- Director of State Key Laboratory of Climate Resilience for Coastal Cities
- Dean of Faculty of Construction and Environment The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Professor Xiang-dong Li is a distinguished scholar in environmental science and sustainable urban development. In 2022, he received the prestigious Clair C. Patterson Award (Innovative Breakthrough in Environmental Biogeochemistry in the last decade) from the Geochemical Society for his pioneering research in regional contamination, urban air PM2.5 pollution, and the origin and dissemination of antimicrobial resistance.
His groundbreaking research project “Unravelling the Black Box between Air Pollution and Public Health for Transformative Air Quality Management” was awarded HK$44.52 million from the Research Grants Council Theme-based Research Scheme in 2022/23. The project aims to identify the key toxic components and their associated sources responsible for PM2.5 health effects and develop effective and economical strategies for air quality and public health.
In July 2025, he will lead the newly established State Key Laboratory of Climate Resilience for Coastal Cities as Director to address the challenges faced by coastal cities under climate change.
He has led numerous research projects funded by the RGC, NSFC, and UGC Area of Excellence Scheme. He has published over 250 papers in prestigious international journals and authored more than ten publications that rank among the top 1% most cited papers in Environment/Ecology, according to the ISI database.