Professor Xu is an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE) and a Professor of Automation and Computer-Aided Engineering at CUHK. He served as Assistant to the Vice-Chancellor (Mainland Affairs) from July 2006 to July 2008 and since August 2008 had been Associate Pro-Vice-Chancellor with responsibilities for the University's activities and development in Shenzhen and in mainland China as a whole.

Professor Xu will carry overall responsibilities for Shenzhen development projects and also assist the Vice-Chancellor in other mainland affairs. Professor Xu said, 'CUHK is an institution with a vision that stirs my passion. It is always my pleasure to serve the University. I am especially interested in the University's developments on the mainland in the past few years and the immense potentialities in future. Although the mainland projects are always full of challenges, they are very meaningful for Hong Kong, for the University and for the mainland in the long run. Over the years we have made important progress. We are now deliberating the establishment of a Shenzhen campus. I fully appreciate that our plans in Shenzhen carry heavy responsibilities, but at the same time they are rewarding in themselves. I pledge to do my best in assisting the Vice-Chancellor and working with my colleagues in carrying these plans forward.'

A world-renowned expert on robotics, Professor Xu obtained his BS and MS from Zhejiang University, and his PhD from the University of Pennsylvania in the US. He was a faculty member at the Robotics Institute, School of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon University, from 1989 to 1997. He joined CUHK in 1997.

Professor Xu is a staunch contributor to the advancement of intelligent control systems in China's space technology. He has initiated and participated in the research and development of relevant systems. Professor Xu was elected an academician of the Eurasian Academy of Sciences in 2001, a fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) in 2003, and a corresponding member of the International Academy of Astronautics as well as a member of the CAE in 2007.