Dr. Weisong Wen

Assistant Professor at Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Director of TAS Lab. Embodied AI for autonomous systems: drones, self-driving vehicles, and ground robots.

Experience

🎓 Education

2017 – 2020 Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong
2018 Visiting Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering
University of California, Berkeley, USA
2015 – 2017 M.Eng. in Mechanical Engineering
China Agricultural University, China
2011 – 2015 B.Eng. in Mechanical Engineering
Beijing Information Science and Technology University, China

💼 Work Experience

Sept 2023 – Present Assistant Professor
Department of Aeronautical and Aviation Engineering, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong
Apr 2021 – Aug 2023 Research Assistant Professor
AAE, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong
Jan 2021 – Apr 2021 Senior Research Fellow
AAE, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong
2016 – 2017 Research Algorithm Engineer
Idriverplus (Autonomous Driving Startup), Beijing, China
2014 – 2015 Research Assistant
Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China

🏛️ Administrative Roles

Director, Trustworthy AI and Autonomous Systems Laboratory (TAS Lab) (2023 – Present)
Director, Intelligent Transportation & Unmanned Systems Center, WXRI (2024 – Present)
Coordinator, AAE Seminar Series (2024 – Present)

🏆 Awards and Recognition

Research Recognition

2025 Faculty of Engineering Research Grant Achievement Award, PolyU

2024 Ranked in World's Top 2% Most-cited Scientists, Stanford University

2023 Ranked in World's Top 2% Most-cited Scientists, Stanford University

2022 Top Cited Paper Award, NAVIGATION: Journal of the Institute of Navigation

2021 TechConnect World Innovation Award, USA

2020 Best Presentation Award, ION GNSS+ 2020, USA

Innovation and Entrepreneurship

2025 Second Prize & Most Welcomed Award, Shanghai Section, PolyU International Future Challenge

2020 First Prize, Hong Kong Section, Qianhai-Guangdong-Macao Youth Innovation Competition

2018 Excellent Project Award, Songshan Lake Innovation Competition, Guangdong

Academic Excellence

2016 National Scholarship for Graduate Students, China

2015 Excellent Graduate of Beijing, China

2014 China Telecom Scholarship — One per University

📚 Teaching Experience

Subjects Taught

AAE4011 Artificial Intelligence in Unmanned Autonomous Systems 📅 Semester 2, 2024/25

AAE4203 Guidance and Navigation 📅 S1 2024/25 · S2 2023/24 · S1 2022/23 · S2 2021/22

AAE3004 Dynamical Systems and Control 📅 Semester 1, 2023/24

AAE4002 Undergraduate Capstone Project 📅 2021 – Present

Teaching Innovations

🎓

Programme Development Leadership

As Associate Programme Leader, drafted MSc in Low-altitude Economy proposal to meet emerging industry needs.

💻

GitHub-based Learning Pedagogy

Pioneered GitHub-based collaborative learning with 50+ code examples; adopted by Wuhan University, Beihang University, and UC Berkeley.

🤖

Hands-on Project-Based Learning

ROS car projects, drone programming workshops (PX4/ArduPilot), MATLAB/Python demonstrations, and deep learning frameworks integration.

🔬 Research Supervision

Postdoctoral Fellows (4)

#	Name	Background	Period
1	Jianbo Jiao	Ph.D. (HKUST), B.Eng. (ZJU)	Present
2	Wang Yingying	Ph.D. (CUHK), M.Eng. (NEU), B.Eng. (NEU)	Present
3	Yang Runqiu	Ph.D. (BIT), B.Sc. (BIT)	Sept 2024 – Present
4	Huang Feng	Ph.D. (PolyU), M.Sc. (HKUST), B.Eng. (SZU)	May 2025 – Present

PhD / MPhil Students (Current: 26)

#	Name	Background	Period
1	Chen Hongchang	Ph.D. (PolyU), M.Eng. (BIT), B.Eng. (HNU)	Present
2	Yang Peiwen	M.Eng. (BIT), B.Eng. (WHUT)	Present
3	Xu Ruijie	B.Eng. (BUCT)	Fall 2023 – Present
4	Zhang Yuanyuan	Ph.D. (PolyU), M.Eng. (TJU), B.Eng. (SDU)	Sept 2023 – Present
5	Cao Yifeng	Ph.D. (PolyU), MASc. (Waterloo), B.Eng. (WHUT)	Present
6	Xiao Naigui	Ph.D. (PolyU), M.Eng. (HEU), B.Eng. (NUAA)	Spring 2024 – Present
7	Chen Yingming	B.Eng. (Western University of Ontario)	Spring 2024 – Present
8	Zhao Jiaqi	B.Eng. (PolyU), Drone Captain (HKCAD & CAAC)	March 2024 – Present
9	Zhang Ziqi	Ph.D. (PolyU), B.Eng. (PolyU)	Fall 2024 – Present
10	Gao Yixin	Ph.D. (PolyU), M.Eng. (ZJU), B.Eng. (UPC)	Fall 2024 – Present
11	Li Bingxian	Ph.D., M.E. (BUAA), B.E. (BUAA)	Fall 2024 – Present
12	Cheng Yuling	B.Eng. (PolyU)	Fall 2024 – Present
13	Qiu Shaoting	MPhil (PolyU), B.Eng. (BUPT)	Fall 2024 – Present
14	Wang Xiangru	Ph.D., M.Sc. (TUM), B.Eng. (WHU)	Feb 2025 – Present
15	Wang Xin	Ph.D. (PolyU), M.Eng. (BIT), B.Eng. (NUC)	May 2025 – Present
16	Yang Mokui	MPhil, B.Eng. (HDU)	May 2025 – Present
17	Zhong Jiagui	Ph.D., B.Eng. (BIT)	Sept 2025 – Present
18	Feng Yu	Ph.D. (PolyU-NKU Joint), B.Eng. (NKU)	Sept 2025 – Present
19	Zhang Xinrui	MPhil, B.Eng. (BUAA)	Sept 2025 – Present
20	Qi Zhang	MPhil, B.Eng. (NUIST)	Fall 2025 – Present
21	Qin Qijun	MPhil (PolyU), B.Eng. (PolyU)	Fall 2025 – Present
22	Yang Qian	MPhil, B.Eng. (TYUT)	Fall 2025 – Present
23	Tang Yiyu	MPhil (PolyU), B.Eng. (PolyU)	Fall 2025 – Present
24	Wang Junzhe	MPhil, B.Eng. (HKUST)	Fall 2025 – Present
25	Zhai Xupeng	Ph.D. (PolyU-NPU Joint), B.Eng. (NPU)	Jan 2026 – Present
26	Hu Jiahao	Project Technical Asst., M.Eng. (WHUT), B.Eng. (WHUT)	Present

Research / Project Assistants (3)

Wu Haobo — M.Sc. (NUS), B.Sc. (DUT)
Li Heng — B.Eng. (DLPU), R&D Engineer (Unmanned Systems), Spring 2025 – Present
Akida Tursun — B.Eng. (Jiangnan University), June 2024 – Present

Undergraduate Students (1)

Wang Zhongqi — B.Eng. (PolyU), July 2025 – Present

Visiting Scholars / Students (2)

Fengchi Zhu — M.S. and B.Eng. (HEU), Oct 2025 – Present
Guangyan Guo — B.Eng. (HEU), Dec 2025 – Present

Undergraduate Supervision (FYP)

Reliable UAV Perception and Perching Solutions in Urban Areas — ZHAO Jiaqi, LI Mingjue To, FU Chenlei (AAE10, 2024/2025)
Handheld Multi-sensor Fusion Mapping System — QIN Qijun, WANG Yuteng (AAE11, 2024/2025)
An Adaptive Drilling Process for the Aircraft Skin — LAU Chun Ho, LEUNG Cheuk To, CHAN Hei Lam Joshua (DD01, 2022/2023)
UAS for Situation Awareness and Risk Assessment — LAM Yat Long, CHEN Yat Nam (AAE39, 2022/2023)
Person-following Mobile Robotics — MOHAMMAD Tamz (AAE33, 2021/2022)
Preventing "Foreign Object Damage" Robot — LEE Chi Nok (DD01, 2021/2022)

URIS Projects

2023-2024: A High-Definition Map with Traffic Signs Based on LiDAR-Visual-IMU Fusion SLAM — QIN, Qijun (Merit Award, Best URIS Research Project 2024)

Alumni (11)

#	Name	Role	Background	Period
1	Ma Pei	Research Assistant	M.Eng. (CAUC), B.Eng. (XPU)	May 2024 – May 2025
2	Guan Li	MSc Student	M.Sc. (PolyU), B.Eng. (Tongji)	–
3	Bai Shiyu	Postdoc	Ph.D. (NUAA), B.Eng. (CSUST)	–
4	Zheng Xi	PhD Student	Ph.D. (PolyU), M.Eng. (NWPU), B.Eng. (NWPU)	2022 – 2025
5	Liu Xikun	PhD Student	Ph.D. (PolyU), M.Sc. (KIT), B.Eng. (HUST)	2022 – 2025
6	Zhong Yihan	PhD Student	Ph.D. (PolyU), M.Sc. (PolyU), B.Eng. (GXU)	2022 – 2025
7	Bai Lu	Postdoc	Ph.D. (BUAA), M.Eng. (BUAA), B.Eng. (BUAA)	Feb 2025
8	Hu Runzhi	PhD Student	Ph.D. (PolyU), M.Eng. (CAU), B.Eng. (CAU)	2022 – 2025
9	Wang Yun	Research Assistant	B.Eng. (SEUCX)	–
10	Zihao Wang	Visiting Student	M.S. and B.Eng. (WHU)	Sept – Dec 2025
11	Yuxiang Shi	Visiting Student	Ph.D. Student (Tongji), B.Eng. (SWJTU)	2025

💰 Research Grants

Selected Industry Collaboration (as PI)

Esri China (HK) Limited — Vision-Language-Action Models for Intelligent UAV Systems
2025 – 2031

Huawei Technologies — High-accuracy Localization Project
2024 – 2025

HONOR Device — AI-assisted Inertial Navigation System
2024 – 2025

Meituan — Vision Aided GNSS-RTK Positioning for UAV System in Urban Canyons
2024 – 2025

Tencent — GNSS/IMU/Camera Fusion Positioning in Complex Urban Environments
2024 – 2025

Selected Government Grants (as PI)

Hong Kong Smart Traffic Fund — Development of an Assisted Navigation and Collision Avoidance System
2024 – 2025

Hong Kong Innovation and Technology Fund — Advanced Smart Mobility Road-Side and Edge System
2023 – 2024

Hong Kong Innovation and Technology Fund — Safety-certified Multi-source Fusion Positioning
2024 – 2025

Research Talent Hub - Innovation and Technology Fund — Safety-certified Multi-source Fusion Positioning for Autonomous Vehicles
2024 – 2025

Research Grants Council Early Career Scheme — LiDAR Aided GNSS Multipath/NLOS Modeling and Mitigation
2025 – 2027

Department of Science and Technology of Guangdong Province — Drone System and Offshore Wind Turbines Inspection
2025 – 2027

Germany/Hong Kong Joint Research Scheme — Maximum Consensus Integration of GNSS and LiDAR for Urban Navigation
2024 – 2025

🌍 International Collaborations

🇺🇸 Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), USA
Prof. Luca Carlone

🇺🇸 University of California, Berkeley, USA
Mechanical Systems Control Lab

🇨🇦 Western University, Canada
Prof. Xianbin Wang

🇩🇪 Chemnitz University of Technology, Germany
Dr. Tim Pfeifer

🇩🇪 Leibniz Universität Hannover, Germany
Prof. Claus Brenner

📝 Academic Services

Editorial Roles

Associate Editor, IEEE Transactions on Vehicular Technology (JCR Q1, IF: 7.1) (Sept 2024 – Present)
Editorial Board Member, Navigation Positioning and Timing (June 2025 – Present)
Editorial Board Member, Artificial Intelligence and Education (May 2025 – Present)
Young Editorial Board Member, Journal of Marine Science and Application (2021 – Present)
Editorial Board Member, The Open Transportation Journal (2022 – Present)
Editorial Board Member, Information (2022 – Present)
Editorial Board Member, Journal of Data Science and Intelligent Systems (2023 – Present)
Leading Guest Editor, Frontiers in Robotics and AI (2021)
Leading Guest Editor, Electronics, Advanced Integrated Navigation Methods (2022)

Conference Organization

Workshop Chair, IEEE ITSC 2022, 2023, 2024 — "Intelligent Vehicle Meets Urban" series
Session Chair, ION GNSS+ 2022, 2023, 2025
Session Chair, IPIN 2022
Session Co-chair, ICGNC 2022
Technical Committee Member, IEEE IV 2025

Selected Reviewer Service

Journals (regular reviewer for 15+ journals):

IEEE Transactions on Intelligent Transportation Systems (2017 – Present)
IEEE Transactions on Robotics (2022 – Present)
IEEE Transactions on Vehicular Technology (2017 – Present)
IEEE Transactions on Instrumentation and Measurement (2022 – Present)
IEEE Transactions on Aerospace and Electronic Systems (2021 – Present)
IEEE Intelligent Transportation Systems Magazine (2017 – Present)
IEEE Sensors Journal (2018 – Present)
NAVIGATION: Journal of the Institute of Navigation

Conferences:

ION GNSS+ (2023, 2025)
IEEE ICRA — International Conference on Robotics and Automation (2019–2021)
IEEE IROS — International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (2019–2021)
IEEE ITSC — International Conference on Intelligent Transportation Systems (2020 – Present)

Professional Memberships

Member, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
Member, Institute of Navigation (ION)

📺 Media Coverage

May 2024 Interview by Hong Kong TVB on UAV-enabled window cleaning

May 2024 Interview by Ming Pao on UAV-enabled window cleaning

July 2024 Interview by Toutiao (头条日报) on low altitude economy

June 2024 Interview by RTHK on UAV enabled window cleaning and aerial 3D printing

March 2023 Interview by Hong Kong Economic Journal (信报) on UAV aerial logistics

2023 PolyU Press Release: Collaboration with Meituan for Urban Drone Delivery