Awards and Achievements

The University works extensively in promoting and expanding opportunities for students to engage in research activities to strengthen their research capability and gain hands-on experience. In this issue, we are proud to introduce some of the high-quality work and awards received by our research postgraduate students, whose achievements shine across multiple disciplines in the international arena and local community.

Faculty of Arts

HKU Young Historians Take Part in the American Historical Association’s Annual Meeting

Måns Ahlstedt Åberg, a PhD candidate from the School of Modern Languages and Cultures, participated in the 137th Annual Meeting of the American Historical Association (AHA) in San Francisco in January 2024. Since 1884, the AHA Annual Meeting has been the premier gathering for historians to come together to share research, engage in professional development, and network with other scholars from around the world.

During the 4-day event, Måns presented his paper titled ‘Chinese Visitors, English Libraries: The Role of Native Chinese Visitors for the Understanding of Collections of Chinese Books and Manuscripts in England, 1687–1775’. This paper focuses on the impact that three native Chinese visitors had on collections of Chinese books and manuscripts that were held by different libraries in England during the 17th and 18th centuries.

Also joining Måns at the Annual Meeting were Dr Ignatius Suglo, a PhD graduate in African Studies who is now doing a postdoc at the University of Pennsylvania, and Dr Sixing Chen, a PhD graduate in China Studies, who presented a paper titled ‘Glorify God in Our Bodies: Vernacular Physiology Primers in the Late Qing’ via pre-recorded video.

HKU Composers Excel in Local and International Settings

Three research students from the Department of Music have exhibited their talents in both local and international settings.

Anthony Ho-hei Au, an MPhil candidate from the Department of Music, had his composition ‘Hark! The Midnight Bell Echoes’ premiered by the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra on 23 March 2024. In this concert, the Hong Kong Philharmonic Chorus partnered with the HKU Chamber Singers to showcase four contrasting choral works. Led by French conductor Chloé Dufresne, the orchestra and combined chorus performed Anthony’s work at HKU’s Grand Hall.

PhD candidate Angus Yi-wai Lee recently led the Frankfurt-based contemporary music group Ensemble Modern at the opening concert of the ECLAT Festival for New Music 2024 in Germany in February 2024. The opening concert is a concert for prize winners of the Composition Prize of the State Capital Stuttgart 2023, with Angus Lee as the Conductor of the concert.

Jing Wang, also a PhD candidate from Department of Music, was awarded Third Prize in the ICIT Award 2023, hosted by the International Composition Institute of Thailand in December 2023. 14 talented composers participated in the competition, and the judges were impressed with the quality of compositions by this year’s ICIT composers.

Faculty of Architecture

Architecture Students Win First Runner-up Award in an Urban Design Competition

Research postgraduate students Renfeng Wang from the Division of Landscape Architecture and Keyu Xie, Shuangshuang Wang, and Can Zhang from the Department of Real Estate and Construction have recently won the First Runner-up Award in An Urban Oasis for Foodies and the Neighbourhood Live Case Competition 2023.

In this competition, the team proposed a comprehensive design scheme for a 0.2-hectare open parking lot on No.101 and No.111 King’s Road in North Point. The scheme covered the aspects of block design, construction, and operation management, and adopted the concept of ESG (environmental, social, and governance) throughout the design process. By introducing new building materials, an integrated micro-smart management system, and an innovative management mode, the scheme integrated biodiversity, public interaction, material sustainability, organic food, activity richness, and management intelligence into every aspect of the design.

Mr Nick Tang, the CEO of Wang On Properties, commented: “This visionary project for No. 101 and No. 111 King‘s Road has brilliantly showcased the transformative possibilities, creating a vibrant urban oasis that caters to the needs of our local community.”

A team of research students from the Faculty of Architecture won the First Runner-up Award in a design competition.

A comprehensive design scheme for a 0.2-hectare open parking lot on No.101 and No.111 King’s Road in North Point

Young HKU Architects Awarded in the Young Professional Design Award

A group of young architects led by Professor Chao Ren from the Division of Landscape Architecture were awarded the Commendation Entry (Elite Group) for a design proposal submitted to the ‘Building with Imaginations, Envisioning the Future’ Young Professional Design Award. The research team members include postdoctoral fellow Dr Feiyang Zhang and PhD students Jiali Li and Yilun Li.

The awarded entry features a concept of ‘Digital Nomad Village: For a co-creative & eco-living future’. It aims to establish a transformative paradigm adaptable for the existing villages in Northern Hong Kong by blending community, ecology, and culture. By taking a village located at the centre of the future San Tin Technopole, the proposed paradigm introduces a new eco-village design concept realising sustainable development goals, creating an intergeneration co-living mode for both high-tech youth from Hong Kong/ Shenzhen and local elderly villagers, while respecting the local history and culture.

Read more about the awarded proposal at Young Professional Design Award 2023 (crlypda.hk).

Faculty of Education

PhD Student Gains Insights from Hong Kong’s Largest Educational Conference

PhD student Chi Wui Ng from the Faculty of Education took part in the HKERA-APERA International Conference 2023, Hong Kong’s largest educational conference.

Having two proposals accepted, Chi Wui shared the preliminary findings of his doctoral research project with educational researchers and practitioners from around the world, and gave an individual presentation entitled ‘An Autoethnography of an English Teacher’s Incorporation of Information Technology into Education in Hong Kong’.

During the 5-day conference, Chi Wui got insights into some research methods such as network analysis and the participatory approach, as well as the importance of enhancing students’ wellness, incorporating social emotional learning into the school curriculum under the “new normal” in the post-pandemic era.

“I would like to thank my course instructor Professor Jisun Jung for her supervision of the research project”, Chi Wui said. “As the theoretical framework draws upon concepts of technological pedagogical content knowledge and digital literary, I would also like to thank Professor Ron Darvin (University of British Columbia) for introducing these notions to me. Moreover, as I first came across the idea of ‘autoethnography’ when I attended the CAERDA Conference in 2018, thanks to Dr Sally Wan (BEd and MEd graduate of HKU) for piquing my interest in this unique research approach.”

Faculty of Engineering

An Innovative Dog Mental Wellness Solution Wins at ABIC Pitching Corner 2024

An innovative dog mental wellness solution project ‘Saliva Mental: Dog Wellness Assessment Ball’ won the Professional Judges’ Choice Award at Pitching Corner 2024, which was hosted by the Advanced Biomedical Instrumentation Centre (ABIC) at HKU. This project was led by Professor Anderson Shum, Dr Sammer Ul Hassan, and Dr Haisong Lin, with Chi Song, a PhD student from the Department of Mechanical Engineering, as one of the research team members.

Saliva Mental is an innovative dog mental wellness solution consisting of a play ball and test strips. The ball effortlessly collects saliva while dogs play, allowing stress hormone detection on accompanying testing strips. This user-friendly product seamlessly integrates into daily routines, enabling dog owners to easily assess and understand their dogs’ mental health. By empowering owners to monitor their dogs’ well-being, Saliva Mental strengthens the human-canine bond and enhances overall happiness. Prioritising accessibility and scientific accuracy, the invention promotes the well-being and emotional care of our cherished furry friends.

(This article is adapted from https://www.hku.hk/press/press-releases/detail/27097.html.)

HKU Engineering Team'’s Quantum Sensing Breakthrough Opens New Doors for Monitoring Dynamic Processes in Biological Systems

A collaborative project led by Professor Zhiqin Chu, Professor Can Li, and Professor Ngai Wong of the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering has made a breakthrough in enhancing the speed and resolution of widefield quantum sensing, leading to new opportunities in scientific research and practical applications. This approach is particularly effective in scenarios where image changes are infrequent, such as object tracking and autonomous vehicles, as it eliminates redundant static background signals.

PhD candidate Zhiyuan Du, the first author of this paper, said his professor’s focus on quantum sensing had inspired him and other team members to break new ground in the area. He is also driven by a passion for integrating sensing and computing. “The latest development provides new insights for high-precision and low-latency widefield quantum sensing,” Zhiyuan said, “with possibilities for integration with emerging memory devices to realise more intelligent quantum sensors.”

The research paper titled ‘Widefield Diamond Quantum Sensing with Neuromorphic Vision Sensors’ has been published in the journal Advanced Science.

(This article is adapted from https://www.hku.hk/press/press-releases/detail/27099.html.)

LKS Faculty of Medicine

HKUMed PhD Students Join a Research Team to Develop a Robust Platform to Generate Cells to Enhance Cancer Immunotherapy Efficacy

A joint research team from HKU’s LKS Faculty of Medicine (HKUMed) and The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology has used stem cells to generate human immune cells for application in cancer immunotherapy. By replicating the natural process through which our bodies generate immune cells, this breakthrough platform is expected to significantly enhance cancer-targeting efficacy. The team’s findings were recently published in Signal Transduction and Targeted Therapy.

“The joint research team successfully established a new and robust platform for generating functional immune cells, the first time from human expanded potential stem cells”, said Professor Rio Sugimura, the lead author of the study. “This approach will significantly enhance the efficacy and accessibility of cancer immunotherapy. The team is already working on a strategy to further enhance the cancer-targeting efficacy of immune cells, focusing on liver cancer, which remains one of the most prevalent cancers in Hong Kong.’

The research was led by Professor Sugimura, Assistant Professor, School of Biomedical Sciences, HKUMed. Team members included Chao Yiming, PhD candidate, Centre for Translational Stem Cell Biology and School of Biomedical Sciences, HKUMed, and Xiang Yang, PhD candidate, School of Biomedical Sciences, HKUMed. Other researchers who contributed to the research included Xiao Jiashun, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST); Zheng Weizhong, School of Biomedical Sciences, HKUMed; Dr Mo Ebrahimkhani, University of Pittsburgh, United States; Dr Yang Can and Dr Angela Wu Ruohao, HKUST; and Professor Pengtao Liu and Dr Huang Yuanhua, Centre for Translational Stem Cell Biology and the School of Biomedical Sciences, HKUMed.

(This article is adapted from https://www.hku.hk/press/press-releases/detail/27082.html.)

HKUMed Research Team Identifies PLK4 as a Promising Therapeutic Target for TP53 Mutated AML

A joint research team led by Professor Anskar Leung Yu-hung from the Department of Medicine has identified PLK4 as a novel therapeutic target for acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) carrying the TP53 mutation. AML is a deadly disease, for which there is currently a lack of effective treatment options. The results may provide the mechanistic foundation for setting up clinical trials in this AML subtype with a view to improving patient outcomes. In addition to hospitals in the US and Canada, the Haematology Division at Queen Mary Hospital will become a treatment site that is participating in global clinical trials to test the effects of PLK4 inhibitor in AML patients. The study was published in Blood.

The first authors of the paper include Dr Cheuk Him-man, Research Assistant Professor, and Eunis Lam and Dr Kenny Dang, MPhil and PhD students, respectively, of the Department of Medicine, HKUMed. Major collaborators include Professor Carmen Wong Chak-lui, Department of Pathology, School of Clinical Medicine, HKUMed; Professor Michael Huen Shing-yan, Professor, School of Biomedical Sciences, HKUMed; Professor Eric So, King’s College London, UK; and Professor Mak Tak-wah, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto, Canada.

(This article is adapted from https://www.hku.hk/press/press-releases/detail/27000.html.)

Final-year PhD Student Shares 2023 Conference Experiences

Yifan Wang, a year-4 PhD student from the School of Chinese Medicine won the Outstanding Presentation Award at the 28th Research Postgraduate Symposium of HKU Med with his presentation titled ‘C-reactive protein promotes diabetic nephropathy via SMAD3 mediated NLRP3 inflammasome activation’.

Yifan’s research reveals the potential molecular mechanism of inflammation in diabetic nephropathy. This paper was also presented at the World Congress of Nephrology 2023 in Thailand and received the Reaching Out Award by the Hong Kong SAR Government. Last summer, Yifan also represented the School of Chinese Medicine at the 19th meeting of the Consortium for Globalization of Chinese Medicine (CGCM) in Chengdu, China.

“The chance for international communication inspires me to find novel research targets”, Yifan shared. “I’m grateful that HKU offers opportunities to our research postgraduate students to exchange knowledge worldwide. I would also like to thank my supervisor, Professor Haiyong Chen, for his kind guidance and support.”

Chinese Medicine Students Publish a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis on Diabetic Kidney Disease

PhD students Jianbo Guo, Yifan Wang, and Baoyi Shao from the School of Chinese Medicine joined a group of researchers to publish an article titled ‘Dose-response association of diabetic kidney disease with routine clinical parameters in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus: A systematic review and meta-analysis’ in EClinicalMedicine.

The article presents a systematic review and meta-analysis on the examination of the association between diabetic kidney disease onset and various clinical parameters. Random-effect dose–response meta-analyses utilising one-stage and/or cubic spline models were used to estimate correlation strength. This study is registered in PROSPERO (CRD42022326148).

Their findings suggest that routine clinical parameters in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus require further attention to prevent the onset of diabetic kidney disease, with a particular focus on body mass index, hemoglobin A1c, systolic blood pressure, triglyceride, high-density lipoprotein, and serum uric acid levels. The effects of these parameters on the increase in albuminuria and decrease in glomerular filtration rate and type 2 diabetes mellitus in different regions should receive more attention.

Faculty of Science

HKU Astrophysicists Crack the Case of ‘Disappearing’ Sulphur in Planetary Nebulae

Ms Shuyu Tan – an HKU MPhil graduate of the Department of Physics and a Research Assistant in the HKU Laboratory for Space Research (LSR) – along with her supervisor Professor Quentin Parker, Director of LSR, utilised an unprecedented sample of exceptional high signal to noise (S/N) optical spectra for approximately 130 Planetary Nebulae (PNe) located in the centre of our Galaxy. This exceptional dataset had minimal background noise, allowing for a clear and detailed examination of the spectral features, helping the team effectively tackle and solve the mystery. The team has recently reported their findings in Astrophysical Journal Letters.

The authors have effectively disproven previous claims suggesting that the sulphur anomaly in PNe was a result of underestimated higher sulphur ionisation stages or weak sulphur line fluxes. This finding underscores the critical importance of high-quality data in unravelling scientific mysteries.

(This article is adapted from https://www.hku.hk/press/press-releases/detail/27089.html.)

Faculty of Social Sciences

New Book Release on Lifelong Well-being and Retirement Planning

Professor Vivian Weiqun Lou and her PhD student Clio Yuen Man Cheng from the Department of Social Work and Social Administration have recently released a book titled Seven Resources for Lifelong Wellbeing and Retirement Planning: The Golden Age Playbook.

The book stems from the Jockey Club Golden Age Journey Project. Drawing upon extensive empirical evidence, the authors have developed the Second Half Wellbeing Framework that interconnects the following seven essential resources crucial for a purposeful and fulfilling life: social, emotional and spiritual, physical, cognitive, motivational, talent, and financial. By comprehending and harnessing these resources, individuals can navigate the intricacies of ageing and retirement, ensuring a smooth transition into this golden phase of life.

With evidence-based practices and real-life examples, this book offers readers a wealth of knowledge and actionable strategies leading to fulfilling lives. Visit the Cambridge Scholars Publishing website for more information about this publication.

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