Hongliang REN
hren(at)cuhk.edu.hk
Academic Experience
- 2024 Professor, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Department of Electronic Engineering
- 2020โ2024 Associate Professor, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Department of Electronic Engineering
- 2012โ2024 Assistant & Associate Professor, National University of Singapore Department of Biomedical Engineering
- 2012 Research Fellow, Childrenโs National Medical Center
Sheikh Zayed Institute for Pediatric Surgical Innovation, Washington D.C. Bioengineering Initiative (CNMC-SZIPSI) - 2010โ2012 Research Fellow, Harvard University
Harvard Medical School and Childrenโs Hospital, Boston Pediatric Cardiac Bioengineering Lab (PCBL) - 2008โ2010 Postdoctoral Fellow, Johns Hopkins University (JHU)
Dept of Biomedical Engineering and Computer Science Laboratory for Computational Sensing and Robotics
Computer Integrated Surgical Systems & Technology Center (CISST) - Ph.D., The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), HK Electronic Engineering 2008
Research Interests
Biomedical robotics & intelligent systems, medical mechatronics, continuum, and soft flexible robots and sensors, multisensory perception, learning and control in image-guided procedures, deployable motion generation, compliance modulation/sensing, cooperative and context-aware sensors/actuators in human environments, navigated robotic surgery/intervention, flexible robotics and machine artificial intelligence
Professional Activities
Program Committee Membership:
- 2025 Workshop Co-Chair, IROS 2025 workshop โC4SR+: Continuum, Compliant, Cooperative, Cognitive Surgical Robotic Systems in the Embodied AI Eraโ
2025 Workshop Co-Chair, MICCAI Efficient Medical AI - 2025 General Co-Chair, International Conference on Biomimetic Intelligence and Robotics & Medical Robotics Forum (ICBIR+MRF) July 26 to 28, Zhangye, China
- 2024 Workshop Co-Chair, ICRA 2024 workshop on Continuum and Soft robotics
2024 Workshop Co-Chair, ICRA 2024 workshop โC4SR+: Continuum, Compliant, Cooperative, Cognitive Surgical Robotic Systems in the Embodied AI Eraโ
2024 Workshop Co-Chair, MICCAI EARTH: Embodied AI and Robotics for HealTHcare
2024 PCM 10th International Conference on Automation, Robotics, and Applications (ICARA 2024) (http://www.icara.us/), February 22-24, 2024, in Athens, Greece
2023 PCM 4th International Conference on Medical Imaging and Computer-Aided Diagnosis (MICAD2023, MICCAI endorsed), Cambridge, UK, Dec 9-10, 2023
2023 Chair of the IROS 2023 Regular session “Image-Guided Surgical Robotics”, Detroit, USA
2023 PCM ICIS-2023 (IEEE/ACIS 23rd International Conference on Computer and Information Science)
2023 TCM 3rd International Conference on Robotics, Automation and Artificial Intelligence RAAI Singapore, December 14-16, 2023
2023 Associate Editor (AE) IEEE CASE Automation Science and Engineering
2023 TCM, ATIP 2023 (2023 Aisa Conference on Trends in Image Processing), Seoul, South Korea, June 23-25, 2023
2023 TCM, The 7th International Conference on Advances in Image Processing, ICAIP, November 17-19, 2023, Beijing
2023 Publication Chair, CCRIS, 4th International Conference on Control, Robotics and Intelligent System (CCRIS 2023) will take place in Guangzhou, China during August 25-27, 2023
2023 PCM 3rd ACIS International Conference of Artificial Intelligence (IAI 2023) 2023 PCM 10th International Conference on Computational Science Intelligence Applied Informatics (CSII 2023) London July 14-16
2023 PCM 6th Asia Conference on Cognitive Engineering and Intelligent Interaction CEII2023 Hong Kong, 15 Dec to 16, 2023
2023 PCM 6th International Conference on Machine Learning and Natural Language Processing (MLNLP 2023), Sanya, China, Dec. 27-29, 2023
2023 TCM, International Conference on Automation, Control and Electronics Engineering (CACEE 2023), Chongqing, China, October 20-22, http://www.cacee2023.net 2023 PCM ISVC Lake Tahoe, Nevada, October 16-18, 2023.
2023, TC, ICUASA 2023 International Conference on Unmanned Aerial Systems and Aerospace
2023 Steering TCM, Mechatronics and Mechanical Engineering (ICMME2023), Xiโan, China April 28-29, 2023
2023 PCM for CSCWD (Intโl Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work in Design)
2023 8th International Conference on Automation, Control and Robotics Engineering (CACRE 2023), Guangzhou, China, July, 2023
2023 TCM 2nd Asia Conference on Advanced Robotics, Automation, and Control Engineering (ARACE 2023), Chengdu, China during August 18-20, 2023
2023 TCM 2023 International Conference on Frontiers of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning, FAIML 2023 Beijing, China on April 14-16, 2023
2023 TPC 2023 2nd Asia Conference on Algorithms, Computing and Machine Learning (CACML 2023)
2023 Program Co-Chair and Technical Committee International Conference on Robotics and Automation Sciences (ICRAS 2023)
2022 & 2023, TPC International Conference on Biomedical Engineering and Bioinformatics (ICBEB) - 2022 Program Committee member (PCM) IEEE CSCWD
2022 PC Chair The 2nd International Conference on Electrical Engineering and Mechatronics Technology (ICEEMT 2022), Qingdao July 1-3, 2022.
2022 SNPD2022-Summer program committee
2022 PCM 5th International Conference on Robotics and Mechatronics (ICRoM 2022)
2022 Associate Editor (AE) IEEE CASE Automation Science and Engineering
2022 Technical Committee, ICRAS 6th International Conference on Robotics and Automation Sciences
2021 Technical Committee, IEEE Consumer Technology Society (CTSoc)
2021 Regional chair, BHI-BSN 2021 in Italy (Milan)
2021 TPC member M2VIP2021 - 2021 Video Chair, ICRA (Flagship robotics conference), Xiโan, China 2021 Regional chair, BHI-BSN 2021 in Italy (Milan)
2020 program committee of CSCWD (2020 IEEE 24th International Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work in Design)
2020 Program committee of CSII (The 7th International Conference on Computational Science/ Intelligence Applied Informatics)
2020 Technical committee member, 4th International Conference on Automation, Control, and Robots (ICACR 2020), Rome, Italy, October 11 – 13, 2020.
2019 Technical committee Intโl Conf. on Intelligent Medicine and Health, Ningbo, China, July 1-3, 2019
2019 Program Chair, Intโl Conf. on Mechatronic Systems and Robots (ICMSR) 2019 Associate Editor for IEEE CASE for the track focusing on mechatronics 2019 PC Member for IEEE Conf. on Computer and Infor. Science (ICIS)
2018 Area Chair/PC member, MICCAI Medical Image Computing and Computer-Assisted Intervention
2018 PC Member, ACCAS2018 (The 14th Asian Conference on Computer Aided Surgery)
2018 Program Co-Chair, IEEE International Conference on Real-time Computing and Robotics (IEEE RCAR)
2018 Program Committee Member, RiTA2018
2018 Program Chair, Intโl Conf. on Mechatronic Systems and Robots (ICMSR) 2018 Publication Chair, IRC Conference on Science, Engineering and Technology(IRC-SET)
2018 Publicity/Exhibits Chair, IEEE Intโl Conf on Advanced Robotics and Mechatronics (ICARM)
2018 Technical organizing committee, ICIS: 17th IEEE/ACIS Intโl Conf. on Computer and Information Science
2018 Associate Editor, BioRob2018
2018 Scientific Committee Judge for BES 12th Scientific Meeting 2018 Program Committee Member, WCICA
2018 Technical Committee, ICBCB, Intโl Conf. Bioinfo. and Comput. Biology 2017 Publicity Chair, IEEE Conf. on Robotics and Automation (ICRA)
2017 Program Chair, Intโl Conf. on Advanced Robotics (ICAR)
2017 Workshop Chair, ICRA 2017 workshop on C4R Surgical Robots
2017 Program Chair, IEEE Intโl Conf. on Cybernetics & Intelligent Systems and Robotics, Automation & Mechatronics (CIS & RAM)
2017 Program Committee Member, ROBIO2017 2017 Program Committee Member, RiTA2017
2017 Session Chair on Medical Robotics, IROS2017 2017 Award Committee Co-Chair, ICIA2017
2017 Award Committee Co-Chair, RCAR2017
2016 Conf. Editor, IEEE RAS/EMBS BIOROB2016
2016 Workshop Chair, BIOROB2016 Workshop on Surgical Robotics 2016 Program Chair, IEEE Conf. on Information and Automation (ICIA) 2016 PC(Program Committee) Member, RiTA2016
2016 PC Member, IEEE Conf. on Robotics and Biomimetics (ROBIO) 2016 PC Member, The 7th Chinese Conf. on Pattern Recognition (CCPR) 2016 PC Member, ICBME16, 2016 Intโl Conf. on Biomedical Engineering
2016 PC Member, AMC16, IEEE 14th Intโl Workshop on Adv. Motion Control 2015 PC Member, WACBE World Congress on Bioengineering 2015
2015 Publicity Chair, Asian Conf. on Computer Aided Surgery (ACCAS)
2015 Publicity Chair, IEEE Conf. on Cybernetics & Intelligent Systems and Robotics, Automation & Mechatronics (CIS & RAM 2015)
2014 Awards Committee Co-Chair, IEEE Conf. on Information and Automation (ICIA 2014)
2014 Publicity Chair, IEEE Conf. on CYBER Tech in Auto., Control, and Intelligent Systems (CYBER 2014)
2014 Program Committee Member, The 2014 IEEE Conf. on Information Science and Technology (ICIST 2014)
2014 Program Committee Member & Organized Session Chair, The 2014 World Congress on Intelligent Control and Automation (WCICA)
2013 Registration Chair, IEEE Conf. on Cybernetics & Intelligent Systems and Robotics, Automation & Mechatronics (CIS & RAM 2013)
2013 Publications Chair, IEEE Conf. on Robotics and Biomimetics (ROBIO 2013) 2013 Program Chair, IEEE Intโl Conf. on Inf. and Auto. (ICIA2013)
2012 Regional Program Co-Chair, IEEE ICAL: Intโl Conf. on Auto. and Log. 2012 Publicity Committee Co-Chair, IEEE ICIA/ISBE 2012
2011 Publicity Committee Co-Chair, IEEE ICIA/ISIT 2011
2010 Publicity Committee Co-Chair, The 8th World Congress on Intelligent Control and Automation (WCICA 2010)
Professional Editorship and Membership:
- Associate Editor, IEEE Transactions on Robotics (IF 9.4, 2025-, T-RO, flagship journal in Robotics and Automation)
- Associate Editor, IEEE Robotics and Automation Magazine, 2023-
Associate Editor, IEEE Transactions on Automation Science and Engineering
Associate Editor, Medical & Biological Engineering & Computing
Associate Editor, World Scientific Journal: Unmanned Systems
Associate Editor, Biomimetic Intelligence and Robotics
Associate Editor, Frontiers in Robotics and AI, 2022-
Editorial Board Member: ElectronicsMDPI; ActuatorsMDPI; MachinesMDPI
Member: IEEE CTSoc Sensors and Actuators Technical Committee (SEA TC)
Standards Liaison: IEEE CTSoc Sensors and Actuators Technical Committee
Founding Member: IEEE SMC Technical Committee on Interactive and Wearable Computing and Devices
IEEE Senior Member
ASME Member
MICCAI Member
Member, Singapore Biomedical Engineering Society
Financial Secretariat: IEEE Singapore Chapter: Systems, Man, and Cybernetics(SMC20122016)
Founding Member, IEEE SMC Technical Committee on Interactive and Wearable Computing and Devices
Guest Editor, Special Issue on C4R robots for Journal of Medical Robotics (2017)
VicePresident, Harvard Medical School Chinese Scholars and Scientists Association (HMSCSSA, 20102014)
Guest Editor, Special Issue on Medical Robotics for Springer J. of Robotics and Biomimetics (2014)
Proposal Reviewer, Kazakhstani Natโl Center of Science and Tech. Evaluation
Research Proposal Reviewer, Hong Kong Research Grants Council (RGC)
Proposal Reviewer, Chilean National Science and Technology Commission
Departmental/University Service:
- Department Scholarship Committee, Chair
- Department outreach & publicity committee
- Ph.D. thesis and exam committee
- FOE Tier1 and Tier 2 research proposal review committee
- NGS program admission interview panel (2016)
- Biorobotics and Bioimaging Cluster Seminar Coordinator
Teaching Experience
ENG2760 Probability for engineers;
ELE3103 Robotic Perception and Intelligence;
ELE5600 Advanced Perception for Intelligent Robotics
ELEG5757 Intelligent Wearable Electronics
EG3301R Design-Centric Projects (4.5/5) 2017-2019
BN2204 Biomechanics (4.2/5) 2020
BN3101 Biomedical Engineering Design (4.4/5) 2020
BN5101 Biomedical Engineering Systems (4.3/5) 2020
BN6209 Neurotechnology (4.7/5) 2016-2017
BN5209 Neurosensors and Signal Processing (4.68/5) 2014-2015
Digital Circuits and Systems (Teaching Assistant) 2007
Bioinformatics (Teaching Assistant) 2006
Awards and Honors
2025 NSFC Distinguished Young Scientist – Category A 2025 (ๅๅฝๅฎถๆฐ้ๅบ้)
2025 New Generation Star Project at IROS 2025, by NOKOV Motion Capture
2025 MICCAI Young Scientist Award (5/3447)
2025 Shortlisted for the MICCAI Best Paper and Young Scientist Award
2025 Shortlist for the Falling Walls Science Summit 2025, Breakthrough of the Year 2025 in Engineering and Technology, Berlin
2025, MRC 2025 Best Application Award ETSM (1/48)
2025, MRC 2025 Best Design Award PneumaOCT (1/48)
2025, ICRA 2025 ELSR Workshop Best Poster Award, OCT Tactile Sensor (1/40), sponsored by Stryker and Duke University
2025, 2nd Place, endo-omni biopsy robot, the 9th Hong Kong University Student Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition, 31 May 2025
2024, MICCAI Best Paper Runner-Up (3/2771)
2024, Young Researcher Award, CUHK
2024, Runner Up of MICCAI BraTS Challenge on Sub-Saharan Africa Adult Glioma
2024, IPCAI Best Paper Finalist Award
2024, Best Paper award at International Conference on Biomimetic Intelligence and Robotics & Medical Robotics Forum (ICBIR+MRF 2024), July 25 to 28, Linzhi, China
2024, Best Poster award on surgical robotics of IEEE RAS flagship ICRA 2024 Workshop on C4R in AI Era, May 2024, Yokohama, Japan
2024, Shortlisted for the MICCAI Best Paper and Young Scientist Award
2024, ROBIO Best Paper Finalist
2024, Best paper finalist for IEEE IPCAI2024 (Single track, long presentation), Barcelona, Spain
2024, Strategic Partnership Award for Research Collaboration (SPARC) 2024 to collaborate with Technical University of Munich on the project โMultimodal Information Perception and Advanced Intelligent Robotic Control in Transcontinental Copilot Medical Procedures.โ
2024, PhD Intโl Mobility for Partnerships and Collaborations Award (PhD IMPAC Award)
2023, Best Paper award at The 2023 International Conference on Biomimetic Intelligence and Robotics & Medical Robotics Forum (ICBIR+MRF 2023), July 25 to 28
2023, Best Poster award at soft robotics workshop of IEEE RAS flagship ICRA 2023 Workshop on New Evolutions in Surgical Robotics, Jun 2023
2023, 48th International Exhibition of Inventions, Geneva, Silver Medal for project Vision-guided Fiberoptic Nasotracheal Intubation Robot, April 2023
2023, 3rd Place, Skull mountable robot, the 9th Hong Kong University Student Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition, Jun 2023
2023, top 9 of the Surgical Robot Challenge, Hamlyn Centreโs Surgical Robot Challenge, London, UK, Jun 2023
2022, Health Longevity Catalyst Award by NAM, National Academy of Medicine (US)
2022, listed among the world’s top 2% most cited and influential scientists, ranked by Stanford University
2021, EMedic Global Best Presentation Award and Silver Medal with 3000USD cash award: Skullbot
2021, EMedic Global Technical Challenge Award: Magnetic Capsule
2020, 2nd place winner of the EMB Singapore Symposium student abstract competition
2019, NUS Engineering Young Researcher Award
2019, Young Investigator Award, ICBHI (Biomedical and Health Informatics) 2019 2019, Best paper award in biomimetics for IEEE ROBIO 2019 (2/403/739)
2019, Best Structure Award for Global Innovation Design Competition of Medical Robotics (1/53)
2019, Best poster award at Advanced Intelligent Mechatronics: AIM 2019 soft robotics workshop
2019, CeLS Safety Awards for an outstanding lab safety record
2018, Early Career Award from IFMBE/IAMBE, International Academy for Medical and Biological Engineering
2018, Interstellar Early Career Investigator Award, by the Japan Agency for Medical R&D and New York Academy of Sciences
2018, FoE 32nd Innovation & Research Award (IRA High Achievement) for DCP Project Supervised
2018, Best paper finalist for IEEE ROBIO 2018 (16/606)
2018, NUS Outstanding Undergraduate Researcher (OUR) Prize as Project Advisor
2018, Silver Award for BES Research Presentation, Biomedical Engineering Society 12th Scientific Meeting BES12SM
2018, EMedic Global 2018 Bronze Medal with cash award: Gross Hematuria Detection and Feedback Control
2018, Outstanding Researcher Award in Biorobotics by Venus International Foundation (VIF-VIHA)
2018, EMedic Global 2018 finalist: Minimally Invasive Needling Biopsy (MINB) 2018, European initiative EPIC award for Expert Visits
2017, EMedic Global 2017 Gold Medal: Adaptive and Compliant Transoral Robotic Surgery (ACTORS), Highest cash award, 1/20
2017, Soft Robot Speed Challenge finalist for IEEE ICRA2017, Best Paper finalist for IEEE ICVS2017
2016, Gold award (undergraduate design category) in the Biomedical Engineering Society 10th Scientific Meeting (BES10SM) at Singapore for FYP (Yoew Bok Seng) project on Magnetic Robotic Intervention, 14th May 2016
2016, Best Student Paper for IEEE RCAR2016: Real-time Computing and Robotics 2016, Best Paper finalist for IEEE ICMA Mechatronics/Automation (5/707) 2016, Best Paper finalist for IEEE CSCWD2016, Computer Supported Cooperative Work in Design
2015, Best Paper for IEEE CCECE 2015, IEEE Canadian Conference on Electrical and Computer Engineering (1/442)
2015, Best Paper finalist for IEEE ICIA2015, Information and Automation (5/580) 2014, Best Paper for IEEE CYBER2014: CYBER Tech in Automation, Control, and Intelligent Systems (1/156)
2014, Gold award in the Biomedical Engineering Society 8th Scientific Meeting (BES8SM) at Singapore for FYP (Teo Li Ting Lynette) project on Robotic Endoscopy System, for platform presentation under the university (undergraduate) category
2013, NUS Young Investigators Award (YIA)
Major Research Grant Support (8+ million USD as PI/PC: Principal Investigator/Coordinator)
- 2023 HK RGC-RIF Endobronchial Multi-modal Biopsy ~12.8million HKD PC/PI
- 2023 HK RGC-GRF Transoral Bimodal Endomicroscopy-assisted Adaptive Manipulations ~1.2 million HKD PI
- 2022 HK RGC-CRF Intubation Robotics 8.5 million HKD PC/PI (1 USD=7.85 HKD)
- 2022 HK RGC-CRF Capsule Robotics 7.5 million HKD PC/PI
- 2022 SZSTC Type-C GI Robotics/sensing 1 million RMB PI (1 USD=7.18 RMB)
- 2022 GDSTC Flexible Robotics/sensing 1 million RMB PI
- 2021 CUHK SHIAE grant 600k HKD PI
- 2021 CUHK VTL grant 297k HKD PI2021 CUHK FOE direct grant 150k HKD PI2021 ELE grant on Untethered Flexible Robotics for Navigation in Narrow and Confined Space, 300k HKD2021 CUHK strategy grant on medical robotics 1.5 mil HKD
- Adaptive and Compliant Transoral Robotic Surgery with Flexible Manipulators and Intelligent Guidance- NMRC BnB Bedside & Bench, Role: PI (Total Project Value TPV: 2.4 million SGD) 2015-2020 (1 USD=1.4 SGD)
- HENA: Hydrogel-Matrix Expedited Nitinol Actuation- Ministry Of Education (MOE) AcRF Tier 1, Role: PI, TPV: 180,000 SGD 2020-2023
- Patient-administered home-based ENT monitoring based on soft robotic endoscopy- Ministry Of Education (MOE) AcRF Tier 1, Role: PI, TPV: 150,527 SGD
2018-2021 - SkullBot- TAP Grant, Role: PI (Total Project Value TPV: 200,000 SGD) 2019-2020
- Sensing Adaptive Control (SEACAT)- Office of Naval Research Global, ONRG- NICOP-N62909-15-1-2029, Role: PI (TPV: 500,000 USD) 2015-2019
- Constrained Navigation of Flexible Robots in Transnasal Procedures- Ministry Of Education (MOE) AcRF Tier 2, Role: PI (TPV: 768,760 SGD) 2015-2018
- Variable stiffness robotics with intelligent sensing and control- China Jiangsu Provincial Fund, Role: PI (TPV: 252,500 USD, 1.7 Mil RMB) 2015-2018
- Biologically Inspired Artificial Tentacles for Transnasal Procedures – Singapore Millennium Foundation, Role: PI (TPV: 620,000 SGD) 2015-2018
- Multimodal Augmented Reality for Enhanced Learning in Robotic Surgery – NUS Provost LIFT – Learning Innovation Fund – Technology, Role: PI (TPV: 63,300 SGD) 2014-2015
- Magnetically Actuated Micro-robotics – NUS Young Investigators Award (YIA), Role: PI (TPV: 500,000 SGD) 2014-2017
- Core Technologies of Soft Continuum Robotics and Sensing for Surgery – MOE AcRF Tier 2 Funding, Role: PI (TPV: 409,553.43 SGD) 2014-2017
- Human-Robot Collaborative Systems in Industrial Unstructured Environments – ASTAR TSRP, TPV (20 Million SGD TPV), Role: co-PI 2013-2016
- Key Technologies for Minimally Invasive Robotic Surgery: Robotized Navigation – Singapore Academic Research Fund, Role: PI 2013-2016
- Insightful Learning of Image-Guided Robotic Surgery System through Hands-on Educational Projects – Singapore Teaching Enhancement Grant, Role: PI 2012-2013
- Image-Guided Robotic System for Laparoscopic Surgery – Singapore Academic Research Fund, Role: PI 2012-2015
Publications
[Google Scholar] See Prof. Ren’s Google Scholar profile for the full publication and citation record.
