral Fellow (2021-2023)
Post Doctoral Fellow, University College Dublin, Ireland
Dr. WEN Kefan
PhD candidate (2020-2023)
Post Doctoral Fellow, University of Hong Kong
Dr. LIU Weihe
Post-doctoral Fellow (2021-2023)
Post-doctoral Fellow, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Dr. LAO Jiancong
Research Asssitant (2020-2023)
PhD Student, University of Hong Kong
Dr. QIAN Lanping
PhD candidate (2018-2023)
Assistant Professor, Beijing University of Technology
Dr. FANG Yi
Post-doctoral Fellow (2021-2022)
Assistant Professor, Hohai University
Dr. GUO Dong
PhD Student (2017-2022)
Assistant Professor, Guangzhou University (博士后海外引才专项)
Dr. JIN Yinfu
Research Associate (2021-2022)
Professor, Shenzhen University
(NSFC Distinguished Overseas Young Talent, 海外优青)
Dr. ZHANG Dongdong
Post-doctoral Fellow (Hong Kong Scholar) (2020-2022)
Professor, Army Engineering University of PLA.
Dr. KUMAR Sushil
PhD Student (2017-2022)
Dr. WANG Yanshuai
PhD Student, Post-doctoral Fellow (2015-2021)
Professor, Shenzhen University
(NSFC Distinguished Overseas Young Talent, 海外优青)
Dr. PENG Kaidi
PhD Student (2017-2021)
Senior Engineer, CCCG Real Estate Group Ltd
Dr. YU Kequan
PhD Student, Research Assocaite (2014-2019)
Associate Professor, Tongji University
(NSFC Distinguished Overseas Young Talent, 海外优青)
Dr. HUANG Junqi
PhD Student, Research Assistant (2015-2019)
Associate Professor, Hefei University of Technology
Dr. XUE Xiao
Research Fellow (2016-2019)
Research Scientist, China Southwest Architectural Design and Research Institute Co. Ltd.
（四川省创新人才)
Dr. GUO Siyao
Post-doctoral Fellow (Hong Kong Scholar) (2016-2018)
Professor, Qingdao University of Technology (山东省泰山学者青年专家、山东省“优青”)
Dr. DING Yao
PhD Student (2013-2016)
Assistant Professor, Chongqing University (JSPS Fellow, NSFC Distinguished Overseas Young Talent, 海外优青)
Dr. WANG Tiao
Research Assistant (2013-2014)
Research Professor, Tongji University
(上海市青年人才计划获得者)
Dr. BAI Yulei
PhD Student (2009-2014)
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. AN Xiaopeng
PhD Student (2014)
China Academy of Building Materials
Mr. YANG Xu
Research Assistant (2015)
Assistant Professor, Changsha University of Science & Technology
Dr. JI Jing
Visiting Scholar (2015)
Professor, Northeast Petroleum University, China
Mr. WU Jiangchuan
Visiting Scholar (2015)
Associate Professor, Jiangsu Ocean University
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. WANG Huaping
Research Associate (2016-2017)
Associate Professor, Lanzhou University
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. TANG Ning
Post Doctoral HK Scholar (2017-2019)
Professor, Shenyang Jianzhu University
Dr. QIU Qiwen
Post Doctoral Fellow (2018-2019)
Assistant Professor, Huizhou University
Mr. LIANG Zilong
Research Assistant (2018)
China VANKE Co. Ltd
Mr. YANG Zhuo
Research Assistant (2018)
Guangdong Architectural Design & Research Institute Co. Ltd.
Dr. LIU Yang
Research Assistant (2018-2020)
Project Researcher, Hong Kong Productivity Council
Mr. DONG Peng
Research Assistant (2018-2019)
PhD student, Southern University of Science and Technology
Mr. MOHAMMADI Mohsen
Post-Doctoral Fellow (2018-2020)
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Mr. WANG Xiao - hua
Research Assistant (2019)
Research Associate Professor, Tianjin University
Ms. WANG Li-Yi
Visiting Scholar (2019-2020)
Associate Professor, Fujian University of Technology
Dr. GAO Wanyang
PhD Student & Research Associate (2008-2015)
Associate Professor, Shanghai Jiaotong University
Ms. ZHANG Yuan
Research Assistant (2014)
Dr. WANG Wenwei
Research Fellow (2011, 2013)
Professor, Southeast University, China
Dr. ZHENG Jianjun
Research Fellow (2013)
Professor, Zhengjiang Institute of Technology, China
Dr. SUN Dianyu
MPhil Student (2011-2013)
Engineer, Zhejiang University Design Institute of Architecture
Dr. SUN Xiaoyan
Research Assistant (2013)
Associate Professor, Zhenjiang University
Dr. Duan An
Research Assistant (2012)
Associate Professor, Zhenjiang University
Dr. LI Tao
Research Assistant (2012)
Dr. NI Jing
Research Assistant (2013)
Dr. DING Zhu
Research Fellow (2012)
Professor, Shenzhen University
Dr. HOU Xiaomeng
Research Associate (2011)
Professor, Harbin Institute of Technology, China
Mr. MUNIR Sarfaraz
PhD student (2011)
Dr. WANG Guoling
Research Associate (2009-2010)
Associate Professor, Shanghai Institute of Technology
Dr. LONG Yueling
Research Assistant (2009)
Associate Professor, Guangdong Institute of Technology
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）