Du Hongjian

Biography

Dr Du Hongjian is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the National University of Singapore. He is the Director of the Centre of Construction 3D Printing Research (C3DPR). His work advances digital construction and low-carbon materials to improve productivity and sustainability in the built environment.

Dr Du is an award-winning educator committed to industry-relevant and experiential engineering education. He has received multiple international and university teaching honours, including the Excellence in Structural Engineering Education Award from The Institution of Structural Engineers (UK) and ASCE ExCEEd Teaching Fellowship (USA). He has pioneered the integration of design competitions and student-generated assessments into structural engineering curricula, strengthening interdisciplinary learning and professional engagement. Students under his supervision have achieved repeated success in international and national design and innovation competitions.

His research focuses on the digital fabrication of reinforced concrete, particularly 3D concrete printing for structural applications, as well as the development of low-carbon cementitious materials through upcycling and carbon reduction strategies. His work has contributed to the structural implementation of 3D concrete printing in Singapore and the transformation of industrial by-products into value-added green cement solutions. He is the co-founder of CIRCRETE, a deep-tech startup aimed at decarbonising cement and concrete production. His research has been featured in major national and international media.

Dr Du actively contributes to the profession through keynote and invited lectures, editorial service, conference leadership, and participation in international and national technical committees on construction standards and additive manufacturing.

Qualifications

• PhD, 2012, National University of Singapore (NUS), Singapore
• BEng, 2007, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China

Honours & Awards

External

• Excellence in Structural Engineering Education Award, The Institution of Structural Engineers (UK), 2024. [website]
• ExCEEd Teaching Fellow, American Society of Civil Engineers (USA), 2023. [website]
• SCI Excellence Award (Innovators’ Category), Singapore Concrete Institute, 2024. [website]
• Third Prize, NAMIC Start-up Innovation Forum, NAMIC, 2024 [website].
• Best Paper Presentation Award, Higher Education Campus Conference, Centre for Development of Teaching and Learning (CDTL), NUS, 7-8 Dec 2022. [website]
• Outstanding Paper Award, Materials and Structures, RILEM, 2022. [website]
• SCI Excellence Award (Innovators’ Category), Singapore Concrete Institute, 2022.

Internal

• Teaching Excellence Honour Roll, NUS, 2026
• Annual Teaching Excellence Award, NUS, 2023, 2024, 2025.
• Provost Young Educator Award, NUS, 2020.
• College Educator Award Honour Roll, CDE, AY2024/25
• College Educator Award, CDE, AY2021/22, AY2022/23, AY2023/24
• 3rd Prize Winner, 100k Innovation Challenge, CDE, 2024.
• Engineering Educator Award, Faculty of Engineering, NUS, AY2020/21

Student Achievements

Students supervised by Dr Du have won over 20 international and national awards in research, design, and innovation competitions since 2020.

International

• 3rd Place, Young Researchers Conference 2025, The Institution of Structural Engineers (UK). [PhD student: Luo Rui] [website]
• Finalist, Young Researchers Conference 2023, The Institution of Structural Engineers (UK). [PhD student: Gao Yangyunzhi] [website]
• 3rd Place, International Concrete Competition, CIVILWEEK2022 (Indonesia). [Undergraduate students: Chen Ge, Gao Xinge, Tristan Tan Yong Cheuh] [online video]
• Finalist, International Concrete Competition CIVILWEEK2021 (Indonesia). [Undergraduate students: Lim Keng En John, Sean Chua] [online video]
• 1st Place, APEC Innovation in Public Transport (INPUT) Competition 2021 (China). [Undergraduate students: Manikandan Annamalai, Sean Chua, Hussain Fathah] [website]

National

• Champion, Engineering Innovation Challenge 2025, The Institution of Engineers, Singapore. [Undergraduate students: Tan Tin Chong, Quay Genk Swee Daniel, Shermaine Kong, Su Rati Naing, Theikhar Maung] [website]
• Merit Award, Engineering Innovation Challenge 2025, The Institution of Engineers, Singapore. [Undergraduate student: Justin Halim]
• Winner, Built Environment Case Competition 2024, NUS Civil Engineering Club. [Undergraduate students: Henrikus Nikolas Ards, Justin Halim, Vivien Trisha Javin, Jin Zixin] [website]
• Bronze Prize, SCI Young Innovators Awards 2024, Singapore Concrete Institute. [PhD and Undergraduate students: Ng Ben, Justin Adrian Halim, Adler Chua Yu Cheng]
• Merit Award, SCI Young Innovators Awards 2023, Singapore Concrete Institute. [Undergraduate students: Liu Congzhi, Bazil Bin Akhbar Angullia, Ng Jun Wei, Shanmuganathan Kumaraval, Shashank Kumaar]
• Commendation Award, SCI Young Innovators Awards 2023, Singapore Concrete Institute. [PhD and Undergraduate students: Zhang Wei, Cui Xinyue, Sherman Lee Kwan Han]
• Bronze Award, Green Concrete Cube Competition 2023, ACI Singapore Chapter. [Undergraduate students: Bazil Bin Akhbar Angullia, Lew Justin, Choo Edward] [website]
• Merit Award, Engineering Innovation Challenge 2023, The Institution of Engineers, Singapore. [Undergraduate students: Liu Congzhi, Bazil Bin Akhbar Angullia, Ng Jun Wei, Shanmuganathan Kumaraval, Shashank Kumaar] [website]
• Gold Prize, SCI Young Innovators Award 2022, Singapore Concrete Institute. [PhD and Undergraduate students: Gao Yangyunzhi, Teo Hao Jun, Wang Huan]
• Silver Prize, Project Competition 2022, ACI (Singapore Chapter). [Undergraduate students: Lu Yifan, Chloe Ng] [website]
• 1st Runner Up, Built Environment Case Competition 2022, NUS Civil Engineering Club. [Undergraduate students: Chloe Ng, Elizabeth Lim, Hugo Teo, Keamjeera Vatanawood] [website]
• Silver Prize, Project Competition 2021, ACI Singapore Chapter. [Master and Undergraduate students: Wang Dehao, Wang Yue, Sean Chua Xin Wei, Lim John]

University-Level

• Outstanding Undergraduate Researcher Prize AY2024/2025, NUS. [Undergraduate students: Aung Zaw That, Justin Adrian Halim, Sunny Wu Yihang, Adler Chua Yu Cheng, Tan Kai Ying, Sue-Ann, Seng Wei Liang, Ivan] [website]
• Outstanding Undergraduate Researcher Prize AY2023/2024, NUS. [Undergraduate students: Liu Congzhi, Bazil Bin Akhbar Angullia, Ng Jun Wei, Shanmuganathan Kumaraval, Shashank Kumaar] [website]
• Outstanding Undergraduate Researcher Prize AY2021/2022, NUS. [Undergraduate student: Lim Keng En John]

Completed PhD Students

• Gao Yangyunzhi, graduated in 2026, “3D Printing of Reinforced Concrete Beams for Structural Applications”.
• Zhang Wei, graduated in 2024, “Durability Performance of Seawater-mixed Cementitious Composites”.

Completed MEng Student

• Zhang Hao, graduated in 2024, “Using Machine Learning to Predict Buildability of 3D Concrete Printing”.

Professional Activities

• Lead Reviewer, Annual Higher Education Research and Development Society of Australasia (HERDSA) Conference, UTown, NUS, 6-9 Jul 2026.
• Co-Chairperson, 5th Asian Concrete Federation (ACF) Symposium, Singapore, 14-16 Nov 2025.
• Instructor, New Faculty Teaching Programme (NFTP), Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou), 24 Apr 2025.
• Invited Speaker, Mingzhi Teaching & Learning #13, Department of Teaching Development, HKUST (GZ), 29 Oct 2024.
• Selected Participant, ExCEEd Teaching Workshop, ASCE, Colorado State University (Fort Collins, CO), 30 Jul – 04 Aug 2023.
• Chair, Workshop on Interdisciplinary Learning, CDTL, NUS, 19 Sep 2022.
• Chair, Symposium of Learning and Teaching during and after Pandemic, in The Seventeenth East Asia-Pacific Conference on Structural Engineering and Construction (EASEC-17), 2022, Singapore.
• Member, Technical Committee on ADC: Assessment of additively manufactured concrete materials and structures, RILEM.
• Member, Working Group on SS 214: 2009 Specification for precast concrete kerbs. Enterprise Singapore, Singapore.
• Member, Working Group on TR 146: 2025 3D Concrete Printing (3DCP) for the built environment. Enterprise Singapore, Singapore.

Editorial Boards

• Member, Editorial Board, Journal of Sustainable Cement-based Materials, Taylor and Francis, 2024-2026.
• Guest Editor, Special Issue on Advanced Measurements for Microstructure of Construction Materials, Journal of Measurement, Elsevier, 2020-2021.

Teaching Areas

• Structural Materials and Mechanics
• Structural Concrete Design
• Advanced Concrete Technology
• Specifying Concrete to EN 206

Research Interests

• Construction Automation
• 3D Concrete Printing
• Durability of Concrete Materials
• Reuse of Waste in Concrete

Keynote Presentations

• “Materials Innovation to Reduce Carbon Emission in the Built Environment”, Keynote Lecture, International Symposium on Recent Innovation for Sustainable Development 2025 (RISD25), Tun Abdul Taib Mahmud Chancellor Hall, University of Technology Sarawak, Sibu, Sarawak, Malaysia, 18-19 November 2025.
• “Advancing Construction through 3D Printing and Material Innovation”, Keynote Lecture, 5th Asian Concrete Federation (ACF) Symposium (ACF2025), Show Foundation Alumni House, Singapore, 14-16 November 2025.
• “Enhancing Sustainability Education through Structural Concrete Design Competition”, Keynote Lecture, American Concrete Institute Singapore Chapter (ACI-SC) Annual Seminar, Crowne Plaza Changi Airport, Singapore, 11 November 2024.
• “Recent Development of 3D Concrete Printing in Singapore”, Keynote Lecture, PolyU-NAMI 3D Concrete Robotic Printing Research Centre (RCC3D) Forum, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, 28 October 2024.
• “Advancing Building Sustainability with 3D Concrete Printing”, Keynote Lecture, Workshop on Advanced Developments in Concrete 3D Printing Technology, China Building Materials Academy, Beijing, China, 11-12 October 2023.

Sharing of Good Teaching Practices

• Du, H. (2025). Student-generated Assessment for Adult Learners in Engineering Education. In the Higher Education Conference in Singapore (HECS), 2025, 10 December, National University of Singapore. [website]
• Du, H. (2025). Evaluating Interdisciplinary Learning in Higher Education Based on Student Insights. In the Annual Conference of the Higher Education Research and Development Society of Australasia (HERDSA), Perth, Australia, 7-10 Jul 2025.
• Du, H., & Liang, Y. (2024). Integrating design competitions in civil engineering education: Case studies from Singapore and China [Paper presentation]. In the Higher Education Conference in Singapore (HECS) 2024, 3 December, National University of Singapore. [website]
• Du, H., & Tay, S. E. R. (2024). Leveraging adult learners’ professional experience through scenario-based student-generated questions and answers in engineering mechanics [Paper presentation]. In the Higher Education Conference in Singapore (HECS) 2024, 3 December, National University of Singapore. [website]
• Du H. Fostering Sustainability Education in Civil Engineering through Student-Guided Design Competitions, In World Engineers Summit Engineering for a Sustainable Future, Singapore, 8-10 Nov 2023. [Oral Presentation]
• Du H. J., Tay, S. E. R., Yeoh, J., Geng, G., Lin, A., Goh Y. M., Ong, P., Tay, M. X. Y., & Yan S. (2023, May 29). Interdisciplinary education in the College of Design and Engineering (CDE): A learning community’s reflection. Teaching Connections. [website]
• Du H. J., & Tay, S. E. R. (2022). Using scenario-based student-generated questions to improve the learning of engineering mechanics: A case study in civil engineering [Paper presentation]. In the Higher Education Campus Conference (HECC) 2022, 7-8 December, National University of Singapore. [website]
• Du H. (2022). Hybrid lab class for structural concrete design. In the Symposium of Teaching & Learning during and after the pandemic. Singapore, 2022. [Oral Presentation]
• Du H. (2022). Move the lab class online for engineering undergraduate teaching. In the Applied Learning Conference 2022. Singapore, 2022. [Poster Presentation]
• Du H. (2021). Online lecture and hands-on practice: A complementary approach to learning. Teaching Connections. [website]
• Tsang HH, Du H & Haritos N. (2019). Enhancing the experience of learning engineering mechanics with blended and experiential components. In the World Engineers Convention 2019. Melbourne: Engineers Australia, 2019, 1150-1164.

Selected Publications

• Bong SH, Zhao Y, Gao Y, Du H. High-volume glass powder cementitious material for low-carbon concrete additive manufacturing, Construction and Building Materials, Volume 513, 2026, 145431.
• Liu H, Dai M, Liu C, Du H. Targeted enhancement strategy for the rebar interface bond in 3D printed coarse aggregate concrete: Performance evaluation and mechanistic insights, Cement and Concrete Research, Volume 203, 2026, 108175.
• Nguyen-Van V, Du H. Underwater 3D concrete printing: Automation challenges, process-material coupling, and future construction pathways, Journal of Building Engineering, Volume 120, 2026, 115490.
• Liu R, Du H. Optimizing thermal insulation through geometric design: Comparative analysis of normal and lightweight 3D printed concrete wall patterns, Energy and Buildings, Volume 348, 2025,116437.
• Luo Z, Shi C, Du H. FePO₄ battery waste as set retarder and insights into the reaction products, Composites Part B: Engineering, Volume 296, 2025, 112229.
• Guo Z, Liu C, Zhao Y, Chen G, Wu H, Gao J, Du H. Impact of nanosilica on tricalcium aluminate hydration and its reaction with sulfate solutions, Cement and Concrete Research, Volume 186, 2024, 107706.
• Luo Z, Ren F, Dang J, Du H. Sustainable utilization of low-value lithium-ion battery waste in cement and concrete, Sustainable Materials and Technologies, 2024, e00937.
• Zhang Z, Lei Y, Liew JYR, Liu M, Wong G, Du H. Embodied Carbon Saving Potential of Using Recycled Materials as Cement Substitute in Singapore’s Buildings, npj Materials Sustainability, Volume 2, 2024, 27.
• Chen W, Wang Q, Huang Z, Du H. Hydration mechanism and mechanical properties of a developed low-carbon and lightweight strain-hardening cementitious composites, Journal of Sustainable Cement-based Composites, Volume 13, 2024, pp. 661-677.
• Zhao Y, Gao Y, Chen G, Li S, Liu C, Luo X, Gao J, Du H. Development of low-carbon materials from GGBS and clay brick powder for 3D concrete printing, Construction and Building Materials, Volume 383, 2023, 131232.

Media Coverage

• Channel News Asia (CNA) – “New 3D concrete printing milestones cut time and manpower” (2026). [website]
• The Straits Times – “Less labour, less time – S’pore builds its first 3D-printed childcare centre” (2026). [website]
• 联合早报 (Lianhe Zaobao) – “混凝土3D打印首次用于托儿所中心建造” (2026). [website]
• 8world – “本地首次现场三维打印混凝土结构 施工效率提升逾六成” (2026). [website]
• Channel News Asia (CNA) – “NUS researchers use waste clay to make more durable concrete that is up to 50% greener” (2022). [website]

International Expert Commentary

• CNN International – “This 3D-printed, carbon-absorbing bridge is inspired by bones” (2025). [website] Featured as an expert commentator on 3D concrete printing and sustainability, providing perspective on innovations in low-carbon concrete technologies developed by other research groups.