{{'Newsletter' | t}}
Navigating an Innovation-Driven Career: An Inspiring Fireside Chat with Dr Luyi Mo
Dr Luyi Mo engaging in an interactive dialogue with a full house of enthusiastic participants.
On 23 May 2025, HKU alumna Dr Luyi Mo—Vice President of Pony.ai, a global leader in the large-scale commercialisation of autonomous mobility—was invited to give a fireside chat jointly organised by the Graduate School and the Postgraduate Student Association. The event brought together over 50 enthusiastic participants from the University community in a meaningful and enlightening discussion.
Dr Mo obtained her PhD in Computer Science from HKU in 2015. During her time at the University, she became the world champion at the 35th Annual ACM International Collegiate Programming Contest World Finals in 2011, the first female world champion from China since it began in 1977. She joined Pony.ai in 2018 and successfully led the team to deploy China’s first Robotaxi service and continuously drives efforts to make Pony.ai the first company to operate a fully driverless Robotaxi service in all tier-1 cities in China.
In a lively chat moderated by Professor Edmund Lam, Associate Dean of the Graduate School, Dr Mo shared her experience in her career progression; she also provided key industry insights into autonomous driving technology as well as humorous anecdotes from her time as a PhD student at HKU. Foreseeing AI as an integral part of our daily life across various professions, Dr Mo encouraged students to be lifelong learners and to equip themselves, regardless of their fields, with the knowledge and skills to make full use of AI. “It’s essential to embrace the era of AI that we are in,” she remarked. “We have moved beyond just traditional coding. The real challenge and opportunity now lie in how you can apply AI technology across different industries to solve real-world problems. It’s not just about understanding AI but about integrating it into your work to create innovative solutions.”
After the sharing by Dr Mo, the session was opened up to Q&As from the floor, followed by free time for participants to mingle and have further exchanges with the speaker. The Graduate School extends its sincere gratitude to Dr Mo for sharing her valuable insights and experiences with our postgraduate community.
More than 50 participants join the fireside chat to engage in an enlightening discussion with the speaker at Tam Wing Fan Innovation Wing One.
Professor Edmund Lam presenting a souvenir to Dr Mo.
Students are enthusiastic to learn from the experience and career advice of the speaker.
Dr Mo explaining the auto-driving technology through a demonstration video.