

ABOUT ME
Dongsheng He (何东升)
I am a PhD candidate at the Department of Urban Planning and Design, The University of Hong Kong (HKU) (2021 - now). I am expected to graduate in October 2025, and am in the job market looking for a postdoc/research associate position.
I hold a visiting researcher position at the Institute of Transportation Studies, Luskin School of Public Affairs at California University, Los Angeles (UCLA) in 2025. I am also a member of Urban Infrastructure Transformation lab (uLab-Infrastructure).
Prior to pursuing a PhD, I obtained my MPhil degree in Architecture and Urban Studies at the University of Cambridge (2020 - 2021). I also hold a bachelor's degree in Urban Planning from Sun Yat-sen University (SYSU), Mainland China (2015 - 2020).
My research mainly focuses on how urban infrastructure (e.g., metro system, greenway) is provided and its impacts. Leveraging rigorous research design (e.g., quasi-experiment approach), I provide evidence-based implications for planning policymaking. My ongoing thesis lies on how market-based value capture schemes financing transit-oriented development (TOD) projects in high-density Asian cities (e.g., Hong Kong, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen).
I have co-authored over 10 academic papers. My peer-reviewed publications are featured in urban studies, transportation, and geography journals, including Urban Studies, Landscape and Urban Planning, Land Use Policy, Transportation Research Part D, and Health & Place.
To know more about me, please find my full CV.
Please feel free to keep connect via Linkedin, Google Scholar, and Twitter
Recent update
April 2025 - I was invited to give a FED Talk at ITS UCLA
Jan 2025 - I am thrilled to start my visiting to Institute of Transportation Studies at UCLA
Jan 2025 - One chapter of my PhD thesis was accepted for publication in Land Use Policy
November 2024 - One chapter of my PhD thesis was requested for revision at Journal of Environment and Planning B
Key academic awards
2024- HKU Foundation First Year Excellent PhD Award 2024 (15 recipients each year across HKU) (Awards & Scholarships | HKU Graduate School)
2023- Finalist of UK Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) Early Career Researcher Award 2023 (3-4 finalists each year across RTPI chartered schools) (RTPI | 2023 finalists)
2021- HKU Presidential Scholarship 2021 (HKU Presidential PhD Scholar Programme | HKU Graduate School)
2021- Hong Kong Government PhD Fellowship Scheme (HKPFS) 2021
Contact
Email: hedsh3@connect.hku.hk Tel: (+852) 59700616
Address: 3320 Public Affairs Building, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA, 90095
8F, Knowles Building, The University of Hong Kong, Pok Fu Lam Road, Hong Kong