News & Events - 1003

The HKUST Department of Physics is proud to announce that Chair Prof. LAW Kam Tuen of the Department of Physics has been named a “New Cornerstone Investigator“ by the Tencent-funded New Cornerstone Science Foundation. Prof. Law is among 35 distinguished scientists selected this year from across the nation and the sole honoree from Hong Kong.   University Press Releases: HKUST Prof. LAW Kam-Tuen Named “New Cornerstone Investigator” – Hong Kong’s Only Honoree this Year 科大羅錦團教授獲選「新基石研究員」　成為本年度香港地區唯一獲選者 科大罗锦团教授获选「新基石研究员」　成为本年度香港地区唯一获选者 Read more

The HKUST Department of Physics is proud to announce the award of the Future Science Prize by the Future Science Prize Foundation to our colleague, Prof. Xi DAI, which he shared equally with Prof. Zhong FANG (Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences) and Prof. Hong DING (Tsung-Dao Lee Institute, Shanghai Jiao Tong University), “for their contributions to the computational prediction and experimental realization of topological electronic materials.”   University Press Releases: HKUST Scholar Prof. DAI Xi Awarded 2025 Future Science Prize – China’s Nobel Equivalent 香港科大學者戴希教授問鼎有「中國諾貝爾獎」之稱的2025未來科學大獎   Future Science Prize: https://www.futureprize.org/en/laureates/list.html Read more

Congratulations to Assistant Professor Xueyang Song for being awarded the prestigious 2025 Croucher Tak Wah Mak Innovation Award 2025 by the Croucher Foundation in recognition of her groundbreaking research in theoretical condensed matter physics.   Established in 2012, the Croucher Innovation Awards aim to identify and provide substantial support to a small number of exceptionally talented “rising stars” in science and engineering disciplines at a formative stage of their careers. Recipients are selected or their distinguished doctoral and post-doctoral work, internationally competitive research achievements, and high-impact contributions to their field. Prof. Song's research focuses on "decoding" quantum materials – substances with bizarre properties like superconductivity and the ability to make particles behave as fractions of themselves. Specializing in quantum materials like frustrated quantum magnets, fractional quantum Hall states, and exotic superconductors, Prof. Song investigates emergent phenomena such as fractionalization and gauge structures. Her research employs cutting-edge frameworks of symmetry, anomaly, and topology to decode physical properties and phase transitions in advanced materials, particularly in 2D systems (e.g., Moiré system). By combining formal theoretical tools, analytical models with computational simulations, she bridges fundamental physics with real-world applications, including energy-efficient materials and novel devices. Prof. Song joined HKUST as an Assistant Professor of Physics in 2023. Her passion for physics emerged during high school, where she competed in the 14th Asian Physics Olympiad (APhO) and earned a gold medal. She pursued her undergraduate studies at Peking University, graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree, before advancing to Harvard University for her PhD in physics. Prior to joining HKUST as a faculty member, Prof. Song honed her research skills as a Moore postdoctoral fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).   Press Releases: HKUST: Croucher Innovation Award 2025 Croucher Foundation: Innovation Awards 2025   Read more

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Congratulations to Prof. Che Ting Chan, Prof. Jensen Li, and Prof. Bei Zeng of the Department of Physics for important recognition of their research achievements. Prof. Che Ting Chan was elected Member of the Hong Kong Academy of Sciences (ASHK). The ASHK was founded in 2015 with the purpose to promote the development, advancement, and teaching of science and technology in Hong Kong, to educate and inform the public on issues pertaining to science and technology, and to foster Hong Kong as a centre of scientific excellence. Elected Membership in the Academy represents the highest academic honour in the field of science and technology that Hong Kong peers can bestow. Prof. Jensen Li was elected Member of the Hong Kong Young Academy of Sciences (YASHK). Established as a chapter of the ASHK in 2018, the YASHK is comprised of members in their early and mid-career who contribute jointly with the ASHK to the advancement and promotion of science and technology in Hong Kong. Prof. Bei Zeng was elected Fellow of the American Physical Society (APS). Prof. Zeng was nominated for this prestigious Fellowship by the Division of Quantum Information, which cited her “For pioneering work and contributions in quantum information science (QIS), including error correction and fault-tolerance, many-body entanglement, quantum tomography, quantum marginals, and QIS applications in quantum matter, and for her long-term contribution to QIS services and education.” The APS Fellowship Program was established to recognize members who have made exceptional contributions to the physics enterprise through outstanding research, leadership or service, or application of physics to science and technology. Each year, no more than 0.5% of the total APS membership is elected for Fellowship after a rigorous and competitive review process.  Read more

Congratulations to Prof. Gyu-Boong Jo, Prof. Jiannong Wang, and Prof. Jingdi Zhang (left to right) in the Department of Physics for important recognition of their research achievements. Associate Prof. Gyu-Boong Jo has been named an RGC Research Fellow by the Hong Kong Research Grant Committee (RGC) in recognition of his outstanding academic and research achievements. Prof. Jo’s selection for the Fellowship was made in support of his cutting-edge work titled “Emulating New Quantum Matter using an Atomic Quantum Simulator with Ultracold Atoms”, in which he controls an ensemble of atoms in a quantum simulator to tackle intractable problems in quantum science.  Chair Prof. Jiannong Wang, who currently serves as the Head of the Department, was elected Fellow of the Physical Society of Hong Kong. The citation for this prestigious honor recognized Prof. Wang “for her groundbreaking discoveries and exploration of semiconductor heterostructures and quantum materials”. Assistant Prof. Jingdi Zhang has been selected to be a recipient of a 2021 NSFC Excellent Young Scientists Scheme (Hong Kong and Macau) Award by the National Science Foundation of China (NSFC). This award recognizes Prof. Zhang as one of the most prominent and promising young scientists in Hong Kong and Macau for his innovative use of state-of-the-art time- and energy-resolved ultrafast terahertz spectroscopy to study ultrafast non-equilibrium dynamics in quantum materials by means of light-matter interaction. Read more

 Prof Tao Liu was awarded 2016 School of Science Research Award.   Read more

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The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) held its 15th Congregation from 7-9 November, conferring 1,862 Bachelor’s, 1,317 Master’s, and 149 Doctoral degrees.   The final day Ceremony (9 November) was presided over by the Chief Executive of HKSAR Government and Chancellor of HKUST, the Hon Donald Tsang.   During this ceremony, the University conferred honorary doctorates on three distinguished awardees in recognition of their outstanding achievements and contributions. They are:   Prof the Hon Louis Cha, GBM, influential author and co-founder of Ming Pao: Doctor of Letters honoris causa Dr William M W Mong, GBS, celebrated philanthropist and Chairman & Senior Managing Director of Shun Hing Group: Doctor of Business Administration honoris causa Prof K Barry Sharpless, Nobel Laureate in Chemistry: Doctor of Science honoris causa   The Congregation also saw other University awards presented for outstanding achievements.   Prof Pak-Wo Leung, Associate Professor of Physics, received HKUST’s highest accolade in teaching, the Michael G Gale Medal for Distinguished Teaching. Prof Leung is honored for his dedication, passion and commitment to professional teaching as well as his care for students’ academic and personal growth.   This year’s Stephen Cheong Kam-chuen Medal for Distinguished Service to the Student Body was awarded to Li Lok Wai Enrico, President of the 14th Session of Students’ Union. He devoted himself to organizing a series of forums on campus life and current affairs. Under his leadership, he and his executive committee members organized visits to their counterparts in other Asian universities to promote culture exchange.   “My Most Influential Teacher Award” was presented separately to the late Mr Francis Kong, former English teacher of Wah Yan College, Kowloon, and Miss Leung Siu Yin, teacher of World History and Chinese History at Carmel Pak U Secondary School. The selection for the award is based on votes by students in the graduating class who are invited to nominate a full-time secondary school teacher with strong positive impact on their lives and studies.   The 15th Congregation has expanded the ranks of HKUST alumni to around 30,000 since the University’s establishment in 1991. Read more