The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) announced the recipients of the University's Young Innovative Researcher Award (YIRA) 2026, recognising six rising scholars for their research excellence. The awardees' transformative research spans a wide range of cutting-edge fields, including energy and sustainability, life sciences, artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics, underscoring the University's unwavering commitment to advancing research and innovation and its strong capabilities in interdisciplinary research.
Prof. Christopher CHAO, PolyU Senior Vice President (Research and Innovation), commended the awardees for their exceptional achievements and said, "PolyU aspires to be an innovative world-class university and is committed to addressing societal needs and contributing to the community through world-leading research and innovation. These six young scholars fully exemplify the innovative potential of the next generation of researchers, as well as their capabilities and commitment to developing practical solutions to complex global challenges. We have immense confidence in their work and look forward to seeing them continue to excel and break new ground, making lasting contributions to human well-being and a more sustainable planet."
The research projects of the six awardees all focus on addressing major global challenges and cover a number of forward-looking and high-impact areas. These projects focus on: an atomic-precision design of low-cost nanocatalysts for large-scale green hydrogen production through water electrolysis; circular, net-zero wastewater systems through integrated carbon management, in-situ resource recovery and system-wide technological innovation; a culturally calibrated AI chatbot to provide scalable, personalised dietary coaching using image-based food logging and behavioural skill training for chronic disease prevention; the use of functional near-infrared spectroscopy to aid the evaluation and identification of developmental dyslexia in Chinese-English bilingual children; a brain-inspired modelling framework that combines the brain's efficient computational principles with modern deep learning architectures to improve memory capacity and reduce computational costs for sustainable AI development; and an intelligent magnetic microcatheter system for superselective endoluminal interventions.
Now in its fifth year, YIRA aims to recognise young researchers under the age of 35 who exhibit exceptional potential, supporting them in pursuing high-impact, interdisciplinary research through dedicated funding and personal recognition. The accolade empowers these young researchers to translate academic theory into practical solutions that align with the evolving needs of society. The support serves not only as an honour for their research achievements, but also as a catalyst for their academic and professional development, enabling them to emerge as future leaders in global research and innovation.
The recipients of YIRA 2026 (in alphabetical order):
| Awardees |
Project Title |
Project Description |
| Prof. Jingjie GE Assistant Professor, Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology |
Designing Low-cost, High-efficient Anodic Catalysts for Electrocatalytic Hydrogen Production |
Atomic-precision design of low-cost nanocatalysts for large-scale green hydrogen production through water electrolysis |
| Prof. Tao LIU Assistant Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering |
Net-Zero Wastewater Management through Circular Resource Utilisation |
Developing circular, net-zero wastewater systems through integrated carbon management, in-situ resource recovery and system-wide technological innovation |
| Dr Rui SHE Research Assistant Professor, Department of Rehabilitation Sciences |
An Explainable, Theoretically and Culturally Grounded Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based Chatbot for Personalised Dietary Behaviour Intervention |
Developing a culturally calibrated AI chatbot to provide scalable, personalised dietary coaching using image-based food logging and behavioural skill training for chronic disease prevention |
| Prof. Xin SUN Assistant Professor, Department of Language Science and Technology |
Brain Basis of Dyslexia in Chinese-English Bilinguals: Phonological and Morphological Assessments Using Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy |
Utilising functional near infrared spectroscopy to enhance the identification and evaluation of developmental dyslexia in Chinese-English bilingual children |
| Prof. Yujie WU Assistant Professor, Department of Computing |
Scaling by Smarter Neurons: A Neural-Inspired Foundation Model Framework for Enhanced Long-sequence Understanding and Energy-Efficient Computation |
Abrain-inspired foundation model framework that combines biologically efficient computational principles with modern deep learning architectures, improving memory capacity and reducing energy costs to support sustainable AI development |
| Prof. Lidong YANG Assistant Professor, Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering |
Trustworthy AI-assisted Magnetic Microcatheter (AI-M2) System: An Enabling Paradigm for Intelligent Superselective Endoluminal Interventions |
An intelligent magnetic microcatheter system for superselective endoluminal interventions |
