Research

Research Interests:

• Technology innovation in shipping and logistics 

• Co-evolution of shipping and regional economics

• Port system/cluster/eco-system evolution and resilience

• International trade analysis

• New/Emerging trade corridor  

Areas:

Transportation economics (empirical analysis); Transportation geography; Empirical studies 

As Principal Investigator (PI)

Since Sep 2021

1. Tanker Shipping Consulting Project. UNIPEC ASIA Co., Ltd., Principal Investigator, 2026-2027, HKD 350,000. Contracted Research. (Co-Project Manager: Jiehong Qiu, Xiaowen Fu) 

2.  AIS Data Analysis Tools Consultancy Service.  Logistics and Supply Chain MultiTech R&D Centre (LSCM), 2026-2027, HKD 250,000. Contracted Research. (Co-Project Manager: Jiehong Qiu)

3. Establish Hong Kong as an International Green Shipping Hub. Research Grant of Research Centre for Environmental, Social, and Governance Advancement, 2026-2028, HKD 400,000.  Competitive and peer-reviewed. (Co-I: LAI Kee Hung; Kai Hon Alexis Lau; Jing Wang; Kai Ming Kenneth Leung)

4. Sheltered Anchorage Layout Plans and Effective Area Assessment, Hong Kong Marine Department, 2025-2027, HKD 2,107,260. Contracted Research. (Member: Kee-hung Mike Lai; Shuaian Wang; T.L. Yip; Stephen Li; Xintao Liu)

5. Innovative Waterway Monitoring for Enhanced Safety and Sustainability: A Vision-Centric Fused Data Solution. Hong Kong General Research Fund, 2026-2028, HKD 719,009. Competitive and peer-reviewed. (Co-I: Yiu Kwong Stephen LI; Jinxian Weng; Bing Wu; Zaili Yang)

6. Training-the-trainer Programme: Green Maritime Fuel for Sustainable Shipping. Maritime and Aviation Training Fund, Apr 2026, HKD 483,982.5. Government-funded professional training project. (Solo PI)

7. Enhance Shipping Operational Efficiency Driven by Global Ship Satellite Data. Tsinghua-PolyU Joint Research Initiative, 2025-2027, HKD 150,000. Competitive and peer-reviewed. (Solo PI)

8. Uncovering the Dynamical Landscape of Shipping Networks through Big Data Analytics. Logistics and Supply Chain MultiTech R&D Centre (LSCM), 2025-2026, HKD 720,000. Contracted Research. (Co-I: Kee-hung Mike Lai)

9. Spatial Evolution and Resilience of Port Clusters Based on Multi-source Maritime Spatiotemporal Big Data. National Natural Science Foundation China, 2025-2028, RMB 450,000. Competitive and peer-reviewed. (Co-I: Theo Notteboom; Jixian Wang; Zhenhua Chen)

10. AIS Vessel Trajectory Analysis for Illegal Fishing.  Logistics and Supply Chain MultiTech R&D Centre (LSCM), 2023-2024, HKD 720,000. Contracted Research. (Member: Lingye Zhang; Yuxu Lu)

11. Port Cluster Resilience Enhancement: Methodological Innovation and Empirical Analysis, ZJU-PolyU Joint Research Initiative, 2023-2024, RMB 170,000. Competitive and peer-reviewed. (Solo PI)

12. Smart Port Platform.   Logistics and Supply Chain MultiTech R&D Centre (LSCM), 2023-2024, HKD 1,000,000. Contracted Research. (Solo PI)

13. Container Port Congestion: Monitoring, Resilience, and Countermeasures, Hong Kong General Research Fund, 2023-2025, HKD 700,823. Competitive and peer-reviewed. (Co-I: Jin Wang; Zaili Yang)

14. Study on Marine Traffic Impact for Ocean Vessels Transiting through the Central Fairway (Joint Project with Ancient Mariner Consultancy), Hong Kong Tourism Commission, 2022-2023, HKD 621,000 (PolyU share). Contracted Research. (Co-I: Yiu Kwong Stephen Li; Shuaian Wang)

15. Enhancing the quality of graduate education in shipping: a case study of the MSc programme in International Shipping and Transport Logistics, PolyU LMS Learning and Teaching Enhancement Grant, 2022-2023, HKD 200,000. Competitive and peer-reviewed. (Co-I: Judy Tong, Stephen Li)

March 2016 to Sep 2021

16. Assessment of Typhoon Shelter Space Requirements 2022-2035. Hong Kong Marine Department, 2021-2022, HKD 1,121,750. Contracted Research. (Co-I: TL Yip; Shining Wu; Shuaian Wang; YK Stephen Li)

17. Policy Recommendations on Port Collaboration and Maritime Industry Sustainable Development of Hong Kong under the Great Bay Area Initiative. PICO Public Policy Research Funding Scheme, 2021-2022, HKD 581,785. Competitive and peer-reviewed. (Kee-hung Mike Lai; Y.H. Venus Lun) 

18. Modeling and analysis of the spatial-temporal heterogeneity in tramp ship transportation based on real time position data of individual ship. National Natural Science Foundation China, 2020-2023, RMB 486,000. Competitive and peer-reviewed. (Co-I: Yulai Wan; Wenxin Xu; Dongping Song)  

19. Investigate Port collaboration in the Great Bay Area: a Big Data Approach. National Science Foundation of Guangdong, 2021-2023, HKD 119,998. Competitive and peer-reviewed. (Co-I: Shuaian Wang; Yulai Wan)

20. Dynamic Revenue Management and Fleet Management for Stochastic Container Leasing System, NSFC / RGC Joint Research Scheme, 2017-2020, HKD 1,008,000. Competitive and peer-reviewed. (Co-I: Wen Jiao; Yan Hong; Juliang Zhang)

As co-investigator (Co-PI/Co-I) 

1. Intelligent Artificial Photosynthesis. Theme-based Research Scheme (TRS), 2027-2032. Competitive and peer-reviewed.  

2. Policy Recommendations on Uplifting Hong Kong’s Status as an International Shipping Centre Through Development Opportunities in the Greater Bay Area, Strategic Public Policy Research Funding Scheme of HKSAR (SPPR), 2025-2028. Competitive and peer-reviewed. 

3. Port congestion modeling and management in a multi-participant, National Natural Science Foundation China, 2024-2027. Competitive and peer-reviewed. 

4. Data-Driven Port State Control (PSC) Policies: Improving Maritime Safety and Promoting Green Shipping. PICO Public Policy Research, 2020-2021. Competitive and peer-reviewed. 

5. Big Data-driven Policy Research on Reducing Air Emissions from Ships in the Pearl River Delta. Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province, 2019-2022. Competitive and peer-reviewed. 

6. Optimal Deployment of Drones for Monitoring Air Pollution from Ships in the Pearl River Delta Domestic Emission Control Area. HK Environment and Conservation Fund, 2018-2020. Competitive and peer-reviewed. 

7. Operations Optimization for Liner Shipping Service Network Considering Vessels’ Exhaust Gas Emission Control, Young Scientists Fund of the National Natural Science Foundation of China, 2018-2020. Competitive and peer-reviewed.