A Personal Perspective on Doing Good Research Seminar – Prof Chen Xi: A Vision for the Future of Engineering Science

The second session of the A Personal Perspective on Doing Good Research Seminar Series for the 2025/26 academic year, organised by the School of Graduate Studies of Lingnan University, was held on 28 October 2025. It featured an interesting talk titled Engineering Science as the Building Block for the Future by Prof Chen Xi, Dean of the School of Interdisciplinary Studies and Chair Professor of Interdisciplinary Studies, and was attended by about 60 faculty members and students.

A leading scholar in engineering science and sustainability, and recognised as one of the international pioneers in distributed carbon dioxide capture and utilisation, Prof Chen’s research addresses real-world challenges in energy, environment, nanotechnology, and biology. He has been very involved in scientific research and development related to carbon neutrality for over ten years.

Prof Chen obtained his PhD in Solid Mechanics from Harvard University. Before joining Lingnan, he was a tenured Professor in the Department of Earth and Environmental Engineering and the Director of the Earth Engineering Center at Columbia University, and has published over 400 SCI papers, which have been cited more than 20,000 times with an H-index of above 80. His outstanding academic achievements have earned him numerous honours, including the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), the highest recognition for young scholars by the US government.