Associate ProfessorHong Xian Li

A/Prof. Hong Xian Li joined Deakin University after receiving her PhD degree from the University of Alberta in Canada (QS ranking #4 in Canada and in the top 100 universities globally). Her teaching and research interests cover both building and construction disciplines, with a focus on sustainable buildings and construction, including high-performance buildings (zero energy/carbon buildings), renewable energy, and building prefabrication. A/Prof Li is ranked within the 2024 top 0.5% scholars worldwide in both areas of ‘Arts and Humanities’ and ‘Architecture’ by ScholarGPS (Prior 5 years without self citations; within top 1.07% in the specialty of Energy and top 1.96% within Australia).     

A/Prof Li has demonstrated significant research leadership and contributions through impactful publications, research grants, and notable collaborations. Her research has been published in over 110 journal articles, book chapters, conference papers, and project reports, with about 3,800 citations and a h-index of 38 (as of Mar 2026). A/Prof Li has published 18 first-authored papers in leading journals, in addition to supervising others. She is the leading (first) author of the papers published in prestigious Q1 journals that have built the foundation for her research expertise. Based on Scopus citation data, 2 of her publications have been ranked in the top 1% most cited publications worldwide, and 32 (34%) of her publications have been ranked in the top 10%. In addition, 57 (74%) have been published in the world’s top 25% journals ranked by SJR impact data. 79% of her publications featured international collaboration, and her research has been cited by researchers in 103 countries. 

A/Prof Li’s research has resulted in significant impact and contributions to the field, with the following examples:

1) Her paper about renewable energy within the Australian context is ranked in the top 1% of most-cited publications worldwide. It is also referenced by policy documents on European Union climate neutrality and the effects of carbon tax in the Australian market (Overton search of policies). This track record highlights not only the scholarly quality of her work but also its direct relevance to national priorities, demonstrating her ability to deliver outcomes that extend beyond academia.  

2) A/Prof Li developed a customised, sensor-based monitoring system to monitor energy performance, which has been cited in academia as: ‘advanced technologies that have been applied and integrated in a variety of smart buildings to realise key global values (intelligent, sustainable, smart, and automated) that allows high performance and low energy use.’ in the opening sentence by Yoon et al. (2019).

3) A/Prof Li has been leading successful, award-winning, cutting-edge interdisciplinary research projects, funded under various grant programs, as lead CI, with the following evidenced impact for some externally funded projects:  

· Li, H. X., Zhang, P., Mills, A., Tucker, R., and Luther, M. (2018-2021). Towards Zero Carbon Housing in Victoria, Climate Change Innovation Grant, funded by the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP), Victoria, $50,000. Announced by the Minister for Energy, Environment, and Climate Change. The success rate for applications across this scheme was 10%.  

· Li, H. X. and Arnel, T. (2019-2021). Unlock the Performance of Geothermal Systems and Zero Energy Buildings, Innovation Connections Grant, funded by the Department of Industry, Innovation, and Science, and industry partner PICAC, $130,036. This project received the Best Commercial Building Energy Management 2022 award from the Australian Energy Efficiency Council.   

· Li, H. X., Zhu, Y., and Arnel, T. (2023-2024). AI-empowered photovoltaic systems for sustainable buildings, Innovation Connections Grant, funded by the Department of Industry, Innovation, and Science, and industry partner IAPMO R&T OCEANA, $99,920. This project achieved an improvement of more than 23% in energy efficiency.

· Li, H. X. and Xiang, Y. (2025-2030). Artificial Intelligence Enabled Geothermal Utilisation for Sustainable Buildings, funded by PICAC and IAPMO Oceana, $35,000.

· Li, H. X. and Arnel, T. (2020-2021). Towards a Resilient Zero Carbon Community, funded by the Borough of Queenscliffe, $10,000.

A/Prof Li’s projects on the PICAC Zero Energy Building (Narre Warren, Melbourne) over the past five years have resulted in significant impacts and benefits for all stakeholders and the environment. A/Prof Li led the team to achieve an energy saving of 3,426 kWh/month. Furthermore, continued research identified several issues related to the 300 kW solar PV system and achieved more than 23% improvement in efficiency. A/Prof Li’s research in Canada contributed to the improvement of the simulation software, HOT2000, and Zero Energy Buildings (ZEBs).  

A/Prof Li’s research leadership and impact have been recognised through prestigious awards and invitations to assess prestigious national grant applications worldwide, including:

· Invited as a grant assessor for prestigious grant schemes, including the Swiss National Science Foundation, the Dutch Research Council, and the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC).

· Received an Honourable Mention in the Stephen G. Revay Award 2013 from the Canadian Society for Civil Engineering for her outstanding contributions to the field.

· Selected as an Efficiency Leader by the Australian Energy Efficiency Council in 2021 for her leadership, impact, and contributions to the energy domain.

A/Prof Li serves academia as an invited editor for several journals, including the Nature Portfolio journal Scientific Reports, and an invited reviewer for prestigious journals, including Nature Communications. She has received several awards for her contributions and impact, with the following examples:

· The Editor of Distinction award (Author Service Award) (2025), Springer Nature.

· Outstanding reviewer for Sustainable Cities and Society (2017), Renewable Energy (2018), Elsevier.

 A/Prof. Li has been professionally recognised as a Higher Education Academy (HEA) Fellow, referring to the UK Professional Standards Framework. A/Prof. Li received the Teaching and Learning Award 2023 from the Faculty of Science Engineering & Built Environment (SEBE) for her outstanding contributions to the field of building environmental units through high-quality teaching that benefits diverse student cohorts.