G'day!
I am an Associate Professor in Project Management at the School of Built Environment, University of Technology Sydney, Australia, which is why the domain name is "pm-professor.com". My name is pronounced "yong-jyen kuh".
Education
- PhD in Management Science and Engineering, Tsinghua University, China (2005–2010)
- Bachelor of Engineering in Project Management, Tsinghua University, China (2001–2005)
Academic Positions
- Associate Professor in Project Management, University of Technology Sydney, Australia (2022–present)
- Senior Lecturer in Project Management, University of Technology Sydney, Australia (2016–2021)
- Lecturer in Construction Management, University of Newcastle, Australia (2013–2016)
- Research Fellow, National University of Singapore, Singapore (2010–2013)
- Research Assistant, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong SAR (2007–2008)
Affiliations
- UTS School of Built Environment, HDR Coordinator, Short Forms of Learning Coordinator
- CIB Working Commission W122 ‐ Public Private Partnership, Communications Coordinator
- Project Management Journal, Department Editor
- International Journal of Project Organisation and Management, Australian Editor
- Built Environment Project and Asset Management, Associate Editor
- Standards Australia MB012 - Project, Programme and Portfolio Management, UTS Representative
- Australia-China Relations Institute (UTS:ACRI), Research Associate
Research Summary
My research focuses on the dynamics of infrastructure delivery, with particular emphasis on project management and public-private partnerships in the Australian and Chinese contexts. I explore how large-scale projects can achieve sustainable outcomes through effective risk allocation, stakeholder engagement, and collaborative governance. To date, I have authored over 100 journal papers, with more than 7,900 citations and an h-index of 36. I was recognised among the Stanford-listed Top 2% Scientist.
My current research interests include:
- Social Licence for Infrastructure – Developing a unique framework to define, assess, and sustain social licence in infrastructure projects
- Social Procurement in China – Examining how procurement practices can generate social value in project delivery in China
- AI Readiness of Construction Projects – Developing an AI readiness framework tailored to the temporary and dynamic nature of construction project settings
Recent Publications
See the full list of publications on my Google Scholar profile.
2025
- Cross-boundary tensions between the project owner and project manager in value creation
N. Sun, Y. Ning, Y. Ke, F. Zheng, Y. Li
Project Management Journal - Does opportunism always reduce stakeholder satisfaction in Public-Private Partnership (PPP) projects? A theory of benign opportunism
X. Xu, L. Wang, S. Sankaran, Y. Ke, R. Müller
Production Planning & Control - Exploring the impact of job satisfaction on turnover intention among professionals in the construction industry
S. Zhang, J. Wang, Y. Ke, N. Li, Z. Su
Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management - Modeling for project portfolio synergy benefits measurement
L. Bai, J. Lin, L. Zhang, T. Pan, Y. Ke, X. Zhou
International Journal of Modelling and Simulation - Local government’s intention to use public-private partnerships for infrastructure projects in China: Antecedents in a technology acceptance model
M. Jiang, C. Cui, B. Xia, M. Skitmore, Y. Ke, Y. Liu
Sustainability - Evaluating the resilience of social license to operate towards NIMBY facilities: a cloud model-based approach
T. Jiang, Z. Xu, X. He, B. Xia, Y. Ke, M. Skitmore, Y. Liu
Environmental Impact Assessment Review - The causation of design error in the construction industry: A multi-stakeholder perspective
S. Zhang, R. Y. Sunindijo, J. Wang, Z. Su, Y. Ke, X. Liu
Journal of Performance of Constructed Facilities
2024
- Towards sustainable development: assessing social sustainability of Australian aged care system
K. Wang, Y. Ke
Sustainable Development - A dynamic framework for contractors to measure the performance of highway maintenance based on grey theory
X. Wu, X. Shi, Y. Ke, Y. Li, M. Wan, X. Gong
Scientific Reports - How socially sustainable is the institutional care environment in China: A content analysis of media reporting
K. Wang, Y. Ke, S. Sankaran
Buildings - Developing a suitability assessment model for public private partnerships: A case in urban China
Z. Cheng, Y. Zhu, H. Wang, Y. Ke
Humanities and Social Sciences Communications - Impact of psychological distance on public acceptance of waste-to-energy combustion projects
Q. Zhou, X. Luo, X. Gao, B. Xia, Y. Ke, M. Skitmore, Y. Liu
Environmental Impact Assessment Review - Exploring the effect of procedural fairness on the social license to operate of resource development projects: A meta-analysis
K. Jin, S. Yu, B. Xia, Y. Ke, M. Skitmore, Y. Liu
Resources Policy - A (meta)governance framework for multi-level governance of inter-organizational project networks
R. Müller, C. Alix-Séguin, R. Alonderienė, M. Bourgault, A. Chmieliauskas, N. Drouin, Y. Ke, L. Wang, M. Pilkienė, I. Minelgaite, S. Šimkonis, C. Unterhitzenberger, A.L. Vaagaasar, F. Zhu
Production Planning & Control - Social sustainability of communities: A systematic literature review
K. Wang, Y. Ke
Sustainable Production and Consumption - The social pillar of sustainable development: measurement and current status of social sustainability of aged care projects in China
K. Wang, Y. Ke, S. Sankaran
Sustainable Development - Public-private partnerships: pro-cyclical or counter-cyclical? An empirical study
V. Albornoz, Y. Ke, J. Millán
International Journal of Construction Management - Guest editorial: Public private partnerships: past, present and future
B. Laishram, G. Devkar, Y. Ke, A. A. Aziz
Built Environment Project and Asset Management - Making sense of the definition of public-private partnerships
Y. Ke, Z. Cheng, J. Zhang, Y. Liu
Built Environment Project and Asset Management
2023
- How to shape local public acceptance of Not-In-My-Backyard infrastructures? A social cognitive theory perspective
W. Bao, Y. Chen, C. Cui, B. Xia, Y. Ke, M. Skitmore, Y. Liu
Sustainability - Are public-private partnerships still an answer for social infrastructure? A systematic literature review
L. Ma, Y. Hu, L. Zhu, Y. Ke
Frontiers of Engineering Management - Social sustainability of aged care public-private partnership projects in China: critical practices and realisation paths
K. Wang, Y. Ke, S. Sankaran
Journal of Cleaner Production - Tradition and innovation in construction project management
Y. Ke, J. Zhang, S.P. Philbin
Buildings - A new framework to evaluate and optimize digital transformation policies in the construction industry: a China case study
J. Zhang, M. Chen, P. Ballesteros-Pérez, Y. Ke, Z. Gong, Q. Ni
Journal of Building Engineering - Comparative analysis on the PPP research in Chinese and international journals: a bibliometric perspective
Q. Sun, S. Zhang, Y. Ke, X. Ma, S. Galvin
International Journal of Construction Management - A multi-level governance model for inter-organizational project networks
C. Unterhitzenberger, R. Müller, A.L. Vaagaasar, Y. Ke, R. Alonderiene, I. Minelgaite, M. Pilkiene, L. Wang, N. Drouin, A. Chmieliauskas, S. Simkonis, M. Mongeon
Project Management Journal - System framework for digital monitoring of the construction of asphalt concrete pavement based on IoT, Beidou navigation system and 5G technology
J. Zhang, Z. Zhu, H. Liu, J. Zuo, Y. Ke, S.P. Philbin, Z. Zhou, Y. Feng, Q. Ni
Buildings - Evaluating the social license to operate of waste-to-energy incineration projects: a case study from the Yangtze River Delta of China
X. He, M. Xu, C. Cui, B. Xia, Y. Ke, M. Skitmore, Y. Liu
Journal of Cleaner Production - Social acceptance of NIMBY facilities: a comparative study between public acceptance and the social license to operate analytical frameworks
M. Xu, Y. Liu, C. Cui, B. Xia, Y. Ke, M. Skitmore
Land Use Policy