Zhu Wanyi

TechTalk – Rydberg Atomic Receiver: Next Frontier of Communications and Sensing

Innovation Wing Two, TechTalk / By

November 6, 2025 (Thursday) 4:00pm-5:00pm
The advancement of Rydberg atoms in quantum information technology is driving a paradigm shift from classical receivers to Rydberg atomic receivers (RARE). RAREs utilize the electron transition phenomenon of highly-excited atoms to interact with electromagnetic (EM) waves, thereby enabling the detection of wireless signals. Operating at the quantum scale, such new receivers have the potential to breakthrough the sensitivity limit of classical receivers, sparking a revolution in wireless communications. In this talk, I will first introduce the fundamentals of RAREs, covering their definition and properties, the interaction of Rydberg atoms with EM waves, as well as the electromagnetically-induced-transparency based quantum measurement. Then, the pros and cons of of RAREs compared as opposed to classical receivers will be discussed. The second part of this talk will present our latest progress in RARE aided communications and sensing, ranging from MIMO communications, sensing architecture, and integrated communication and sensing. The talk will be concluded with some promising future directions on integration of RARE into modern wireless communication systems.

Young Scholar TechTalk – Towards Resilient Intelligence in 6G Wireless Networks

Innovation Wing Two, TechTalk / By

November 4, 2025 (Tuesday) 4:00pm-5:00pm
As we move towards Sixth Generation (6G) wireless networks, the focus shifts from speed and capacity to building intelligent, adaptable, and resilient systems. This talk explores the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into 6G networks, focusing on developing resilient intelligence for dynamic and resource-constrained environments. We present a novel framework that combines reinforcement learning, multi-agent coordination, and reward modeling to tackle challenges in wireless optimization, especially in environments with sparse, noisy, and delayed feedback. Our methods enable continuous adaptation to dynamic changes in traffic, mobility, and energy constraints, enhancing the resilience of 6G systems for critical applications like autonomous transport, industrial IoT, and emergency response. Through practical case studies, we demonstrate how adaptive intelligence can optimize network performance and improve the scalability of future wireless systems, offering insights into the path towards resilient, intelligent 6G networks.

Young Scholar TechTalk – Synergistic Low Carbon and Durable Design for Reinforced Concrete Structures

Innovation Wing Two, TechTalk / By

October 23, 2025 (Thursday) 4:00pm-5:00pm
The construction industry faces dual demands for decarbonization and longevity. However, existing research often addresses decarbonization and durability separately. Achieving synergistic carbon reduction and service life extension through advanced materials and paradigm shift remains a critical challenge. The speaker has developed a multi-scale design framework — a novel corrosion-based service life model in concrete level, a load-harsh environment coupled durability model in reinforcement level and a whole life carbon-durable design framework in structure level. These advances unveil the mechanisms between decarbonization and durability enhancement in reinforced concrete structures, effectively lowering carbon footprint of buildings while extending service life. Such achievements can provide critical theoretical and technical supports for national carbon neutral initiative.

HKAE TechTalk – The Unequal Burden of Climate Change

Innovation Wing Two, TechTalk / By

October 22, 2025 (Wednesday) 4:00-5:00pm
While climate change is a global crisis, its impacts are profoundly and systematically unequal. This talk will confront the uncomfortable truth that the burden of a warming planet is not shared fairly. We will explore how different communities, nations and even people of different sexes are suffering its most devastating consequences.
We will start with first the frontlines of the crisis, then trace the roots of this disparity, highlighting how vulnerable regions are experiencing climate impacts with a severity that outstrips their capacity to cope.
However, this is not just a story of victimhood; it is a call for redefined responsibility. This talk will argue that climate justice must be at the heart of our response. The fight against climate change is inseparable from the fight for a more equitable world.

TechTalk – Insights into Indoor Airflow during the Pandemic and Beyond: Measurement, Visualization, and Simulation

Innovation Wing Two, TechTalk / By

October 14, 2025 (Thursday) 4:00pm-5:00pm
Improving indoor air requires addressing source control, ventilation, and filtration. This presentation explores filter performance from both aerosol science and building science perspectives with a focus on how theoretical and laboratory-tested filtration efficiencies translate to filtration performance in real buildings. The removal of particulate matter is only part of the filtration story. Filters also have a variety of secondary consequences including emissions of gas-phase compounds and complicated impacts on energy use. Some of these secondary effects may have a positive impact, including the ability of filters to offer insight on air quality through filter forensics, the analysis of the particles that accumulate on the filter. Several examples of filter forensics for disease surveillance, exposure assessment, and ambient air quality are used to illustrate the hidden value in used filters. The COVID-19 pandemic further increased the attention paid to central and portable filtration in buildings and this presentation assesses new challenges and opportunities that arise from this renewed focus.

TechTalk – CFD for Urban Winds, Air Quality, and Thermal Comfort

Innovation Wing Two, TechTalk / By

October 9, 2025 (Thursday) 4:00pm-5:00pm
Improving indoor air requires addressing source control, ventilation, and filtration. This presentation explores filter performance from both aerosol science and building science perspectives with a focus on how theoretical and laboratory-tested filtration efficiencies translate to filtration performance in real buildings. The removal of particulate matter is only part of the filtration story. Filters also have a variety of secondary consequences including emissions of gas-phase compounds and complicated impacts on energy use. Some of these secondary effects may have a positive impact, including the ability of filters to offer insight on air quality through filter forensics, the analysis of the particles that accumulate on the filter. Several examples of filter forensics for disease surveillance, exposure assessment, and ambient air quality are used to illustrate the hidden value in used filters. The COVID-19 pandemic further increased the attention paid to central and portable filtration in buildings and this presentation assesses new challenges and opportunities that arise from this renewed focus.

TechTalk – The Secret Lives of Filters

Innovation Wing Two, TechTalk / By

September 5, 2025 (Friday) 4:00pm-5:00pm
Improving indoor air requires addressing source control, ventilation, and filtration. This presentation explores filter performance from both aerosol science and building science perspectives with a focus on how theoretical and laboratory-tested filtration efficiencies translate to filtration performance in real buildings. The removal of particulate matter is only part of the filtration story. Filters also have a variety of secondary consequences including emissions of gas-phase compounds and complicated impacts on energy use. Some of these secondary effects may have a positive impact, including the ability of filters to offer insight on air quality through filter forensics, the analysis of the particles that accumulate on the filter. Several examples of filter forensics for disease surveillance, exposure assessment, and ambient air quality are used to illustrate the hidden value in used filters. The COVID-19 pandemic further increased the attention paid to central and portable filtration in buildings and this presentation assesses new challenges and opportunities that arise from this renewed focus.

TechTalk – Minimally Invasive Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) Research @ HKU

Innovation Wing Two, TechTalk / By

June 27, 2025 (Friday) 4:30pm-5:30pm
This talk will present the latest advancements from Professor Chan’s research team and his startup company Brainsmart, dedicated to developing minimally invasive brain-computer interface (BCI) technologies for stroke rehabilitation and neurological recovery. His team focuses on flexible neural probes and high-density ECoG arrays that can be implanted without craniotomy, offering safer options for high-risk patients. Professor Chan will highlight their recent results in decoding neural signals related to hearing perception and motor intentions, and discuss how these findings contribute to future neuroprosthetic applications. The talk will also cover our pathway from technology development to clinical translation, aiming to enhance functional recovery and quality of life for patients.

TechTalk – Building Multi-dimensional Parallel Training Systems for Large AI Models

Innovation Wing Two, TechTalk / By

June 24, 2025 (Tuesday) 4:30-5:30pm
The increasing modeling capacities of large DNNs (e.g., Transformer and GPT) have achieved unprecedented successes in various AI areas, including understanding vision and natural languages. The high modeling power a large DNN mainly stems from its increasing complexity (having more neuron layers and more neuron operators in each layer) and dynamicity (frequently activating/deactivating neuron operators in each layer during training, such as Neural Architecture Search, or NAS). Dr. Cui’s talk will present his recent papers (e.g., [PipeMesh, in revision of a journal], [Fold3D TPDS 2023], [NASPipe ASPLOS 2022], and [vPipe TPDS 2021]), which address major limitations in existing multi-dimensional parallel training systems, including GPipe, Pipedream, and Megatron. Fold3D is now the major thousands-GPU parallel training system on the world-renowned MindSpore AI framework.

TechTalk – More is Less: Dynamic Sparse Processing in the Era of Sustainable AI

Innovation Wing Two, TechTalk / By

June 19, 2025 (Thursday) 4:30-5:30pm
With modern AI seemingly transforming all aspects of our modern society like magic, it is easy to forget the impacts such modern technology marvel is causing to our fragile environment. From massive industry-scale training of large neural networks of epic sizes, to the proliferation of folding AI inference in our everyday activities, AI applications are rapidly increasing the stress to our global energy and water infrastructure. The coming era of AI demands not only the smartest AI models, but also a new generation of sustainable AI mindset that rethinks the when and how to apply AI intelligence.
In this talk, Professor So will discuss one angle that addresses the “how” question with intelligent algorithm-architecture co-designed systems that reduce both energy consumption and computing latency using dynamic sparse processing. Sharing the same “more is less” principle, a series of works from a dynamic sparse processing system for event cameras to token-steering in modern diffusion models will be discussed. Together, these works illustrate that by doing a little bit more upfront intelligently, it is possible to drastically reduce the amount of work necessary to perform the same AI inference operation during run time without affecting the accuracy of a model. The results are solutions that not only are fast, but they are also orders of magnitude more energy-efficient than typical GPU-accelerated systems.