Senior researchers at CityU were granted more than HK$23 million in research funding from the inaugural Senior Research Fellow Scheme and Research Fellow Scheme under the Research Grants Council. The success in securing funding for the development of four research projects spotlights CityU’s research strengths and recognition of our efforts in fostering interdisciplinary research. The funding will be used to support four CityU scientists in advancing research into mathematical theories for kinetic equations, flexible electronic technologies, nano-mechanics and strain engineering, and novel light-generation technologies.

The four CityU scientists are: (from left) Professor Yang Tong, Chair Professor of Mathematics; Professor Johnny Chung-yin Ho, Professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering; Dr Lu Yang, Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering; and Dr Wang Feng, Associate Professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering.

CityU is ranked #48 according to the latest data from Quacquarelli Symonds. In terms of research quality as measured by citations per faculty member, CityU is ranked among the top 22 globally, reflecting its substantial and rapidly rising research strengths. Furthermore, CityU comes 1st in the Most International University Rankings from Times Higher Education.

A newly launched PhD scholarship funded by donations from our supporters offers up to HK$1.56 million for a 4-year doctoral programme. The highly prestigious CityU Presidential PhD Scholarship will fund outstanding full-time PhD students studying STEM-related fields, i.e. science, technology, engineering and mathematics, in accordance with donors’ wishes. These areas align significantly with the interdisciplinary, translational research agenda embedded within our new Strategic Plan 2020–2025, including One Health, Digital Society, Smart City, Matter, and Brain, fields in which CityU has excelled in recent years.

One of our top scientists, Professor Ron Chen Guanrong, Chair Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering, has been ranked 1st in Hong Kong and in Asia, 4th among Chinese scholars, and 16th on the World’s Top 1000 Scientist List. The rankings are compiled according to the 2020 (6th edition) of the Top Scientists Ranking for Computer Science and Electronics by Guide2Research.

Professor Jeffrey Shaw, Yeung Kin Man Chair Professor of Media Art in the School of Creative Media, has been recognised with the 2020 ACM SIGGRAPH Distinguished Artist Award for Lifetime Achievement in Digital Art. He has been acknowledged as a “singular visionary and pioneer in the creation of interactive and immersive media art”.

CityU scientists have developed a new method for identifying binding proteins of non-coding RNAs in living cells. The findings can be applied in cancer diagnosis and stem cell research, and may even help to identify potential antiviral drug targets to combat Covid-19. The research is led by Dr Yan Jian, Dr Zhang Liang and Dr Chan Kui-ming, Assistant Professors in the Department of Biomedical Sciences, and findings were published in the latest issue of Nature Methods under the title “CRISPR-assisted detection of RNA-protein interactions in living cells”.

Dr Hector Rodriguez (right), Associate Professor in the School of Creative Media (SCM), and SCM alumna Vvzela Kook (left) were named Artist of the Year (Media Arts) and Young Artist (Media Arts), respectively, at the 14th Hong Kong Arts Development Awards. The Awards are organised by the Hong Kong Arts Development Council. This is the third consecutive year that SCM’s faculty members have won top honours at this event.

Dr Chu Sai-tak, Associate Professor in the Department of Physics, has played a pivotal role in advancing data transmission speed on the internet to make it the fastest in the world. Such speed will facilitate downloading 1,000 high-definition movies in less than a second, according to the international team that undertook the research. This exciting discovery helps to address the world’s increasing demand for faster internet connectivity, especially after the global outbreak of Covid-19, which has led to more people working at home and using technology for socialising and entertainment.

A research team co-led by a scientist at CityU has discovered a new, non-invasive way to detect early-stage Alzheimer’s disease, helping patients get the necessary treatments around 10 years before any symptoms appear. In collaboration with Johns Hopkins University in the US, Dr Kannie Chan Wai-yan (front row, left), Associate Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at CityU, and her research team have developed a molecular imaging approach based on Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), which can measure changes in the levels of glucose in the brain’s lymphatic system. This approach could provide early clues about the disease.

A strategic partnership with leading business expansion solutions, telecommunications and technology corporations will promote the development of Hong Kong as a smart city through digital solutions in the financial industry. In July, CityU, Tricor Hong Kong, 3 Hong Kong, Microsoft Hong Kong and TFI Digital Media Limited signed a memorandum of understanding for exploring innovative and capable solutions to enhance investor relations and boost innovation-led growth in Hong Kong’s financial sector. “Smart city is one of the five major areas of translational research in the University’s recently published five-year strategic plan,” President Way Kuo said at the signing.

CityU environmental scientists have proposed a new pathway for the formation of sulfate, providing new insights for improving haze prediction to address air pollution problems. Sulfate is a key component of particulate matter during haze episodes in China. The team, led by Professor Chan Chak-keung (right), Dean of the School of Energy and Environment and Chair Professor of Atmospheric Environment, published the research in the prestigious journal Environmental Science & Technology Letters. The article was recognised as one of the journal’s five Best Paper Awards winners in 2019 and the only winner in the atmospheric pollution research area.

To better reflect the capability of outstanding students, the Senate considers it essential to review the existing classifications of First-, Second- and Third-class Honours. Consequently, the top 15% of departmental/school graduates (based on CGPA ranking) will be recognised under the following arrangement: the top 2% will graduate summa cum laude (Highest Distinction); the next 5% with magna cum laude (High Distinction); and the next 8% with cum laude (Distinction). 

The May Fourth Movement was an anti-imperialist, cultural, and political initiative that began in China on 4 May 1919. With its special features of a student campaign, patriotism, anti-hegemony and resistance to invasions by foreign countries, the spirit of the Movement has been advocated from time to time, either for the promotion of national and cultural identity or for commentary on social issues. This book chronicles the impact of the Movement on the development of Hong Kong. Using materials collected from newspapers, anthologies and magazines, the author looks at how people from different political camps with divergent standpoints made use of and reflected on the Movement in various eras, revealing specifically how Hong Kong people’s perception of their Chinese identity has changed over time.

In Historical Title, Self-Determination and the Kashmir Question, the author offers a critical re-examination of the Kashmir question. Through an interdisciplinary approach and international law perspective, she analyses political practices and the substantive international law on the restoration of historical title and self-determination. The book analytically examines whether Kashmir was a State at any point in history; the effect of the 1947 occupation by India/Pakistan; the international law implications of the constitutional incorporation of this territory and ongoing human rights violations; whether the Kashmir question could be resolved with the formation of an international strategic alliance to curb the possible war between India and Pakistan.