Researcher in Spotlight: Dr Wei Ting (Kevin) Hong | April

The John Grill Institute for Project Leadership’s monthly ‘Researcher in Spotlight’ piece aims to highlight the bright minds that make up our organisation and to showcase the diverse range of experts who contribute to our work. This month, we are delighted to feature a profile on our amazing Postdoctoral Researcher: Dr Wei Ting (Kevin) Hong.

Please briefly introduce yourself.
I am the Postdoctoral Research Associate in Project Analytics at the John Grill Institute for Project Leadership responsible for the Project Models and Digital Transformation research theme. Before undertaking my academic journey, I was a seasoned public transport professional with over five years of experience in railway safety, digital transformation, project leadership, project delivery, operations and interdisciplinary integration in government sectors and academia. In my native country of Taiwan, I was an operations controller at Taipei Rapid Transit Co. Ltd where I managed the metro system’s overall operations and dispatch of trains, human resources, and maintenance in the front line.

What are your research interests?
My research covers three main contexts: digital transformation in project delivery, Natural Language Processing (NLP),  and public transport management. I am particularly interested in how artificial intelligence (AI) can benefit project models, specifically concentrating on the potential of NLP and Large Language Models (LLMs). I want to explore how we can bridge the gap between industry and academia by translating and converting academic knowledge so that in can be efficiently implemented in industry. Regarding railway safety and the organisational learning behaviour in the transport industry, I am specifically looking into railway safety culture and the learning barriers to safety knowledge in practice.

How does this relate to Project Leadership?
Project leadership primarily involves the process of leading a team to achieve the goals of a project effectively and efficiently. My focus is on leveraging AI and other emerging technologies to create innovative solutions for a more efficient delivery. Technological development can lead to higher productivity, so the transformation process is critical and comes with risks.

How has being involved in the John Grill Institute for Project Leadership been? How has it enhanced your work?
Working with the John Grill Institute for Project Leadership allows me to engage with more industry bodies and to further disseminate the idea that AI can be useful in their daily operations or structure. I also get the opportunity to meet with many experts in computer science and get to learn from them what the barriers are when it comes to practical implementation.