WAQAR Muhammad

Dr. Muhammad Waqar is a Lecturer in the Department of Construction and Quality Management at Hong Kong Metropolitan University (HKMU). He specialises in wave-based pipeline diagnostics, digital twins, and physics-informed machine learning for urban water infrastructure.

He obtained his BSc in Civil Engineering from the University of Lahore, Pakistan, in 2016 and his PhD in Civil Engineering from The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) in 2022. After his doctorate, he completed a postdoctoral fellowship at King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM) in Saudi Arabia and subsequently served as a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at HKUST before joining HKMU.

Dr. Waqar’s research centres on the analysis of hydraulic transient waves in pressurized pipelines and on the development of efficient, low-cost, and noise-robust methods for pipeline defect detection. A principal outcome of this work is Time-Reversal Technology (TRT), which integrates fundamental pipeline hydraulics and wave physics into practical diagnostic tools for urban water systems. TRT has been patented, licensed, and deployed in collaboration with the Water Supplies Department (WSD), the Drainage Services Department (DSD), and the Airport Authority Hong Kong (AAHK). This work underpinned the team's Creativity Prize at the 12th award of the Prince Sultan Bin Abdulaziz International Prize for Water (PSIPW) and was selected by the HKUST School of Engineering as an Impact Case Study for the Research Assessment Exercise 2026.

His other recognitions include a Silver Medal at the 48th International Exhibition of Inventions Geneva (2023) for smart time-reversal technology for sewerage-line health monitoring, a Gold Award in the Global AI Challenge for Building E&M Facilities organised by the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSD), and the HKUST RedBird Academic Excellence Award for Continuing PhD Students.

To date, he has secured more than HK$4 million in funding to translate this research into practical technologies supporting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals on Clean Water and Sanitation (SDG 6), Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure (SDG 9), Sustainable Cities and Communities (SDG 11) and Life Below Water (SDG 14).