CIES academic Wengui Li wins Humboldt Research Fellowship for Experienced Researchers

Congratulations to CIES ARC Future Fellow, Scientia Associate Professor Wengui Li who has received a 2025 Humboldt Research Fellowship for Experienced Researchers.

Through this fellowship, A/Prof Li will collaborate with Prof. Dr Dietmar Stephan at Technische Universität Berlin, Germany, on Multifunctional Alkali-Activated Materials-Based Sensors for Smart Civil Infrastructure.

Professor Stephan, an expert in concrete nanotechnology and alkali-activated materials, is the chair of the Building Materials and Construction Chemistry Group within the Institute of Civil Engineering at TU Berlin, while A/Prof Li is Group Leader of Intelligent Concrete and Infrastructure Materials at the Centre for Infrastructure Engineering and Safety (CIES), UNSW Sydney.

A/Prof Li’s research focuses on connecting the material properties of concrete to structural responses across multiple scales. He specialises in developing new functionalities and applying nanotechnology to enhance concrete properties and make concrete smarter and more sustainable for buildings and civil infrastructure.

This collaboration will establish the ties between the Centre for Infrastructure Engineering and Safety at UNSW Sydney and the Building Materials and Construction Chemistry Group at TU Berlin in the fields of intelligent concrete and infrastructure decarbonisation, both of which are strategically important for future smart and low-carbon buildings as well as civil infrastructure.

The Humboldt Research Fellowship Programme, administered by the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation in Germany, is one of the country’s most prestigious funding schemes for international scholars. It supports international academic exchange, for the purposes of international understanding, scientific progress and development. The success rate for applications from experienced researchers is typically around 20–25%.