Time: Saturday 14 November 2026
Venue: Confucius Institute, University College Dublin
09:00-10:00 Registration
Tea and coffee, free discussion
10:00-10:05 Opening of the Conference
Dr. Xikun Zhu, Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Ireland
10:05-10:15 Annual Report (financial and operational)
Dr. Zhouxiang Lu, President of ACIA
Dr. Rongrong Guo, Deputy Secretary General and Finance Director of ACIA
10:15-12:10 Session One
10:15-10:45 AI-Driven EEG Analytics for Understanding Human Fatigue and Cognitive Responses
Dr. Jin Xu, School of Informatics and Cybersecurity, TU Dublin
10:45-11:15 Bio-electrochemical Pathways for Biogas Upgradation – Optimising Feedstocks to Meet 2030 Biomethane Demand
Dr. Xue Ning, UCD School of Biosystems and Food Engineering
11:15-11:45 Air Quality, Urban Form, and Envionrmental Justice: A Global Perspective
Dr. Ye Tian, UCD School of Geography
11:45-12:10 Panel Discussion Chair: Dr. Jin Zhao
12:10-13:00 Lunch Break
13:00-15:00 Session Two
13:00-13:30 TBC
13:30-14:00 TBC
Dr. Yixin Qiu, J.E. Cairnes School of Business & Economics, University of Galway
14:00-14:30 Corporate Military Activity and Firm Performance
Dr. Chen Tao, UCD College of Business
14:30-15:00 Politics and Identity in Yellow River Piano Concerto
Dr. Zhouxiang Lu, School of Modern Languages, Literatures and Cultures, Maynooth University
15:00-15:30 Panel Discussion Chair: Dr. Siyuan Zhan
15:30-16:00 Tea and coffee
Group discussion on research and collaboration opportunities
Speakers:
Dr. Jin Xu is a Lecturer in the School of Informatics and Cybersecurity at Technological University Dublin. His interdisciplinary research lies at the intersection of cognitive neuroscience, psychophysiology, human–computer interaction and artificial intelligence. His work focuses on understanding human cognition and behaviour using EEG and multimodal physiological measurements, with particular interests in cognitive fatigue, attention, neural entrainment, wearable sensing and human interaction with digital technologies. He currently leads research projects on multimodal AI for fatigue detection using EEG and wearable sensors, and EEG-based analysis of neural entrainment to poetic rhythm. These projects are supported by Research Ireland, ADAPT, ARISE and industry partners. His broader research also includes trustworthy and human-centred AI, recommender systems and computational methods for neuroscience. He has collaborated with academic and industry partners in Ireland and internationally, including Cisco Webex, Huawei Research Ireland and European research teams. Dr Xu received his PhD in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from Technological University Dublin, where his doctoral research focused on time-resolved spectral analysis methods for EEG.
Dr Xue Ning is an Assistant Professor in Bioengineering for the Circular Bioeconomy at the School of Biosystems and Food Engineering, University College Dublin (UCD). With an academic background in Civil and Environmental Engineering, her research lies at the interface of environmental engineering, biotechnology and bioelectrochemical engineering, with a particular focus on developing sustainable technologies for organic waste and wastewater treatment, carbon valorisation, resource recovery and renewable bioenergy production. Dr Ning leads and contributes to several nationally and internationally funded research projects (over €1.3 M), including projects supported by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) and the MIT Global Seed Fund, and collaborates extensively with academic and industry partners in Ireland and internationally. Her research combines fundamental understanding with technology development and environmental application, with particular emphasis on translating emerging technologies towards practical solutions for the circular bioeconomy and industrial decarbonisation. Alongside her research, Dr Ning currently serves as Chair of the Agriculture and Food Division of Engineers Ireland (2026–) and as a Multidisciplinary Committee Member in Engineering and Computer Science at the Royal Irish Academy (2026–2030).
Dr. Ye Tian is an Assistant Professor at the School of Geography at University College Dublin (UCD) since May 2024. He obtained his Ph.D. in Geography from the University of Georgia in 2021. He was an Affiliated Researcher at the Senseable City Lab at MIT from 2021 to 2022 and a postdoctoral researcher at the Urban Big Data Center at the University of Glasgow from 2023 to 2024. His research focuses on optimizing urban planning strategies by integrating spatial data mining, field mobile monitoring, digital image processing, and other methods to study the coupled relationship between the spatiotemporal dispersion of air pollution and urban spatial morphology. He has served as the PI for Enterprise Ireland’s ERC Proposal Support Scheme, UCD Collaboration and Capacity-Building Awards, University of Glasgow’s Ambitious Interdisciplinary Research Funding, University of Georgia Graduate School Research Assistantship Block Grants, Summer Doctoral Research Assistantship, and Innovative and Interdisciplinary Research Grant. Finally, he also serves on the editorial board of the journal Scientific Reports and as a guest editor for journals, including Transportation Research Part D, Land, and Environments, and Environmental Planning B.
Dr. Yixin Qiu is an Assistant Professor in Entrepreneurship at the University of Galway in Ireland, also the co-director of the Centre for Entrepreneurial Growth and Scaling. She received her PhD from the University of Bayreuth in Germany. Her research focuses on innovation management and entrepreneurship, especially in the context of digital transformation and international business. Drawing on the phenomenon of digitalisation, she looks into how digital technologies influence the entrepreneurship, collaboration, and innovation of teams. In the context of geopolitical tension, her current research also investigates how international relationship dynamics impact collaboration and innovation in international business. She was awarded the “Best Paper” in the entrepreneurship session at the 2022 Academy of Management Annual Meeting and at the 2023 Academy of International Business. She also received the “Best Reviewer” award at the 2024 Strategic Management Society conference.
Dr. Chen Tao is an Assistant Professor at University College Dublin (Ireland) and an External Examiner at University of London. He currently serves as Media Editor of Multinational Business Review (ABS3), Editorial Board Member of Long Range Planning (ABS4), Journal of Business Strategy, and Academy of Management Organizations and Their Environments, and as a reviewer for Academy of Management Perspectives, Journal of Management Studies, Journal of Business Ethics, and other journals. He also chairs the Energy and Mining Section of the China in Europe Research Network (CHERN). His research focuses on corporate nonmarket strategy, international business, and topics related to artificial intelligence and sustainable development. His work has been published in leading international journals, including Journal of World Business, Journal of Travel Research, and International Business Review. He holds a bachelor’s degree from China University of Mining and Technology, a master’s degree from Loughborough University (UK), and a PhD from the University of Surrey (UK), where he was supported by the Vice-Chancellor’s Scholarship. His honors include the Best Theoretical Paper Award from the Academy of International Business, Best Reviewer Award from the British Academy of Management, and the External Engagement Award from UCC’s Cork University Business School.
Dr. Zhouxiang Lu is an Associate Professor within the School of Modern Languages, Literatures and Cultures at Maynooth University, Ireland. He holds a Bachelor of Education and a Master of Education from Chengdu Sport University, China and earned his PhD in History from University College Cork, Ireland. He is Elected Member of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts, Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, President of the Association of China-Ireland Academics, and Adjunct Professor at University of Electronic Science and Technology of China. He also serves as Academic Editor of Asian Journal of Sport History & Culture, Associate Editor of Cogent Social Sciences, and Editorial Board Member of Sport History Review. Zhouxiang’s research interests include nationalism, national identity, sport history and cultural history. He has been listed in the Stanford/Elsevier Top 2% Scientist Rankings 2024 & 2025. His recent publications include: The Yellow River in Music: History, Politics and Identity (2026), A History of Sports Video Games (2024) and The Routledge Handbook of Nationalism in East and Southeast Asia (2022).
About ACIA
The Ireland-China Professors and Scholars Association (ACIA) was established in Dublin in 2013. The association is composed of Chinese faculty members and researchers working at universities and research institutions in Ireland. Its purpose is to provide members with various platforms for information exchange, idea sharing, collaboration, and activities; to enhance mutual understanding and connections among members; and to foster friendship. The association actively promotes and organizes scientific and cultural exchanges and cooperation, with a particular focus on advancing talent exchange and scientific and cultural collaboration between Ireland and China. The association currently has over 100 members. The members’ academic expertise spans a wide range of fields in both natural and social sciences. Many members have significant international influence in their respective academic fields, with several holding leadership positions in international academic organizations, serving as editors and editorial board members of academic journals, and chairing international conferences.
