Selected Faculty Achievements
HKUST’s scholars are recognized by globally accredited institutions for their seminal contributions in research discoveries or knowledge transfer activities. Since 2017, HKUST has organized an annual Faculty Recognition Ceremony to honor and celebrate the achievements of our faculty in the previous academic year.

Stephen Kam-chuen Cheong Professor of Science and Chair; Professor, Department of Chemistry and Chemical & Biological Engineering
Prof Tang received the State Natural Science Award (First Class) in recognition for his outstanding achievements in research on aggregation-induced emission. His discovery has significantly contributed to life science, medicine and applied science. The State Natural Science Award, First Class, is the highest honor in China’s natural science community. Prof Tang is the first recipient of the First Class award at HKUST and the second Hong Kong scientist who has earned the honor since Hong Kong’s participation in SNSA in 1989.

Kerry Holdings Professor of Science; Chair Professor, Division of Life Science
Prof Zhang received the Croucher Senior Research Fellowship Award for 2018-19. He will dedicate the reward to the study of the formation mechanism of synapses, the basic unit of neuronal circuits in the brain, that could pave the way for future drug development in curing mental illnesses. The Croucher Senior Research Fellowships scheme was first introduced in 1997 and is awarded to local academics who have excelled in scientific research work. Funds are awarded to the universities of the fellowship recipients, enabling the university to recruit replacement teachers to take over the award winner’s duties for the period of the fellowship. This enables the awardees to devote more time and effort to research work.
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Lecturer II in the Department of Chemistry
Awarded the 2018 University Grants Committee (UGC) Teaching Award under the category of Early Career Faculty Members
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Chair Professor in the Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering
Awarded the 2017 IEEE Electron Devices Society Education Award
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Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry and Division of Environment and Sustainability
Awarded the 2017 Research Article of the Year in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. He was also the recipient of the 2018 Chemical Research in Toxicology Young Investigator Award
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The Morningside Professor of Life Science; Chair Professor, Division of Life Science
Received a large-scale grant from the RGC Theme-based Research Scheme 8th Round (2018/19) for the proposal of "A Stem Cell Approach to Dissect the Molecular Basis of Neurodegenerative Diseases"
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Professor Emeritus and Visiting Professor, Division of Public Policy and Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Received the First Prize of 2017 Hong Kong Construction Industry Council (CIC) Innovation Award in the Construction Sustainability Category; also elected as one of seven Invisible Silent Superheroes by the Institution of Civil Engineers Hong Kong Association
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Associate Professor, Department of Information Systems, Business Statistics and Operations Management and Department of Finance
Elected as a Fellow of the Society for Financial Econometrics in 2017
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Professor, Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering
Received the 2019 IEEE Robotics and Automation Technical Field Award
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CLP Holdings Professor of Sustainability; Chair Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Elected as President of the International Society for Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering (ISSMGE) in 2017; and also recipient of the 2017 Telford Premium Award and 2017 Prix R M Quigley Award (Honorable Mention)
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Assistant Professor, Division of Life Science
Received the Croucher Innovation Award 2018
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Assistant Professor, Department of Physics and Department of Chemistry
Received the Croucher Innovation Award 2018
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Associate Professor of Engineering Education and Senior Lecturer in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering
Awarded the 2017 Michael G. Gale Medal for Distinguished Teaching
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Dr William M W Mong Professor of Nanoscience; Chair Professor, Department of Physics
Awarded the 2018 Rolf Landauer Medal, awarded by the International Association for the Science of Electrical Transport and Optical Properties of Inhomogeneous Media (ETOPIM)
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Prof Benzhong Tang
Stephen Kam Chuen Cheong Professor of Science and Chair Professor in the Department of Chemistry and the Department of Chemical and Biological EngineeringReceived the First-class State Natural Science Award 2017 and 2017 Prize for Scientific and Technological Progress of the Ho Leung Ho Lee Foundation
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Prof Kar Yan Tam
Chair Professor, Department of Information Systems, Business Statistics and Operations ManagementElected as President of the Association of Asia-Pacific Business Schools; also received a large-scale grant from the RGC Themed-based Research Scheme 8th Round (2018/19) for the proposal of "Contributing to the Development of Hong Kong into a Global Fintech Hub"
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Prof Ching Tang
IAS Bank of East Asia Professor; Chair Professor, Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering, Department of Chemistry and Department of PhysicsInducted to the US National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2018; recipient of the 2018 Doctor of Science (Honoris Causa) from the University of Hong Kong
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Chair Professor, Department of Social Science
Elected as Inaugural President of the International Chinese Sociological Association
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Kerry Holdings Professor of Science and Chair Professor in the Division of Life Science
Received the Croucher Senior Research Fellowship Award for 2018-19
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Cheong Ying Chan Professor of Engineering and Environment; Chair Professor, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Received a large-scale grant from the RGC Theme-based Research Scheme 7th Round (2017/18) for the proposal of "Creation of Rechargeable Electron-fuels for Stationary Power Supplies and Electric Vehicles"
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IAS Bank of East Asia Professor; Chair Professor, Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering, Department of Chemistry and Department of Physics
Received the IEEE Jun-ichi Nishizawa Medal 2017
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Professor, Department of Physics
Awarded Second Prize (Entrepreneurial Category) in the 5th China Innovation & Entrepreneurship Competition (Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan Regions) in October 2016
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Chair Professor, Division of Environment and Sustainability and Department of Mathematics
Received a large-scale grant from the RGC Theme-based Research Scheme 6th Round (2016/17) for the proposal of "Diagnosis and prognosis of intensifying eutrophication, hypoxia and the ecosystem consequences around Hong Kong waters: Coupled physical-biogeochemical-pollution studies"
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The Morningside Professor of Life Science; Chair Professor, Division of Life Science
Received a large-scale grant from the RGC Area of Excellence Scheme 7th Round (2016/17) for the proposal of "Cellular mechanisms of synaptic functions and plasticity in health and neurodegenerative diseases"
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Assistant Professor, Division of Life Science
Received the Croucher Innovation Award 2017
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David von Hansemann Professor of Science; Chair Professor, Division of Life Science
Received the Second-class State Natural Science Award 2016
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Stephen Kam Chuen Cheong Professor of Science; Chair Professor, Department of Chemistry
Recognized as a Highly Cited Researcher 2016 by Thomson Reuters
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Kerry Holdings Professor of Science; Chair Professor, Division of Life Science
Received the Sing Tao Daily's 2016 Leader of the Year Award in the Education / Professors / Technology and Innovation Category
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Chair Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Received the National Innovation Pioneer Award 2017
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Professor, Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering
Received the 2017 Outstanding Women Professionals and Entrepreneurs Award
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Crown Worldwide Professor of Engineering; Chair Professor, Department of Industrial Engineering and Logistics Management
Awarded the 2016 Impact Prize of the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS)
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Chinese Estates Professor of Engineering; Chair Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Received a large-scale grant from the RGC Theme-based Research Scheme 5th Round (2015/16) for the proposal of "Smart Urban Water Supply Systems (Smart UWSS)"
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Fang Professor of Engineering; Chair Professor, Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering
Received the IEEE Photonics Society (IPS) 2017 Aron Kressel Award
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CLP Holdings Professor of Sustainability; Chair Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Received a large-scale grant from the RGC Theme-based Research Scheme 5th Round (2015/16) for the proposal of "Understanding Debris Flow Mechanisms and Mitigating Risks for a Sustainable Hong Kong"
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Professor, Department of Industrial Engineering and Decision Analytics
Elected as a 2017 Fellow of American Statistical Association (ASA)
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Cheong Ying Chan Professor of Engineering and Environment; Chair Professor, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Recognized as a Highly Cited Researcher 2016 by Thomson Reuters
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Michael Jebsen Professor of Business; Chair Professor, Department of Information Systems, Business Statistics and Operations Management
Received the Association for Information Systems (AIS) Fellow Award 2016
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Professor, Division of Social Science
Named as a Changjiang Scholar for 2017-2019
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Associate Professor, Division of Humanities
Honored as an Andrew Carnegie Fellow for 2017-2019
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Professor, Division of Environment and Sustainability; Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Received a grant award from PRAISE HK - Personal Air Quality Solutions of HSBC 150th Anniversary Charity Program (announced in September 2016)
