Du Hongjian

Biography

Dr Du Hongjian received his BEng from Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU) in 2007 and his PhD from the National University of Singapore (NUS) in 2012. He began his academic career as a Research Fellow at NUS, progressing to a Senior Research Fellow at NUS before taking up a Lecturer position at Swinburne University of Technology, Australia. Since 2020, Hongjian has been a Lecturer at the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at NUS.

Hongjian is a passionate and caring educator. He is committed to providing enriching learning experiences for students at all levels. He applies active and experiential learning strategies to his teaching to foster holistic development in critical thinking, problem-solving and interdisciplinary collaboration. His innovative approach includes the introduction of design competitions in Structural Concrete Design and Structural Mechanics, which have significantly enhanced student engagement and learning outcomes. In recognition of his pedagogical innovations, Hongjian received the Excellence Award in Structural Engineering Education from the Institution of Structural Engineers (UK) in 2024. He was also named an ExCEEd Teaching Fellow by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) in 2023.

Hongjian’s research focuses on the digital fabrication of reinforced concrete to improve construction productivity and the development of low-carbon building materials to address climate change. His expertise spans microstructural characterisation, performance evaluation and life-cycle assessment of concrete. He mentors a team of researchers tackling challenging topics such as 3D concrete printing, embodied carbon calculation, carbon sequestration and upcycling waste in concrete. His research has resulted in practical applications that transform local waste into value-added concrete solutions for structural use.    

Hongjian is proactive in translating his research into societal impact. He holds several inventions and patents related to green cement and low-carbon building materials. He is also the co-founder of CIRCRETE, a deep-tech startup aimed at decarbonising the built environment.

Qualifications

• PhD, National University of Singapore, 2012
• BEng, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 2007

Honours & Awards

• Annual Teaching Excellence Award, NUS, 2023, 2024
• Excellence in Structural Engineering Education Award, The Institution of Structural Engineers, 2024.
• ExCEEd Teaching Fellow, American Society of Civil Engineers, 2023.
• The 3^rd Place Prize, 100k Innovation Challenge, CDE Industry Day, NUS, 2023.
• Outstanding Paper Award, Materials and Structures, RILEM, 2022.
• SCI Excellence Award, Singapore Concrete Institute, 2022.
• Best Paper Presentation Award, Higher Education Campus Conference (HECC), 2022.
• Provost Young Educator Award, NUS, 2020.
• College Educator Award, AY21/22, AY22/23, AY23/24, CDE, NUS.
• Engineering Educator Award, AY20/21, FOE, NUS.
• Faculty of Engineering Teaching Excellence Award, AY19/20,

Achievement of Mentees

• First Runner-Up Prize, Impact Accelerator Challenge, CDE Innovation Day 2024 [Students: Zhang hao, Gao Yangyunzhi]
• Bronze Prize, SCI Young Innovators Awards 2024, Singapore Concrete Institute [Students: Ng Jun Liang Ben, Justin Adrian Halim, Adler Chua Yu Cheng]
• Winner, BECC 2024 [Students: Henrikus Nikolas Ards, Justin Halim, Vivien Trisha Javin, Jin Zixin]
• Outstanding Undergraduate Researcher Prize, AY2023/2024, NUS [Students: Liu Congzhi, Bazil Bin Akhbar Angullia, Ng Jun Wei, Shanmuganathan Kumaraval, Shashank Kumaar]
• Merit Award, SCI Young Innovators Awards 2023, Singapore Concrete Institute [Students: Liu Congzhi, Bazil Bin Akhbar Angullia, Ng Jun Wei, Shanmuganathan Kumaraval, Shashank Kumaar]
• Commendation Award, SCI Young Innovators Award 2023, Singapore Concrete Institute [Students: Zhang Wei, Cui Xinyue, Sherman Lee Kwan Han]
• Bronze Award, Green Concrete Cube Competition 2023, American Concrete Institute Singapore Chapter [Students: Bazil Bin Akhbar Angullia, Lew Tay Ping Justin, Choo Teng Yi Edward]
• Merit Award, Engineering Innovation Challenge (EIC) 2023, The Institution of Engineers, Singapore [Students: Liu Congzhi, Bazil Bin Akhbar Angullia, Ng Jun Wei, Shanmuganathan Kumaraval, Shashank Kumaar]
• Finalist, The 25th Young Researchers Conference, 2023, The Institution of Structural Engineers, UK [Student: Gao Yangyunzhi]
• Merit Award, CDE Innovation & Research Award 2023, NUS [Student: Ng Jun Liang Ben]
• SCI Young Innovators Award 2022, Singapore Concrete Institute [Students: Gao Yangyunzhi, Teo Hao Jun, Wang Huan]
• Silver Prize, Project Competition, ACI (Singapore Chapter), 2022 [Staff and Students: Dr. Bong Shin Hau, Dr. Luo Zhiyu, Lu Yifan, Chloe Ng Xuanhui]
• 3rd Place Prize, International Concrete Competition, CIVILWEEK2022 [Students: Chen Ge, Gao Xinge, Tristan Tan Yong Cheuh]
• 1st Runner-Up Award and People’s Choice Award, BECC2022, 2022 [Students: Chloe Ng Xuanhui, Elizabeth Lim Zhi Yan, Hugo Teo Wee Siang, Keamjeera Vatanawood]
  

Complete PhD Student

• Zhang Wei, Durability Performance of Seawater-mixed Cementitious Composites, 2024.

Professional Activities

• Instructor, New Faculty Teaching Programme (NFTP), Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou), 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 Construction Additive Manufacturing, Enterprise Singapore.

Editorial Boards

• Member, Editorial Board, Journal of Sustainable Cement-based Materials, Taylors 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 Lecturers

• Enhancing Sustainability Education through Structural Concrete Design Competition, Keynote Lecture, American Concrete Institute Singapore Chapter (ACI-SC) Annual Seminar Boosting Productivity and Efficiency in Modern Construction with Advanced Materials, Crowne Plaza Changi Airport, Singapore, 11 November 2024.
• Recent Development of 3D Concrete Printing in Singapore, Keynote Lecturer, 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.

Scholarship of Teaching and Learning

1. Du, H., & Liang, Y. (2024). Integrating design competitions in civil engineering education: Case studies from Singapore and China [Paper presentation]. In Higher Education Conference in Singapore (HECS) 2024, 3 December, National University of Singapore. https://blog.nus.edu.sg/hecs/hecs2024-hjdu-lyan/
2. 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 Higher Education Conference in Singapore (HECS) 2024, 3 December, National University of Singapore. https://blog.nus.edu.sg/hecs/hecs2024-hdu-sertay/
3. 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]
4. 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. https://blog.nus.edu.sg/teachingconnections/2023/05/29/interdisciplinary-education-in-the-college-of-design-and-engineering-cde-a-learning-communitys-reflection/
5. 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 Higher Education Campus Conference (HECC) 2022, 7-8 December, National University of Singapore. https://nus.edu.sg/cdtl/engagement/conferences/highereducation-campus-conference-2022/hecc-2022-home/ebooklet.pdf
6. Du H. (2022). Hybrid lab class for structural concrete design. In Symposium of Teaching & Learning during and after Pandemic. Singapore, 2022. [Oral Presentation]
7. Du H. (2022). Move lab classes online for engineering undergraduate teaching. In Applied Learning Conference 2022. Singapore, 2022. [Poster Presentation]
8. Du H. (2021). Online lecture and hands-on practice: A complementary approach to learning. Teaching Connections. https://blog.nus.edu.sg/teachingconnections/2021/08/26/online-lecture-and-hands-on-practice-a-complementary-approach-for-learning/
9. Tsang HH, Du H & Haritos N. (2019). Enhancing the experience of learning engineering mechanics with blended and experiential components. In World Engineers Convention 2019. Melbourne: Engineers Australia, 2019, 1150-1164.

Selected Publications

1. 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.
2. Zhang W, Du H, Pang SD. Alkali-silica reaction of seawater-mixed mortar, Journal of Sustainable Cement-based Materials, Volume 13, 2024, pp. 1079-1089.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. Yu S, Sanjayan J, Du H. Effects of Cement Mortar Characteristics on Aggregate-bed 3D Concrete Printing. Additive Manufacturing, Volume 58, 2022, 103024.
7. Chen W, Dang J, Du H. Using low-grade calcined clay to develop low-carbon and lightweight strain-hardening cement composites, Journal of Building Engineering, Volume 58, 2022, 105023.
8. Yu S, Xia M, Yu S, Sanjayan J, Yang L, Xiao J. Du H. Microstructural Characterization of 3D Printed Concrete, Journal of Building Engineering, Volume 44, 2021, 102948.
9. Zhang Y, Zhang Y, Yang L, Liu G, Chen Y, Yu S, Du H. Hardened Properties and Durability of Large-Scale 3D Printed Cement-based Materials, Materials and Structures, Volume 54, 2021, pp. 1-14.
10. Yu S, Du H, Sanjayan J. Aggregate-Bed 3D Concrete Printing with Cement Paste Ink, Cement and Concrete Research, Volume 136, 2020, 106169.