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When Undergraduate Curiosity Uncovers Enceladus’ Uneven Space Environment

What began as a summer research project by an HKU undergraduate has developed into a peer-reviewed study revealing a striking asymmetry in the electron environment around Saturn’s icy moon Enceladus.   For HKU geology undergraduate Fiona LAW, an early curiosity about planetary science has led much further than she expected. A research project she began after her first year at HKU has now uncovered new clues about how Enceladus interacts with the charged particles surrounding Saturn. Fiona joined the Faculty of Science’s Summer Research Fellowship (SRF) Scheme after her first year, hoping to gain hands-on research experience and explore planetary science beyond the classroom. Enceladus, Saturn’s geologically active icy moon, is known for the water plume erupting from its south pole. The interaction between this activity and the surrounding plasma environment has made the moon an intriguing target for planetary scientists. Working under the supervision of Professor Zhonghua YAO, Associate Professor of Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Director of Laboratory for Space Science (LSR) and a member of The Hong Kong Institute for Astronomy & Astrophysics (HKIAA), Fiona investigated this complex environment using observations collected during NASA’s Cassini flybys of Enceladus. Professor Yao had initially proposed a project exploring possible connections between geological activity on icy moons and their surrounding space environments, laying the foundation for what would eventually become a publishable study.   Where the journey began “I never imagined that I would have the chance to lead a research project as a Year 1 student, and I am grateful to Professor Yao for entrusting me with this precious opportunity,” Fiona said. During the summer of her first year, Fiona was also allowed to attend international conferences in Earth and planetary sciences. The experience gave her an early glimpse into academic research, introduced her to cutting-edge developments in the field, and connected her with researchers from around the world. Fiona’s first SRF project appeared to conclude with an exciting finding. She identified what looked like a correlation between Enceladus’ south-polar water plume and the density of electrons above the region. The result seemed to suggest a possible connection between geological activity on the moon and the charged-particle environment surrounding it. However, research does not always follow the path researchers expect. When Fiona returned to the project after her second year and expanded the dataset, more detailed analysis showed that the apparent correlation was not a genuine physical relationship. Instead, it had arisen coincidentally from other patterns in the data. Rather than abandoning the project, Fiona, Professor Yao and other members of the research group began investigating what had produced those patterns in the first place. This gradually shifted the project towards a different question: how are electrons distributed around Enceladus, and does that distribution change depending on where the spacecraft passes the moon?   Upstream and downstream tell different stories To answer this question, the team systematically analysed data from Enceladus-targeted flybys conducted by NASA’s Cassini spacecraft, comparing measurements taken on the upstream and downstream sides of the moon. Much like water flowing around a rock in a stream, plasma in Saturn’s magnetosphere flows past Enceladus. This means the moon has an upstream side, facing the incoming plasma flow, and a downstream region, or wake, behind it. The researchers found that the two sides behave very differently. Downstream of Enceladus, electron density shows substantial depletion, while upstream of the moon the variations are comparatively minor. In other words, electrons are not distributed evenly around Enceladus: the surrounding plasma environment is distinctly asymmetric. The finding provides new insight into the physical processes operating around Enceladus and how the moon interacts with Saturn’s surrounding plasma environment. By comparing multiple Cassini flybys rather than focusing on a single encounter, the study offers a broader view of how electron density varies around the moon.   Turning an unexpected result into a discovery For Professor Yao, Fiona’s experience also demonstrates how modern research tools are making sophisticated scientific datasets increasingly accessible to younger researchers. “AI and other modern tools are making it far easier for younger students to get hands-on with real scientific data. They can quickly explore the fascinating world of science and make discoveries with truly fresh eyes. I hope that we’ll see many more undergraduates, and even high schoolers, joining our actual research projects in the years ahead,” Professor Yao said. The experience gave Fiona an unusually early opportunity to work with real spacecraft data, engage with the professional research community and contribute to frontier planetary science. It also taught her one of the most important lessons in research: an initial result that does not stand up to closer scrutiny is not necessarily a dead end. Sometimes, understanding why an expected answer is wrong can open the door to a more interesting question, and ultimately, an unexpected discovery. The resulting paper, “Asymmetric Distribution of Electron Density Near Enceladus: A Comparative Survey of Upstream and Downstream Cassini Flybys”, by Law et al., has been published in The Astrophysical Journal. The study reveals a pronounced difference in electron density between the upstream and downstream regions around Enceladus, providing new insights into the complex interaction between the icy moon and Saturn’s surrounding plasma environment.   View the paper with the following link: doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ae9150

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Fossil Shark Scales Reveal How Ocean Productivity Shapes Shark Resilience

  Why can shark populations withstand fishing pressure in one ocean, yet decline sharply in another just around 100 kilometres away? A new international study published in Science has revealed how differences in ocean productivity can shape shark abundance and resilience to human pressure. Dr Jonathan CYBULSKI, currently with the School of Biological Sciences and the Swire Institute of Marine Science (SWIMS) at The University of Hong Kong (HKU), was among the researchers involved in the study. The researchers reconstructed thousands of years of shark history on the Pacific and Caribbean sides of the Isthmus of Panama using dermal denticles — tiny, tooth-like scales shed naturally by sharks and preserved in seafloor sediments. Because different types of sharks produce denticles with different forms, these microscopic fossils provide scientists with a record of past shark communities. The method itself took more than a decade to build. “This project began 12 years ago with a wild idea to search for shark scales in reef sediments. Finding the first denticle was exhilarating,” said Dr. Erin Dillon (lead author) and collaborator of Dr. Cybulski at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI). “We had to work out what denticles could tell us, how to get them out of reef sediments and how to read a fossil assemblage. Panama represented the perfect place for applying the approach, because it let us compare shark baselines across two very different oceans separated by a single strip of land.”   By comparing denticles dating from several thousand years ago with those from the past century, the team was able to examine shark abundance before and after intensive human fishing. The results revealed a striking natural difference between the two oceans. Even before significant human exploitation, the Pacific side supported around 20 times more sharks than the Caribbean side, despite their geographical proximity and similarities in shark communities. Their responses to human pressure were also very different. Shark abundance in the Caribbean declined by around 75%, while no comparable decline was detected on the Pacific side even though it experienced >95% of the historical fishing pressure. The researchers attribute this contrast largely to differences in ocean productivity. Nutrient-rich Pacific waters support greater primary productivity and higher fish biomass, providing more food for sharks and potentially buffering their populations against fishing pressure. The less productive Caribbean naturally supports lower shark biomass, making its populations more vulnerable to additional human impacts. “This study shows the difference that environmental factors can play in controlling biomass in our oceans,” said Dr Cybulski. “In the Caribbean, with less nutrients and overall productivity, we have less shark biomass at the top of the food chain. Conversely, in the nutrient-rich Pacific with higher primary productivity, we have greater shark biomass through time.” During his postdoctoral research in Panama at STRI, following his PhD at HKU, Dr. Cybulski was involved in collecting reef-matrix cores from which Pacific shark denticles were recovered, and subsequently participated in the analysis and interpretation of the data. The findings are not, however, a clean bill of health for Pacific sharks. “Our samples from the recent time point are not capturing the whole story for modern shark populations, because our sampling methods averaged several hundreds of years’ worth of data,” said Dr. Cybulski. “We know that fishing in the Gulf of Panama, and globally, has increased in the last several decades. As a result of increased fishing effort, nearly 1/3 of all sharks and rays are now critically threatened. Additionally, human-induced climate change is altering known ocean productivity processes, such as upwelling in the Gulf of Panama. So, although we found the sharks in the Pacific may have a high capacity to recover, modern impacts from fishing and climate change may push them to a limit they have never experienced."   The findings highlight the importance of establishing historical ecological baselines when assessing changes in marine populations. Understanding how environmental conditions naturally influence shark abundance can help inform more realistic and locally appropriate conservation and recovery targets.   To access the paper, please visit: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aec2144   Dr. Erin Dillon and team collecting a coral reef matrix core in the Gulf of Panama, Tropical Eastern Pacific.  (Credit: Sean Mattson) Variation in dermal denticle morphology. Denticles were imaged using a scanning electron microscope and false coloring applied. (Credit: Erin Dillon, Aaron O’Dea, and Jorge Ceballos) Observing shark dermal denticles under a microscope. (Credit: Isabelle Lee) Dr. Cybulski and team hammering in a coral reef matrix core in the Gulf of Panama, Tropical Eastern Pacific. (Credit: Jorge Aleman) Sub-sampling a coral reef matrix core for further processing. (Credit: Jonathan Cybulski) Coral reef matrix cores from a research expedition in the Gulf of Panama, Tropical Eastern Pacific. (Credit: Jonathan Cybulski)

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HKU Chemists Harness Light to Build 3D Molecular Structures for Drug Discovery

Researchers from the Department of Chemistry at The University of Hong Kong (HKU), led by Professor Jian HE and collaborators, have developed a new light-driven method for constructing three-dimensional molecular building blocks that could give medicinal chemists greater flexibility in designing new drug candidates. The approach broadens the range of starting materials that can be used while suppressing unwanted polymerisation, overcoming key limitations of existing synthetic methods. The findings have been published in Nature Chemistry. Benzene rings are among the most common structural building blocks in medicines. They are chemically stable and provide a useful framework for positioning other functional groups within a drug molecule. However, their flat and relatively lipophilic nature can sometimes contribute to undesirable properties, such as poor water solubility or less favourable interactions with biological targets. Medicinal chemists are therefore increasingly exploring three-dimensional alternatives that can replace benzene rings while performing a similar structural role in drug molecules. One promising class is bicyclo[2.1.1]hexanes, or BCHs. Their compact, three-dimensional shape offers researchers another way to fine-tune the shape and properties of drug molecules, potentially improving characteristics such as solubility, selectivity and metabolic stability. One important route to BCHs involves combining bicyclo[1.1.0]butanes or BCBs with alkenes. BCBs are highly strained small-ring molecules that serve as useful starting materials for building more complex three-dimensional structures. However, synthesising structurally diverse BCHs has remained difficult. Existing methods may work only with a limited range of starting materials and can also trigger unwanted polymerisation or suffer from catalyst instability. Professor He’s team and their collaborators have now developed a new class of copper(I) photosensitisers that use visible light to drive this reaction. After absorbing light, the copper complex transfers energy to one of the starting materials, enabling BCH structures to form in a more controlled manner. The new strategy expands the range of starting materials that can be used and allows chemists to control where different chemical groups are positioned on the BCH scaffold. The team also demonstrated gram-scale synthesis and further modification of the resulting BCHs with a variety of functional groups, highlighting the method’s potential usefulness in medicinal chemistry and drug development. Professor Jian He expressed optimism about the potential impact of this discovery, stating, “The heteroleptic copper(I) photosensitisers developed by our team provide a new approach to the efficient and selective synthesis of BCHs. By modulating the triplet energy levels of copper complexes, we have effectively suppressed polymerisation side reactions and expanded the substrate scope to include electron-deficient alkenes, enynes, dienes, and even aliphatic alkenes. This opens new opportunities for sustainable chemical production and the development of more diverse drug candidates.”   Catalytic photosensitisation strategies for the synthesis of BCH bioisosteres via intermolecular cycloadditions. Image adapted from Tang et al., Nature Chemistry (2026).

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HKU Study Reveals How Atmospheric Dryness Constrains Typhoon Rainfall, Leading to Lower-Than-Expected Increases

Under global warming, scientists have widely expected tropical cyclones (including typhoons and hurricanes) to bring more intense and frequent rainfall. The underlying physics seems intuitive: rising temperatures allow the atmosphere to hold more moisture, which, combined with intensifying storms, should theoretically trigger more destructive downpours. However, when researchers analyse climate model projections, they encounter a puzzling phenomenon: some models project rainfall increases that are far lower than what thermodynamics alone would predict. This uncertainty has long hindered the scientific community’s ability to accurately project future tropical cyclone precipitation and assess associated flood risks. Recently, a new study led by The University of Hong Kong (HKU) and Imperial College London (ICL) has uncovered a key missing piece of the puzzle: increasing atmospheric dryness. Published in Nature Geoscience, the work reveals that while a warmer atmosphere can indeed hold more moisture, it also becomes drier in a way that suppresses rainfall—effectively acting as a “brake” on tropical cyclone precipitation. Widening Atmospheric Unsaturation Obstructs Cloud Formation and Accelerates Evaporation The team, consisting of Professor Dazhi XI and Dr Jianan CHEN from the HKU Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, and Professor Ralf TOUMI from ICL, analysed climate simulations, satellite observations, and reanalysis data. They found that as the climate warms, tropical cyclones become less efficient at converting moisture into rainfall. The team pointed out that the key lies in a physical mechanism known as the “column saturation deficit”—the gap between the actual amount of water vapour in the atmosphere and its level at complete saturation (the threshold for precipitation). Generally, rainfall occurs as water vapour condenses into cloud droplets, coalesces into raindrops, and falls to the ground. Under a warming climate, however, the atmosphere’s moisture-holding capacity increases exponentially. Consequently, even if relative humidity remains constant, the gap to “complete saturation” widens significantly, meaning the air becomes substantially drier. This dryness can possibly trigger two effects: Pre-landing Evaporation: Raindrops that condense at high altitudes in a typhoon are rapidly evaporated by dry air in the lower and middle troposphere during their descent, preventing them from reaching the ground. Inhibition of Condensation: As dry environmental air is entrained into the typhoon’s updraft, it dilutes the moisture supply, suppressing cloud and rain formation at the source. This constraining effect of atmospheric dryness is potent enough to offset the rainfall increases driven by storm intensification. This offers a robust physical explanation for why many climate models project rainfall increases that are consistently lower than traditional theoretical calculations. Pioneering a “Unified Assessment Framework” The study also proposes a unified framework for understanding tropical cyclone rainfall. It shows that rainfall depends not only on storm intensity and the amount of water vapour in the atmosphere, but also on precipitation efficiency—how efficiently that moisture is converted into rain. Two opposing effects in a warming climate shape this efficiency: greater storm intensity tends to boost it, while increased atmospheric dryness tends to suppress it. Although atmospheric dryness dominates in some climate models, this framework does not rule out an increase in precipitation efficiency if future storm intensification outweighs the suppressive effect of atmospheric dryness.  The findings could have important practical implications. For coastal communities, disaster managers, and infrastructure planners, more accurate projections of rainfall from future hurricanes and typhoons are critical for flood protection, evacuation planning, and climate resilience. By accounting for the effect of atmospheric dryness, the new framework could improve rainfall and flood-risk assessments and support better-informed climate adaptation planning. The study also notes that global climate models do not fully capture some fine-scale processes. Future high-resolution simulations will therefore be needed to refine the projections. Nevertheless, multiple datasets and models consistently show that greater atmospheric dryness reduces rainfall efficiency. This robust negative correlation underscores that atmospheric dryness is a critical thermodynamic constraint that must be incorporated into future climate projections. For details of the research, please refer to the journal paper “Future tropical cyclone rainfall constrained by increased atmospheric dryness”.  

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When Invasive Geckos Meet Modern Technology

House geckos are familiar nighttime visitors throughout much of tropical Asia and the Pacific, often seen stalking insects on walls and ceilings near artificial lights. But Common House Geckos can have a much more costly interaction with the human environment when they find their way inside electrical equipment. In a newly published study in Discover Life, Honorary Professor Hinrich Kaiser of the School of Biological Sciences at The University of Hong Kong (HKU) and Przemysław Zdunek report repeated incidents in which introduced Common House Geckos (Hemidactylus frenatus) entered outdoor air-conditioning units on the Pacific island of Saipan and were electrocuted after coming into contact with electronic circuitry. The encounters short-circuited the units’ motherboards and rendered the air conditioners inoperative. The study began with what initially appeared to be an unusual isolated incident. In March 2020, an air-conditioning unit at a residence on Saipan stopped producing cool air after having remained unused for several weeks. When a technician opened the outdoor compressor, an adult gecko was found fused to its motherboard. Replacing the circuit board restored the unit to operation. Less than three months later, the problem returned on a much larger scale. Three of four air-conditioning systems at the same residence failed simultaneously. Inspection revealed multiple dead geckos on each of the three motherboards—seven animals in total, including two egg-bearing females. Once again, replacement of the damaged circuit boards restored the units. “What initially looked like a bizarre one-off event suddenly became something much more interesting,” Professor Kaiser said. “We had geckos repeatedly entering air conditioners, dying on the electronics, and taking expensive equipment with them. That made us wonder how widespread this interaction between animals and technology might actually be.” Why would a gecko enter an air conditioner? The answer may lie in the same characteristics that have made house geckos highly successful at living alongside humans throughout the tropics. Electronic components can remain warmer than their surroundings, providing ectothermic animals such as geckos with attractive sites for thermoregulation. Enclosed electrical equipment may also offer shelter from predators and protected locations associated with reproduction. Unfortunately for a gecko, crossing electrically charged contacts on a circuit board can transform an apparently desirable refuge into a death trap. Professor Kaiser and Zdunek therefore searched the scientific literature and other published sources for similar incidents. They identified reports from Australia, Cuba and Taiwan involving geckos damaging air conditioners, televisions, computers and other electrical equipment. Previous research in Taiwan documented repeated gecko-induced short circuits in air conditioners, while work in Cuba reported dozens of incidents involving electrical appliances. The consequences can extend beyond an inconvenient repair bill. Geckos have also been implicated in failures involving electrical meter rooms and high-voltage switchboards, raising the possibility of electrical fires and risks to people working with affected equipment. A small animal with potentially large economic consequences The problem may become increasingly relevant as air conditioning and other electronic infrastructure become more widespread in regions affected by extreme heat. “House geckos are extraordinarily successful at living alongside people,” Professor Kaiser said. “As humans install more electronic equipment in warm climates, we are also unintentionally creating more opportunities for these animals to interact with that technology.” The authors emphasise that the problem is likely to be underreported. Technicians may replace a failed circuit board without identifying the animal responsible, while appliance owners may never learn why their equipment stopped working. Preventing access may therefore be more effective than attempting to control the geckos themselves. The study discusses approaches including screening ventilation and drainage openings and sealing other entry points, while maintaining the airflow and drainage required by the equipment. The observations also illustrate a broader and less recognised consequence of biological invasions. The Common House Gecko has spread widely beyond its native range through its association with human transportation and settlements. Its impacts are generally considered in ecological terms, including interactions with native species. The new study demonstrates that successful invasive species can also have unexpected consequences for human infrastructure. “Biological invasions do not stop at the boundary between nature and technology,” Professor Kaiser said. “An animal weighing only a few grams can short-circuit an expensive piece of equipment. These interactions are easy to overlook, but multiplied across tropical cities and millions of appliances, their economic consequences could become significant.” The paper, “Air conditioning units as death traps for introduced Common House Geckos, Hemidactylus frenatus, on Saipan, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, with a discussion of impacts,” was published in Discover Life in August 2026.

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HKU to Host Prestigious MOP Conference in 2028 Marking Historic Debut in Hong Kong and Convening Global Outer Planetary Magnetosphere Experts

The University of Hong Kong (HKU) has successfully secured the hosting rights for the 2028 Magnetospheres of Outer Planets (MOP) Conference. As the premier global symposium in space physics, MOP has been held biennially since the 1970s and will make its historic debut in Hong Kong in 2028, more than half a century after its inception. Jointly hosted by the Hong Kong Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics (HKIAA) and the Laboratory for Space Research (LSR) at HKU, this landmark event marks a major milestone in establishing Hong Kong’s leadership in space and planetary sciences across the Asia-Pacific region and globally. The announcement was officially made following the 2026 MOP Conference in Toulouse, France, held from July 26 to 31, 2026. During the week-long event, a delegation of HKU scholars delivered multiple invited talks, showcasing the University’s cutting-edge research and its international influence in outer planetary physics. Leveraging this scientific momentum, the HKU team formally proposed Hong Kong as the next host, receiving unanimous support from both the International Scientific Committee and conference delegates. The MOP Conference is the premier international symposium dedicated to exploring giant planet environments. Held biennially, MOP brings together leading space physicists, planetary scientists, and mission experts from around the globe—including key researchers from NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA), the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), and other leading research institutions worldwide. The conference serves as a flagship venue for sharing updates on major space missions, plasma physics models, and findings from data analyses, including Voyager, Galileo, Cassini, Juno, Europa Clipper and JUICE (Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer). Winning the bid to host this prestigious event is a resounding testament to HKU’s outstanding academic achievements and its growing international stature in space physics. Beyond academic exchange, the 2028 MOP will focus heavily on the global roadmap for deep-space exploration over the next decade. Hundreds of top scientists will convene in Hong Kong to explore international collaboration on major Jupiter exploration missions, including China’s Tianwen-4, NASA’s Europa Clipper, and ESA’s JUICE mission. In addition to fostering global scientific partnerships and highlighting Hong Kong’s growing prominence in space exploration, the conference aims to inspire the next generation of local talent to pursue careers in space science and contribute to aerospace advancements both nationally and globally. HKU will announce further details on the dates, venue arrangements, and programme committee in due course. Further details about the conference can be found at https://lasp.colorado.edu/mop/resources/mop-conference.

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HKU Hydrogeologists Identify Fermentation as Key Pathway for Ammonium Production Beneath the Pearl River Delta

A study led by Professor Jimmy Jiujiu JIAO from the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at The University of Hong Kong (HKU) and Professor Meng LI from Shenzhen University has identified microbial fermentation as the likely main pathway for ammonium production in sediments beneath the Pearl River Delta, helping to explain the region’s exceptionally high natural groundwater ammonium levels. The Pearl River Delta hosts the highest naturally occurring groundwater ammonium concentrations reported globally, making affected groundwater unsuitable for drinking without treatment. Previous studies linked this accumulation to nitrogen-rich organic matter in fine-grained sediments and restricted groundwater circulation, but the responsible microbial pathways and organisms remained unclear. By analysing sediment samples across the delta, the team identified the major microbial processes involved and showed how sediment depth, age and salinity shape microbial communities and ammonium-producing pathways. The findings were recently published in the journal Nature Communications. Figure 1: Artist’s impression of ammonium accumulation beneath the Pearl River Delta. The illustration shows terrestrial, transitional, and marine depositional zones, where microbial fermentation is the likely dominant pathway for ammonium production. The illustration was created based on the study’s findings and is not drawn to scale. Fermentation Identified as the Main Pathway for Ammonium Production The researchers combined geochemical and metagenomic analyses of 36 sediment samples collected from three boreholes spanning different depths. The samples covered approximately 13,000 years of geological history and represented terrestrial-dominated, transitional and marine-dominated depositional environments. By analysing microbial genetic material preserved in the sediments, the team reconstructed 770 representative metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs), providing detailed insights into the microorganisms present and their potential metabolic functions. Microbial communities and ammonium-related metabolic potential varied significantly along the land–sea gradient. Bacteria showed greater metabolic flexibility across different sediment conditions, which may help explain these shifts, while archaea tended to retain more conserved functional traits. The team found that fermentation-related genes were the most abundant across all three depositional zones, suggesting that fermentation is likely the primary microbial pathway for ammonium production. The abundance of these genes declined with sediment depth and age as readily degradable organic matter became depleted, leaving fewer substrates for microbial fermentation and ammonium production. This accumulation was particularly pronounced in the marine-dominated zone, where fine-grained, organic-rich sediments promote microbial production while restricting groundwater flow, trapping ammonium over thousands of years. Beyond fermentation, other microbial nitrogen-processing pathways also varied across the land–sea gradient. Nitrogen occurs in several chemical forms, and in some microbial pathways, nitrate is first reduced to nitrite, which can be converted into ammonium. In the terrestrial-dominated zone, genes associated with the first step—nitrate reduction—were the second most abundant. In the more saline transitional and marine-dominated zones, genes associated with the second step—the direct conversion of nitrite into ammonium—became more prominent. These differences suggest that salinity and the availability of nitrate and nitrite influence how ammonium is produced in different depositional environments. Among the bacteria identified, the marine-associated genus Brevirhabdus emerged as a potentially important contributor to ammonium cycling. Likely a legacy of past marine depositional conditions, it carries genes involved in fermentation and the conversion of nitrite into ammonium, suggesting that ancient depositional environments may continue to shape present-day groundwater chemistry. Professor Jimmy Jiao said, “Our findings move beyond the general understanding that buried organic matter is the source of ammonium. We have identified the microbial pathways and organisms that are likely responsible for producing it and shown how these processes vary across sediments formed under different environmental conditions.” Implications for Groundwater Management By linking depositional history, hydrogeochemistry and microbial function, the study provides a framework for understanding ammonium accumulation in delta regions worldwide. The findings may help identify vulnerable areas and improve groundwater assessment, monitoring and treatment planning in densely populated delta regions. Dr Meiqing LU, first author of the paper, completed her doctoral training under Professor Jimmy Jiao at HKU before joining Professor Meng Li’s group at Shenzhen University as a postdoctoral researcher. Professor Jiao and Professor Li are the co-corresponding authors of the study. The research also involved scientists from the Southern University of Science and Technology, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, and East China Normal University. This research was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the Guangdong–Hong Kong Joint Laboratory for Soil and Groundwater Pollution Control, the Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory for Soil and Groundwater Pollution Control, the Guangdong Major Project of Basic and Applied Basic Research, and the Shenzhen Science and Technology Program, among other funding sources. Figure 2: Conceptual model of historical depositional processes, biogeochemical zonation, and microbial ammonium metabolism. Image credit: Adapted from Lu et al., Nature Communications (2026). For details of the research, please refer to the paper “Microbial Drivers of Ammonium Accumulation in Holocene Sediments of the Pearl River Delta”, published in Nature Communications: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-72058-8

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HKU Science Inspires the Next Generation of Global Innovators at ASC 2026

Following the successful conclusion of the Asian Science Camp (ASC) 2026, hosted by HKU from August 2 to August 8, the Faculty of Science is delighted to have supported the University in hosting this prestigious annual forum. In supporting the University to welcome nearly 300 talented pre-collegiate and college students from more than 28 countries and regions, the Faculty actively contributed to a vibrant environment for scientific discussion, exploration, and collaboration. A major highlight of the event was the exceptional plenary programme, which provided an unparalleled opportunity for students to learn directly from world-class academics. Four of our distinguished faculty members participated as plenary speakers—including Nobel Laureates Professor Sir Andre Geim and Professor Ferenc Krausz, Fields Medalist Professor Ngô Bảo Châu, and L’Oréal-UNESCO Women in Science Laureate Professor Vivian Yam Wing-wah—inspiring the young campers through their passion and extraordinary research journeys.                 To immerse the participants in the excellent teaching, learning, and research environment at HKU Science, the Faculty also curated four hands-on camp activities that allowed students to explore cutting-edge facilities first-hand: Oyster Hatchery Visit (Hosted by Professor Thiyagarajan Vengatesen and the hatchery operation team): An experiential learning session at the Hong Kong Oyster Hatchery and Innovation Research Unit showcasing applied research in oyster aquaculture, climate resilience, and coastal ecosystems.        Chemistry Lab Session (Hosted by Professor Edmund Tse, Dr. Arnold Li and the experiment team): A practical workshop where students used professional instruments to conduct hands-on experiments in electrochemistry and cyclic voltammetry.        Chemistry Mock Lecture (Delivered by Professor Seungkyu Lee): An academic session tracing the synthetic strategies and evolution of metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) from fundamental concept to industrial application.        Biodiversity Museum Tour (Hosted by the museum operation team): A guided tour showcasing specimen preservation and local wildlife stories at the Hong Kong Biodiversity Museum.        The profound impact of these immersive experiences was felt immediately during the Final Poster Presentation Contest, a major highlight of the camp. The Golden Prize-winning team revealed that their visit to the Oyster Hatchery had inspired their winning poster, prompting them to think deeply about climate change and emerging issues in environmental science. This creative translation of active research was highly commended by the judging panel, which included our faculty members Professor Thiyagarajan Vengatesen and Dr. Kenneth Ng. The spirit of scientific inquiry extended even beyond the campus. During the cultural excursion day at Ocean Park Hong Kong, Professor Celia Schunter from the School of Biological Sciences delivered an engaging outdoor lecture titled “Marine Biodiversity: Explore the marine environment,” allowing students to learn more about marine science in a real-world ecological setting.        We extend our sincere appreciation to the organisers and all participants for their dedicated time and effort in making ASC 2026 a resounding success. We hope that the lectures, experiments, and connections forged during this memorable week will continue to inspire these young minds to push the boundaries of future global innovation.

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HKU-led Review Highlights Hidden Seed Dispersers in Forest Regeneration

A review led by the School of Biological Sciences at The University of Hong Kong (HKU) has revealed that tiny ground-dwelling invertebrates are overlooked but important seed dispersers, challenging the traditional focus on birds and mammals and offering new insights into forest regeneration and biodiversity conservation. Led by Professor Si-Chong CHEN from the School of Biological Sciences, the review, published in Trends in Plant Science, synthesises global evidence showing that invertebrates such as slugs, earthworms, beetles, crickets and crabs can consume seeds and later excrete them while they remain viable. The findings highlight an important but underappreciated pathway of seed dispersal that may help sustain plant regeneration, especially in fragmented or degraded ecosystems where larger animal dispersers are declining. Monotropastrum humile, a representative forest-floor plant whose seeds are dispersed internally by invertebrates. Its pale flowers emerging from the shaded forest floor evoke the hidden and often overlooked nature of plant–invertebrate interactions. Photo credit: Kenji Suetsugu.  A ground-dwelling cricket feeds on the fruit of Monotropastrum humile, illustrating how small invertebrates may ingest seeds and contribute to their dispersal across the forest floor. Photo credit: Kenji Suetsugu.   An Overlooked Pathway for Plant Regeneration Seed dispersal is essential for plant regeneration, forest recovery and biodiversity conservation. Scientific attention has traditionally focused on birds and mammals, which can move seeds over long distances after feeding on fruit. The HKU-led synthesis highlights another pathway: internal seed dispersal by small invertebrates, known as invertebrate endozoochory, in which seeds pass through an animal’s digestive tract and remain viable after being deposited. Professor Chen conducted the study in collaboration with researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Durham University in the United Kingdom, and Kobe University in Japan. By consolidating evidence from 43 peer-reviewed publications, the team synthesised evidence of internal seed dispersal involving at least 51 invertebrate species across 186 plant taxa, with records spanning Oceania, Asia, Europe and North America. The review suggests that invertebrate-mediated seed dispersal is not simply a collection of isolated ecological anecdotes. Instead, it appears to be a widespread but overlooked interaction between plants and small animals. “If you walk through a forest, you might think only birds or monkeys are spreading seeds. But beneath our feet, a hidden group of gardeners is also at work,” said Professor Kenji SUETSUGU, a key collaborator and co-author.  “One of the most fascinating examples we synthesised is a freshwater crab in Japan. A single crab can ingest over a thousand tiny seeds in a single night and later deposit them inside underground burrows. These humid burrows can protect the seeds from being eaten by rodents or drying out, giving them a better chance to grow.” The review formalises the concept of an “invertebrate endozoochory syndrome” — a convergent suite of plant traits perfectly adapted to these small vectors. Such plants typically produce tiny, resilient seeds enclosed in dull-coloured, inconspicuous fruits at ground level. These fruits may be less attractive to birds and mammals but accessible to ground-dwelling invertebrates, whose digestive processes may scarify the seeds and enhance germination. After ingestion, seeds may be scarified by the digestive system, which can, in some cases, improve germination. The seeds are then deposited in microhabitats such as soil, leaf litter or burrows. Although such movement may occur over shorter distances than dispersal by birds or mammals, it can still reduce competition near the parent plant and place seeds in sites that favour survival. “These interactions have long been treated as ecological anecdotes rather than as part of a wider framework,” Professor Chen said. “Because of size bias, invertebrates were traditionally viewed as minor players compared with mammals or birds. But when we look at their abundance and the number of documented interactions, their cumulative contribution to ecosystems can be substantial. Changing our perspective helps us recognise that plant-animal partnerships are more diverse and interwoven than previously assumed.” The findings do not replace the recognised importance of vertebrate seed dispersers. Rather, they broaden the picture of how plants recruit animal partners. Birds and mammals remain crucial for long-distance dispersal, while invertebrates may contribute through high abundance, frequent contact with the forest floor and precise seed deposition over small spatial scales. The review also carries conservation implications. As many ecosystems lose large mammals and birds through habitat fragmentation, hunting, and other human pressures, plant species that rely on animal-mediated dispersal may face reduced opportunities for regeneration. In this context, invertebrates could provide an additional layer of resilience, particularly at microhabitat scales. “We are losing large mammals and birds at an alarming rate globally, which threatens the future of many plant species,” Professor Chen said. “Tiny invertebrates like beetles or slugs cannot carry seeds for kilometres, but their ability to place seeds precisely at fine spatial scales is incredibly important. They reduce competition near the parent tree and deliver seeds into favourable micro-niches. In an increasingly fragmented world, these small-bodied partners offer a vital safety net, helping forest regeneration persist even as larger animals decline.” By bringing together global evidence, the HKU-led review calls for greater attention to small-bodied animals in seed dispersal research, ecological restoration and biodiversity management. The authors suggest that future studies should examine how frequently invertebrate dispersal occurs across different habitats, how it affects seed survival and germination, and how conservation planning can better account for interactions near the ground. For details of the research, please refer to the journal paper “Invertebrate endozoochory: An overlooked pathway of seed dispersal”: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tplants.2026.06.004   

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From Wood Chips to Courtroom Evidence: How HKU Scientists Helped Crack an Illegal Agarwood Case

A few tiny plant fragments found on suspects’ clothing became the scientific link between an illegal tree-felling scene and the people accused of carrying it out. Incense trees (Aquilaria sinensis) are part of Hong Kong’s natural heritage, but they are also a target for illegal harvesting. When a tree is damaged or infected, it may produce a dark, fragrant resin as part of its natural defence response. Over time, resin-infused wood can form agarwood, a highly prized material used in incense, perfume and traditional medicine. Because only some trees contain valuable agarwood, poachers may cut into or fell wild trees to find the resin-rich wood. Its high market value has made wild incense trees particularly vulnerable to illegal harvesting across Asia, including in Hong Kong. A recent study led by Professor Juha Merilä from the Conservation Forensics Laboratory in the School of Biological Sciences at The University of Hong Kong (HKU), along with collaborators from the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, shows how modern DNA technology can turn even minute plant fragments into powerful forensic evidence. The case began after authorities arrested suspects in connection with the illegal felling of incense trees on Lamma Island. Investigators recovered tiny pieces of plant material from clothing and personal belongings. To the eye, these fragments offered little information. The challenge for the scientists was much harder than simply asking, “Is this from an incense tree?” They wanted to know whether the fragments could be traced back to a particular tree at the crime scene. The HKU researchers first used DNA sequencing to identify which fragments came from Aquilaria sinensis. They then applied whole-genome resequencing, a method that examines genetic differences across a large part of an organism’s DNA. In simple terms, the team compared the genetic “fingerprint” of the wood particles with samples taken from illegally harvested trees. The result was striking. Several plant particles recovered from the suspects matched one specific illegally felled incense tree. This was possible even though the evidence consisted of very small, aged and poorly preserved pieces of wood. The finding demonstrates that plant DNA can retain enough information for investigators to move beyond identifying a species and, in some cases, trace evidence back to an individual tree. The DNA evidence helped support the prosecution of nine suspects, who received prison sentences of 30 to 50 months. The case was also among the first wildlife-crime prosecutions in Hong Kong to apply the Organised and Serious Crimes Ordinance, resulting in enhanced sentences. For the researchers, the significance extends beyond a single prosecution: it provides a practical model for using science to strengthen enforcement against illegal harvesting and wildlife trafficking. The study illustrates a growing field known as conservation forensics, where tools more commonly associated with human crime laboratories are applied to wildlife and environmental offences. “It is very encouraging to see this wildlife forensic work, conducted in collaboration with AFCD, demonstrate how DNA evidence can be applied to real cases of illegal tree felling,” said Uva Fung, a postgraduate student at HKU and co-author of the study. “Even a tiny wood fragment can contain enough genetic information to tell a much bigger story. This case shows how genomic science can move beyond the laboratory and become a practical tool for protecting biodiversity and tackling environmental crime,” said Professor Juha Merilä, corresponding author of the study, who led the research at HKU Conservation Forensics Laboratory. Research paper: “Linking suspects to an illegally felled incense tree (Aquilaria sinensis) using DNA forensics,” Forensic Science International: Synergy (2026).

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HKU School of Biological Sciences Receives RGC Exploratory Funding for Wildlife Trade Research

The HKU School of Biological Sciences has been awarded a one-year exploratory funding under the Research Grants Council’s Areas of Excellence (AoE) Scheme 2026/27 for the project “Centre for Safe, Sustainable and Legal Wildlife Trade”. The project is spearheaded by Professor Juha Merilä, Chair Professor of the School of Biological Sciences, who was recently recognised as the foremost scholar (#1) in the ‘Best Ecology and Evolution Scientists 2026 in China’ ranking by Research.com. An evolutionary biologist, Professor Merilä’s research focuses on biodiversity, species adaptation and how organisms respond to environmental change. The research will bring together interdisciplinary expertise to tackle major challenges arising from illegal and unsustainable wildlife trade. Funded with an exploratory one-year grant, the project will focus on three key areas: AI-powered tools to combat illegal wildlife trade The team will develop AI-powered smartphone applications that combine analysis of animal appearance, genetics, and behaviour to help frontline enforcement officers rapidly identify species and detect wild animals being illegally passed off as captive-bred. Early warning for emerging infectious disease risks The team will proactively screen wildlife from pet markets, wet markets, animal release sites, and customs seizures for zoonotic pathogens, aiming to identify potential cross-species transmission risks before they spread to human populations. Reducing demand and strengthening legal enforcement The team will explore ways to reduce demand for endangered species used in Traditional Chinese Medicine, while working with relevant government departments and the judiciary to strengthen the legal basis for combating illegal wildlife trade and improve how related cases are handled. This achievement highlights the School’s research strength in biodiversity, conservation and environmental change, and its commitment to applying scientific expertise to pressing environmental and societal challenges.  

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From Common Core to Published Research: An Unexpected First-Year Discovery

At HKU Science, students spend their first year exploring different subjects before choosing a major in their second year. For Tatfeef HAQUE, that period of exploration took an unexpected turn: a Common Core course led him into the world of academic research before he had even begun his second year. Tatfeef first encountered biological anthropology through CCST9081 All You’ve Ever Wanted to Know About Humans, taught by Dr Michael RIVERA. Drawing on genetics, anatomical science, forensic science, evolutionary biology, behavioural ecology and history, the course explores human evolution and what it means to be human. “It influenced me profoundly,” Tatfeef recalled. He soon found himself reading papers on bioarchaeology, anatomy, osteology, human evolution and population genetics. From Curiosity to Publication Recognising his interest, Dr Rivera introduced Tatfeef to opportunities beyond the classroom. “Dr Rivera identified my interest and gave me opportunities in outreach and academic research, which deepened my interest in research and the dissemination of scientific knowledge,” Tatfeef said. He joined an interdisciplinary project examining cultural attitudes and ethical considerations surrounding scientific work with human remains. His role involved coding testimonies from researchers, analysing the cultural and professional contexts surrounding their work, and discussing the broader themes with Dr Rivera. “The existing literature has not contended with local attitudes enough,” Tatfeef explained, noting that local perspectives can sometimes be overlooked in scientific practice. The work led to Tatfeef co-authoring two peer-reviewed papers in the International Journal of Osteoarchaeology—an unusual achievement for a student who had yet to begin his second year. Learning Beyond the Classroom Tatfeef’s research journey also took him to Universitas Airlangga in Indonesia, where he engaged with anthropologists, researchers and students and gained insight into how another academic community approaches research, teaching and mentorship. “The way their research community carried out research and teaching informed much of my ideas of what good research ethics and academic community ideals might look like,” he said. The experience deepened his understanding of research in practice, from analysing evidence and collaborating across disciplines to considering ethical questions and communicating scientific knowledge responsibly. He also had opportunities to present his work at international conferences, exchange ideas with other academics and gain new perspectives on his research. Exploring a New Scientific Direction These experiences also helped Tatfeef explore where his scientific interests might lead. He is considering majors in Biological Sciences and Molecular Biology and, before beginning his third year, has already joined Professor Chaogu ZHENG’s laboratory in the School of Biological Sciences. There, he is investigating the mechanisms of axonal regeneration, including how injured neurons recognise and reconnect with the correct targets, as well as the molecular mechanisms behind a novel neuroregeneration phenomenon Although his current laboratory work differs from his earlier research in biological anthropology, both experiences are driven by the same curiosity and willingness to explore science across disciplinary boundaries. What began as a Common Core course did more than help Tatfeef decide what to study. It brought him into the world of research much earlier than expected—and helped him begin discovering what kind of scientist he hopes to become. Learn more about the research projects: Emic–Etic Perspectives on Southeast Asian Cultural Attitudes Surrounding Human Remains Best Practices for Scientific Collaboration and Ethical Considerations When Working With Human Remains in Southeast Asia  

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HKU Chair Professor Xuhua HE Elected Vice President of the International Mathematical Union

Professor Xuhua HE, Chair Professor in the Department of Mathematics under the Faculty of Science at The University of Hong Kong (HKU), has been elected Vice President of the International Mathematical Union (IMU). At 47, Professor He is the youngest Vice-President to join the Union’s leadership in nearly two decades, and only the second Chinese mathematician to hold this prestigious position since the IMU’s inception. The appointment was formally announced on 21 July at the IMU General Assembly in New York, USA. The IMU is the premier global authority in mathematics. A member of the International Science Council, its membership comprises mathematics organisations from more than 80 countries and regions. The IMU organises the quadrennial International Congress of Mathematicians (ICM) and adjudicates the highest accolades in mathematics, including the Fields Medal. In his role on the IMU’s core Executive Committee, the Vice-President will be instrumental in shaping global strategies for mathematical development, while overseeing the organisation of the ICM and the selection of major international awards. Professor Xiang ZHANG, President and Vice-Chancellor of HKU, extended his warmest congratulations, “Pure mathematics is the very soul of technological innovation. With the recent arrival of several world-class scholars, including a Fields Medallist, our Department of Mathematics is rapidly cementing its position as a world-class mathematical centre. Professor He’s election underscores the leading academic strength of Hong Kong and the nation on the global stage, whilst igniting the aspirations of young scholars. We trust this historic milestone will inspire a new generation of scientists to venture fearlessly into the unknown and reach new heights in global academia.” Professor He is an internationally acclaimed leader in Lie theory, arithmetic geometry, and representation theory. In 2013, he was awarded the Morningside Gold Medal of Mathematics, widely regarded as the “Chinese Fields Medal”. He was an invited sectional speaker at the ICM in 2018, and in 2022 received the Chevalley Prize in Lie Theory—the field’s highest international honour—becoming the only mathematician based in China to date to achieve this distinction. Professor He also serves as the President of the Hong Kong Mathematical Society and is a Fellow of The Hong Kong Academy of Sciences. As a leading figure in modern mathematics, Professor He displayed extraordinary talent from an early age. Born in Chongqing in 1979, he first rose to prominence in 1996 by winning a gold medal for China at the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO). He went on to pursue his studies at Peking University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Dedicated to tackling the most challenging, frontier conjectures in pure mathematics, Professor He has made systematic and highly original breakthroughs in the areas of Shimura varieties and Hecke algebras, and in the work on Serre’s conjecture II and Lusztig’s positivity conjecture on the of canonical bases. Expressing his gratitude, Professor He said, “I am deeply honoured to be elected Vice President of the International Mathematical Union. This is not only a personal milestone but, more importantly, a reflection of how the global mathematical community recognises the vibrant growth of research in China. Moving forward, I hope to actively champion open collaboration and academic exchange globally, bringing our mathematical achievements to the world stage while creating broader international opportunities for Chinese mathematicians.”

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HKU Astrophysicist Lixin DAI Named RGC Research Fellow for Pioneering Black Hole Research

Professor Lixin DAI in the Department of Physics has been honoured under the Research Grants Council’s Research Fellow Scheme for the 2026/27 academic year. Her awarded project, “Modelling Super-Eddington Accretion Physics from Cosmic Dawn Quasars to Gravitational-Wave Counterparts,” seeks to develop a unified framework for understanding how black holes consume matter beyond the theoretical Eddington limit. According to classical physics, radiation pressure should prevent matter from continuing to fall into a black hole once this limit is reached. However, astronomical observations suggest that black holes frequently exceed it, powering extreme phenomena such as tidal disruption events, binary black hole mergers in active galactic nucleus disks, and the recently discovered “Little Red Dots” in the early universe. Professor Dai’s team will use advanced general relativistic magnetohydrodynamic simulations and radiative-transfer calculations to investigate these processes and predict their observable signatures across different wavelengths. The findings will support observations by major international space missions, including the James Webb Space Telescope and the Einstein Probe. The project will advance understanding of black hole growth and energetic cosmic events, while strengthening Hong Kong’s position as an international centre for black hole astrophysics.  

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HKU Physicists Draw on Pride and Prejudice to Break Down Barriers in Quantum Magnetism

Professor Zi Yang MENG from the HKU Department of Physics and the State Key Laboratory of Optical Quantum Materials, together with Professor Cristian D. BATISTA (University of Tennessee) and Professor Shiliang LI (Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences), have recently published an invited Perspective in Nature Physics. Titled “An integrated theoretical and numerical approach to understand modern experiments on quantum magnetism”, the article advocates closer and more equal collaboration among three major pillars of quantum many-body physics: analytical theory, numerical simulation and experimental materials science. Drawing inspiration from Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, the authors examine how disciplinary divisions may hinder scientific progress. In the quest to decipher extreme states of matter, such as quantum spin liquids and complex phase transitions, the field has traditionally treated its three core pillars as fragmented entities. Over the years, the authors observed a prevailing attitude among theorists and computational physicists—particularly pronounced within the theoretical community—where one’s own sub-discipline is viewed as the primary driver of truth, while the others are diminished as mere auxiliary tools to validate one's own cleverness. Researchers can sometimes regard their own specialism as the main source of scientific insight while treating other approaches primarily as supporting or verification tools. The authors argue that overcoming these attitudes is essential for addressing increasingly complex problems in quantum magnetism. “This reflects a very human flaw, perfectly captured by Jane Austen,” Professor Meng noted. “Theorists often harbour an elitist ‘pride’, believing that analytical field theories dictate the entire scientific narrative. Meanwhile, numerical and materials experts hold defensive ‘prejudices’, dismissing theoretical constructs as castles in the air. This traditional paradigm, which treats related disciplines as subservient tools, severely hinders progress in our field. These three pillars must operate on equal footing as an inseparable trinity. Only by embracing this integrated approach can we truly advance our understanding of quantum magnetism.” Bringing Different Approaches Together The Perspective draws on several studies to demonstrate how this integrated approach works in practice. Quantum magnetic materials are often too complex to be understood through any single method. Analytical theory proposes possible explanations, numerical simulations test them under different conditions, while experiments determine whether the predictions reflect the behaviour of real materials. To champion this holistic framework, the authors showcase three major core systems where they have actively implemented this integrated approach in recent years, chronicling the field's historical progress and the leap from low to high dimensions: The Chasm from 1D to 2D (Luttinger Liquids to Triangular Quantum Ising Magnets): The neutron scattering spectra of one-dimensional magnetic materials can be perfectly reproduced by fusing analytical Luttinger theory with numerical Density Matrix Renormalisation Group (DMRG) simulations, both yielding flawless agreement with experimental spectra. Operating under their proposed collective paradigm, the team utilised sign-problem-free, large-scale Quantum Monte Carlo (QMC) and thermal Tensor Renormalisation Group (TRG) calculations to precisely map the microscopic parameters of the 2D magnet TmMgGaO₄. This successfully predicted and experimentally verified the elusive Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless (BKT) phase in a challenging 2D quantum Ising model. [See the HKU press release] Phase Diagrams of Triangular Lattice Heisenberg Magnets: This section highlights breakthrough quantum spin liquid (QSL) materials. The article tracks the domain's evolution from the 120° magnetically ordered Ba₃CoSb₂O₉ to the genuine J₁-J₂ quantum spin liquid behaviours observed in KYbSe₂ and NaYbSe₂. This milestone was reached by seamlessly combining advanced many-body numerical modelling with the Schwinger boson theoretical framework pioneered by Professor Batista and collaborators, as well as material synthesis and characterisation, exemplifying an egalitarian alliance between theory and materials. The Historical Evolution of Kagome Lattice Heisenberg Magnets: Offering an expanded and detailed retrospective, the article reviews the domain's journey from early models like Herbertsmithite (described by a homogeneous antiferromagnetic Heisenberg model) to the recent breakthroughs in the 3J model calculation and experiment represented by YCu_3(OH)_6Br_2[Br_{1-x}(OH)_x]. Building upon HKU's 2024 breakthrough on this material—where the experimental team painstakingly co-aligned over 5,000 single crystals to secure neutron scattering data and observed the computed Dirac quantum spin liquid spectrum. Comparing the resulting data with numerical calculations provided evidence consistent with the predicted behaviour of a Dirac quantum spin liquid. Looking Ahead The authors believe this integrated approach will be essential for investigating other challenging systems, including Kitaev materials and novel quantum spin liquids. Combining theoretical models, advanced simulations, machine learning and experiments could help researchers discover and understand new quantum states and materials. Developed through extensive discussion and editorial refinement over nearly two years, the Perspective retains its central message that analytical theory and numerical simulation should stand as equal partners alongside experiments in addressing the complex challenges of quantum magnetism. Professor Meng hopes that this vision will resonate with researchers and students across the quantum many-body physics community and encourage closer, more integrated collaboration in the field. This work was supported by the high-performance computing platforms of HKU Information Technology Services, the “Blackbody” supercomputer cluster in the HKU Department of Physics, and computational resources from Beijing PARATERA Tech CO., Ltd., with funding from the Research Grants Council (RGC) of Hong Kong.

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HKU Chemists Create New Carbon-Based Material for Future Sensors and Flexible Electronics

A research team led by Professors David Lee PHILLIPS and Seungkyu LEE of the Department of Chemistry at The University of Hong Kong (HKU) has developed a new two-dimensional carbon-based material, offering a strategy for building stable, ordered molecular frameworks for advanced technologies. The material, named HKU-50, belongs to a class of materials known as covalent organic frameworks, or COFs. These materials are built from molecular units that connect into regular, repeating structures. HKU-50 is distinctive because its framework is made entirely from carbon and hydrogen, forming an ordered hydrocarbon structure with long-range crystallinity. Creating such ordered all-carbon frameworks has long been impossible. Carbon–carbon bonds are strong and stable, but this also means that once molecules connect in the wrong way during synthesis, they are difficult to rearrange. As a result, scientists often obtain a disordered network, whose properties are harder to control, rather than a well-ordered crystalline material with clearer and more useful functions. The HKU team overcame this challenge using a reaction known as olefin metathesis, which allows carbon–carbon double bonds to break and reform during synthesis. This reversibility gave the growing framework a chance to correct misplaced connections, helping it assemble into an ordered crystalline structure instead of a disordered network. The resulting HKU-50 showed high thermal and chemical stability. Its ordered structure also significantly improved its light-emitting performance. Compared with the disordered version of the same material, HKU-50 showed a fourfold increase in photoluminescence quantum yield — a measure of how efficiently a material converts absorbed light into emitted light. This suggests that the ordered structure not only makes the material easier to study and control, but also directly enhances its optical properties. The findings provide a new route for constructing crystalline hydrocarbon frameworks, a long-standing challenge in materials chemistry. In the future, such materials may support the development of flexible electronics, chemical sensors and other advanced light-emitting technologies. The study was published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society and highlighted on the journal’s cover, as well as in Chemical & Engineering News.  

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HKU MILES-Shenzhen Pioneers Novel Super-Inert Fluorescent Dye For Clearer Ureter Imaging during Surgical Navigation

A cross-disciplinary research team led by Professor Hongjie DAI, Director of The Materials Institute of Life Sciences and Energy (MILES) of The University of Hong Kong (HKU) in Shenzhen, has developed a promising near-infrared (NIR) fluorescent dye for potential clinical application in ureter imaging during surgical navigation. The novel dye, named SID-788, exhibits excellent biocompatibility and superior ureter imaging performance, enabling clear ureter visualisation for at least four to five hours in a porcine model using clinical NIR laparoscopes and robotic surgical systems, a duration sufficient for most abdominopelvic surgical procedures. Professor Dai is a Sapientia Eminence Professor and Chair Professor in the Department of Chemistry, the Department of Mechanical Engineering and the School of Biomedical Sciences. The study was conducted in collaboration with The University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital and Peking University First Hospital. Challenges of traditional NIR fluorescent dyes for ureter imaging during surgical navigation Clear visualisation of ureters is critical for avoiding injury during abdominopelvic surgery and for treating ureteral stenosis or obstruction. This requires fluorescent dyes that are highly water-soluble, safe for patients, show minimal unwanted binding to blood proteins or tissues, and are cleared almost entirely through the kidneys, achieving nearly complete renal excretion. Many strategies have been explored to improve NIR fluorescent dyes for surgical imaging. For example, a benchmark NIR dye IRDye800CW containing multiple charged groups has been extensively investigated in clinical trials. However, IRDye800CW has several limitations, including poor photostability, non-specific binding to proteins or tissues, and clearance through both biliary and renal pathways, which may reduce its specificity for highlighting the urinary system. Zwitterionic ZW800 improves renal clearance, but its chemical stability and photostability are low. Therefore, there remains an urgent need to develop new NIR dyes that combine exceptional aqueous solubility, biocompatibility and stability with high imaging performance for clinical applications. Super-Inert Near-Infrared Fluorescent Rotaxane Dye Figure 1. Top left: Structure of the super-inert near-infrared fluorescent rotaxane dye SID-788. Top middle: SID-788 is safe for overdosage injection (500-fold of imaging dose) and exhibits efficient and ~100% renal excretion. Top right: NIR-II imaging in murine model. Principal component analysis (PCA) of NIR-II video (5–40 s post-injection) reveals haemodynamics in various vessels and organs. Bottom: Schematic diagram of surgical imaging workflow in porcine model. Image modified from Lu et al., Nat. Photon. (2026).   Led by Professor Dai, this work innovated a near-neutral cyanine dye by threading it through an α-cyclodextrin ring, essentially dressing up the dye with a highly biocompatible α-cyclodextrin “cloth” to impart excellent aqueous solubility (~29 mg ml−1) and super-inertness, i.e., exhibiting negligible binding and retention by serum proteins, organs and tissues. The dye undergoes complete renal excretion in its original form within hours after administration and exhibits superior stability in physiological conditions. The resulting super-inert dye (SID), named SID-788, enables high-performance ureter imaging in mice and pigs using NIR-II (1000-3000 nm) wide-field and clinically approved NIR-I (800-1000 nm) laparoscopes and robotic surgical systems. Further, owing to the cyclodextrin ring protection of the dye backbone against chemical attacks, SID-788 exhibited superior chemical and photostability compared with existing NIR dyes. This work established that threading dye molecules through cyclodextrin provides a versatile strategy for engineering fluorescent probes with excellent biocompatibility, brightness and stability. In preclinical studies, SID-788 was well tolerated in mice at doses up to 500 times the standard imaging dose (0.5 mg kg−1), paving the way for its potential clinical translation. Professor Hongjie Dai commented, “Wrapping a molecule with a human-compatible cyclodextrin ring is exciting in the NIR dye field. The development of SID-788 serves as a compelling example of integrating fundamental innovation with translational research. Through its novel molecular design, SID-788 possesses properties long pursued in the NIR fluorescent dye field, solving some long-standing problems in this field. More importantly, we have successfully accomplished gram-scale synthesis in our laboratory and are currently partnering with a CRO to advance toward kilogram-scale production for clinical translation.” This study is supported by the Materials Institute of Life Sciences and Energy (MILES) in Shenzhen, Hong Kong’s Academic and Industry Sectors One-plus Scheme (RAISe+) and the JC STEM Lab of Nanoscience. The team’s findings have been published in Nature Photonics. The research team comprises the following HKU academics: Professor Hongjie Dai, Sapientia Eminence Professor and Chair Professor, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science; Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering; School of Biomedical Sciences, LKS Faculty of Medicine; and Materials Institute of Life Sciences and Energy (MILES), HKU. Professor Kenneth Man-Chee Cheung, Jessie Ho Professor in Spine Surgery and Chair Professor, Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, and The University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital, HKU. Professor Feifei Wang, Assistant Professor, Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, and Materials Institute of Life Sciences and Energy (MILES), HKU. For more details, please refer to the journal paper “A super-inert near-infrared fluorescent rotaxane dye for surgical navigation” published in Nature Photonics. 

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HKU-HKIAA Astronomer Joins International Study to Weigh Inactive Black Hole Seen 10 Billion Years Ago

An international team of astronomers, including Professor Meng GU, an affiliated member of the Hong Kong Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics (HKIAA) at The University of Hong Kong (HKU), has directly measured the mass of an inactive supermassive black hole in the early Universe for the first time. The breakthrough opens a new window onto how supermassive black holes and their host galaxies grew together. The study was recently published in Science and was led by Dr Andrew NEWMAN at Carnegie Observatories. Professor Gu, the second author of the paper, was affiliated with the HKU Department of Physics at the time of the research and is now an affiliated member of HKIAA. Black Holes at the Centres of Galaxies Supermassive black holes are thought to lie at the centres of most massive galaxies. Although black holes themselves cannot be seen directly, their presence can be revealed by the way their gravity affects the motion of nearby stars. This same principle led to the discovery of the supermassive black hole at the centre of our own Milky Way, where Reinhard GENZEL and Andrea GHEZ resolved and tracked individual stars to measure its mass with high precision. They shared the 2020 Nobel Prize in Physics for this work. Later studies measured black hole masses from the integrated motions of unresolved stars in nearby galaxies, typically within about 650 million light-years from Earth. Pushing this approach to more distant galaxies, however, is extremely difficult: the region where a black hole’s gravity dominates is very small, making it usually impossible to resolve the sphere of influence across billions of light-years. In this study, the team observed MRG-M0138, a massive galaxy seen as it was about 10 billion years ago, when the Universe was only about one-quarter of its current age. At its centre, they found a dormant supermassive black hole with a mass of around six billion Suns. The black hole is inactive, meaning it is not currently feeding strongly on surrounding gas and therefore does not shine brightly like a quasar. Instead of detecting it through light, the team detected it through gravity: the motions of stars near the galaxy’s centre revealed an enormous, highly concentrated mass, far too compact to be a cluster of stars and best explained by a single supermassive black hole. How the Team Weighed the Black Hole The measurement was made possible by the James Webb Space Telescope and gravitational lensing. A massive foreground galaxy cluster acted as a natural cosmic magnifying glass, magnifying the light of MRG-M0138 by about 30 times. This allowed the team to study the motions of stars near the galaxy’s centre in exceptional detail. The result is surprising because the black hole appears too massive for its host galaxy — but only in one sense. Compared with the galaxy’s bulge mass, the black hole is about 12 times more massive than expected for galaxies in the nearby Universe. Bulge mass refers to the mass of stars in the dense central part of a galaxy. In simple terms, MRG-M0138 had not yet built up enough stars to match such a huge black hole by today’s standards. Yet compared with the galaxy’s stellar velocity dispersion, the black hole looks normal. Stellar velocity dispersion measures how much the stars’ speeds vary, reflecting the depth of the galaxy’s central gravitational potential. Together, these two findings give astronomers an important clue. The black hole and the galaxy's central stellar motions were already in place, while the galaxy still had to build up its stellar mass. In other words, the central engine was already fully grown, but the galaxy around it was still catching up. . Stellar kinematics of MRG-M0138 compared with dynamical models. The prominent central peak in the stellar second velocity moment can only be reproduced when the model includes a black hole of about six billion solar masses; models without a black hole cannot explain the observations. Image adapted from Newman et al., Science 392, 1065–1068 (2026) In the relation between black hole mass and stellar velocity dispersion, MRG-M0138 appears similar to nearby galaxies. However, when compared with the bulge mass, its black hole appears unusually overmassive, about 12 times more massive than expected from the local black hole-bulge mass relation. Image adapted from Newman et al., Science 392, 1065–1068 (2026).   Rethinking How Black Holes and Galaxies Grow The study helps address a major question in astronomy: do supermassive black holes and galaxies grow together in step, or can one mature before the other? This discovery suggests that, at least in some massive galaxies, the black hole and central core may grow rapidly in the early Universe, while the host galaxy continues to build up its stellar mass later, possibly through mergers with other galaxies. By directly weighing a dormant black hole from the early Universe, the team has provided a rare benchmark for testing the growth timeline of black holes and galaxies across cosmic history. The finding also shows that, with JWST and gravitational lensing, astronomers can now study distant inactive black holes that were previously beyond reach. “It is remarkable that we can study a galaxy seen 10 billion years ago in such detail.  This would not be possible without strong gravitational lensing acting like nature's magnifying glass and the power of JWST,” said Professor Meng Gu, now an Assistant Professor in the Department of Astronomy at Tsinghua University. “What excites me most is that we can now extend this direct way of weighing black holes back to such an early phase.” For more details, please refer to the journal paper “A stellar dynamical mass measurement of an inactive black hole at redshift 2” published in Science. 

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HKU Marine Scientists Reveal Hong Kong’s “Secret Fish” Thriving in Murky Waters

The word “crypto”, used as a prefix in “cryptocurrency”, comes from Greek kryptos, meaning  “secret” or “hidden”. “Benthic” refers to life at the bottom of a body of water. The two combine perfectly in “cryptobenthic fish” ­, “secret fish that live close to the seabed”. Measuring about the length of two matchsticks, cryptobenthic fish spend much of their lives hiding in the nooks and crannies of the sea floor. Even when they venture into the open, many are almost impossible to spot because of their natural camouflage. Despite being common in coastal waters, they have remained largely overlooked by scientists, and much about them is still unknown.    Now, thanks to the efforts by Maxine Curtacci, we know much more about the “secret fish” of Hong Kong. Originally from Italy, Maxine is a PhD student in Professor Celia Schunter’s lab at the Swire Institute of Marine Science (SWIMS), HKU School of Biological Sciences. Over the past three years, Maxine has collected cryptobenthic fish and fragments of their DNA across Hong Kong. She has found 60 different species – more than the number recorded on some pristine coral reefs of Indonesia and Australia. Paracentropogon rubripinnis. Commonly known as waspfishes, fish in this genus are often venomous, with poison glands on their spines. Priolepis semidoliata.Half-barred goby. This brightly coloured species lives on coral reefs. Priolepis semidoliata. Half-barred goby. This brightly coloured species lives on coral reefs. Bathygobius hongkongensis. Hong Kong frill-goby. This species, even though very common, was described as late as 1986. Finding these “secret fish” is no easy task. Maxine and her colleagues used scuba diving gear to place specially designed quadrats – rectangular plastic frames with a cloth sack attached to one end on the seabed. They then released clove oil into the quadrats, anaesthetising the fish and causing them to drift out of their hiding places and into the sack. “Hong Kong’s waters are notoriously murky, partly due to the natural discharge of sediment from the Pearl River. The team often had to work in “visibility of less than one metre, where you cannot really see anything,”  says Maxine. She supplemented the clove-oil-and-cloth-sack method with cutting-edge technology – environmental DNA (eDNA). Using eDNA, scientists do not need to find the actual fish. Instead, they can detect their presence from tiny fragments of genetic material the fish have shed into the water. “eDNA allows us to see which species are present without collecting or harming the fish. All we needed to do was scoop around five litres of seawater at each location,” explains Maxine. This simple sampling method proved remarkably powerful. In fact, eDNA was far more effective at detecting cryptobenthic fish than traditional physical sampling. “We found 60 species of cryptobenthic fish in total, of which 57 we detected with eDNA and 17 we collected physically. Moreover, all but 3 of the 17 collected species were also found with eDNA,”  says Maxine. Maxine Curtacci holding a transect during a research dive to sample cryptobenthic fish in South Bay.  Image credit: Lucrezia Bonzi Maxine Curtacci in the lab, preparing eDNA samples before sending them for sequencing.  Image credit: Cheuk Ho Wu   Fieldwork in South Bay in Hong Kong. Maxine Curtacci holding the fish specimens collected during a dive.  Image credit: Cheuk Ho Wai   Why spend three years diving in near-zero visibility to chase tiny fish that are so hard to find? "The small size of these fish belies their immense ecological importance,” explains Professor Schunter, the principal investigator who received a grant from the Marine Conservation Fund to study Hong Kong’s cryptobenthic fishes. “They are the snack bowl of the sea,” explains Professor Schunter. “They feed on microscopic algae, plankton and invertebrates, converting them into fish biomass – in other words, into food that larger predators, and eventually humans, rely on for food. Scientists used to be baffled by how the teeming-with-life coral reefs survive in nutrient-poor tropical waters. Cryptobenthic fishes are the rapid-recycling engine that makes this possible.” “Previous studies on cryptobenthic fish all focused on pristine environments, for example, coral reefs in Australia,” says Maxine. “Before us, no research had been done on them in a degraded marine environment, which is common in Hong Kong.” Maxine examined how the combination and number of species of cryptobenthic fish varied across different pollution levels in Hong Kong. She sampled fish at six sites that formed a pollution gradient: Gold Coast, North Lantau, Discovery Bay, Cheung Sha Beach, South Bay and Tai Tam. Gold Coast was the most degraded site, with the highest levels of pollution. The surprising finding was that the more degraded the site was and the higher the pollution, the more cryptobenthic fish it seemed to support – both in number and in species. “We found the highest abundance of several species in the most degraded environment,” says Maxine. “In some non-degraded sites, we would find only five fish in a sample; in degraded sites, we could find as many as 50. One example is Tridentiger trigonocephalus, or chameleon goby, a common species in harbours around the world.” Why are these fish thriving in places where many other marine organisms struggle? Maxine suggests that plentiful food may be one reason. “Many cryptobenthic fish feed on detritus – tiny particles of organic matter,” she said. “Degraded sites tend to have higher water turbidity, which means there may be more of these particles for the fish to eat.” Understanding how cryptobenthic fish diversity is shaped by human activity can help scientists better assess the health of degraded, urbanised marine environments. Assessing a healthy marine ecosystem is relatively straightforward: scientists can look for well-known indicator species whose presence suggests that the environment is in good condition. In a degraded ecosystem, however, many of these species may have disappeared. This makes it harder to understand what the smaller, lesser-known species that remain can tell us about the state of the local environment. This is how Maxine imagines a future survey using “secret fish”: “First we use eDNA to determine which cryptobenthic fish species are present. Since we know the pollution tolerance of these species, their presence can give us a picture of the conditions of the site.” “Our study shows that even in heavily urbanised coastal areas like Hong Kong, cryptobenthic fish populations can be rich and diverse,” concludes Professor Schunter. “These tiny, overlooked fishes are vital indicators of human impact on our coastal ecosystems. Understanding them better is key to protecting our oceans.”

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A Molecular Detector that Reveals Hidden Cell Activity and Monitors Health

A team of scientists has developed a new method to pinpoint exactly where different types of molecules are located inside living cells. This matters because the location of molecules like RNAs and proteins is closely tied to how they function, and when they end up in the wrong place, it can lead to diseases like cancer. The new technique uses specially designed small molecules, called SeNB derivatives, which act like tiny molecular flashlights. When activated by a gentle, deep-penetrating near-infrared light, these molecules produce a reactive form of oxygen that tags nearby RNAs and proteins. One major advantage is that these molecules naturally accumulate in the fatty membranes of various cellular components, such as the energy-producing mitochondria or the protein-synthesis apparatus, allowing for precise, location-specific tagging. This method works without requiring genetic modification of the cells, making it a simpler and more versatile tool. It allows researchers to create detailed maps of the molecular landscape within cells, which could yield new insights into cellular health, disease mechanisms, and potential treatments. Researchers // Professor Ying LI, Assistant Professor of the Department of Chemistry, her PhD student Jinghua HAN and Former PhD student Dr Han JIA Journal paper: Small-Molecule Benzo-Phenoselenazine Derivatives for Multi-Subcellular Biomolecule Profiling (published in Angewandte Chemie, 2024)  

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HKU Biologists Reveal How Neural Circuits Use Backup Mechanisms to Protect Essential Survival Reflexes

A research team led by Professor Chaogu ZHENG from the School of Biological Sciences at The University of Hong Kong (HKU), in collaboration with scientists from Princeton University and Columbia University, has discovered how sensory-motor circuits—nerve circuits that turn sensory signals into reflex actions—remain reliable even when some genes or neural connections are disrupted. Using the gentle touch reflex of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) as a model, the team found that this essential survival response is not controlled by a single biological component. Instead, it is supported by several overlapping mechanisms, including existing alternative neural pathways and molecular components that enable neurons to send and receive signals. These layers of genetic redundancy help maintain the touch response and improve the animal’s ability to escape from predators. The findings were recently published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). Research Background Reflex actions are among the most basic and important functions of the nervous system. When an animal senses danger, sensory neurons detect the stimulus and pass the signal through synapses, the contact points where neurons communicate, to downstream neurons that control movement. The gentle touch circuit of C. elegans is a classic model in neuroscience. Its cellular wiring was mapped at single-cell resolution about 40 years ago, showing how sensory neurons, interneurons, and motor neurons are connected in the reflex pathway. However, the molecular details of how these neurons communicate, and how this communication supports a reliable reflex response, were not fully understood. To address this question, the team examined synapses in the gentle touch reflex circuit and mapped the molecular mechanisms that allow signals to pass from sensory neurons to downstream neurons. Key Findings Through genetic screens and follow-up analyses, the team found that the touch reflex circuit is protected by several layers of genetic redundancy. These mechanisms operate at different levels, including individual genes, synapses, and neural pathways. In the posterior touch circuit, two gap junction proteins help connect sensory neurons with interneurons. Either protein alone is sufficient to maintain the connection, so losing either does not disrupt the touch response. In the anterior touch circuit, the team found another form of redundancy: two neural pathways can both support the backward movement triggered by touch. Blocking either pathway alone does not stop the motor response, indicating that the circuit can continue to function through an alternative existing route. The team also found that these redundant components are not simply spare parts. Some synaptic genes may not be essential for initiating the touch response, but they still affect how strong and effective it is. For example, removing one gene may not stop the animal from moving backwards after being touched, but it can shorten the reversal distance and make the animal less likely to turn afterwards. This weaker response reduces its ability to escape from carnivorous nematodes. These findings show that redundancy in the nervous system serves two purposes: it helps prevent an essential reflex from failing, and it strengthens the escape response. Image 2. Redundant mechanisms supporting the gentle touch reflex in C. elegans.The diagram shows how genes, synapses and neural pathways work together to maintain a reliable touch response.   Implications The study provides new insight into how nervous systems protect essential behaviours. It shows that robust neural circuits can be built through overlapping genes, synapses, and neural pathways, so that the loss of one component does not necessarily stop the behaviour. The corresponding author, Professor Chaogu ZHENG of the HKU School of Biological Sciences, explains, “From an evolutionary perspective, the findings suggest that components which appear redundant in a standard laboratory test may still be preserved because they improve survival in real-life situations, such as escaping from predators. In this way, redundancy is not merely a backup system, but part of how neural circuits produce reliable and effective behaviour.” For more details, please refer to the journal paper “Synaptic and neural pathway redundancy enables the robustness of a sensory-motor reflex and promotes predation escape in Caenorhabditis elegans” published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).  

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HKU Researchers Reveal Hong Kong as a ‘Biodiversity Ark’ for Yellow-crested Cockatoos and Expand Nesting Support

A new genomic study by researchers from the HKU School of Biological Sciences (SBS) has found that Hong Kong’s introduced population of Yellow-crested Cockatoos retains unexpectedly high genetic diversity and could serve as a genetic reservoir for this critically endangered species. Published in Evolutionary Applications, the study also underpins a new conservation initiative with local schools to install artificial nest boxes and monitor this rare urban population. Hong Kong is home to around 200 Yellow-crested Cockatoos – about 10% of the remaining global population. Although this urban population is small and isolated, it has so far avoided the severe genetic decline often expected in such cases. Some individuals may even carry genetic lineages that have disappeared from parts of the species’ native range in Indonesia. To understand how this population contributes to the global conservation of this species, researchers in the Merilä Lab at HKU SBS sequenced the whole genomes of Hong Kong’s cockatoos and compared them with native-range populations in Indonesia. Their analysis examined the birds’ genetic health, origins and potential conservation value, highlighting several key findings: High Genetic Diversity: Hong Kong’s cockatoos show genetic diversity comparable to other wild parrot populations. Mixed Subspecies Heritage: The population carries genetic signatures from all Yellow-crested Cockatoo subspecies, with many individuals showing mixed ancestry. Preservation of Lost Lineages: Over half of the sampled birds carry a maternal lineage linked to Lombok or nearby areas, where the species may now be locally extinct. Signs of Inbreeding: Some individuals show elevated inbreeding levels, highlighting the need for continued monitoring. Small Breeding Population: The number of effectively breeding individuals remains low, raising concerns for the population’s long-term survival. Genetic Rescue Potential: Hong Kong’s cockatoos could potentially support future genetic rescue efforts for declining native populations in Indonesia. “Hong Kong’s population presents a natural, 60-year test case for the genetic impacts of inter-breeding Yellow-crested Cockatoo subspecies,” said Dr Astrid ANDERSSON of HKU SBS, lead author of the study. “Instead of dismissing urban, introduced populations as ecologically redundant, we should view them as potential ‘biodiversity arks’ that can actively help prevent extinction.” The native population of Yellow-crested Cockatoos in Indonesia has declined to fewer than 2,000 birds due to historic over-trapping for the pet trade and habitat loss. However, the team cautions that any future translocation would require careful risk assessment, threat mitigation, biosecurity planning and long-term monitoring. Building Safe Homes for Hong Kong’s Urban Cockatoos As part of the conservation project, the team is working with local schools to install specially designed artificial nest boxes. Modified from Australian prototypes to better withstand Hong Kong’s humid climate, the boxes are equipped with internal cameras, allowing researchers and students to monitor breeding behaviour without disturbing the birds. To date, four nest boxes have been installed through partnerships with three schools: The ISF Academy in Pok Fu Lam, St. Louis School in Sai Ying Pun, and Quarry Bay School (ESF), with its box installed in Victoria Park. An additional ten nest boxes have been installed in urban parks around Hong Kong island, with the support of management authorities. “Over 60% of the cockatoos’ previous nest sites in natural tree hollows have been lost due to typhoons and pruning, which has created a housing crisis for these birds in Hong Kong,” said Dr Andersson. “By partnering with local schools, we are providing safe havens for breeding so we do not lose this globally important urban population.” “This initiative is a great opportunity to engage the next generation in urban conservation and hands-on conservation action,” said Harry WONG, arborist, designer and collaborator on the project. “Students can help build and install the nest boxes while learning about urban wildlife design.” For more details, please refer to the journal paper “Assessing the Genetic Health and Conservation Value of an Introduced Urban Population of a Critically Endangered Parrot” published in Evolutionary Applications.  

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Ancient Climate Shaped Hidden Freshwater Beneath the Pearl River Estuary

Estuaries and nearby continental shelves are where river systems meet the sea. These coastal regions not only support dense populations and economic activity, but also preserve important records of past climate changes, sea-level rise and fall, and the long-term evolution of groundwater systems. A collaborative research team from the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at The University of Hong Kong, together with Xiamen University, the Yantai Institute of Coastal Zone Research of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel in Germany, and other institutions, studied the Pearl River Estuary and its adjacent continental shelf. The team found that the widely distributed relatively fresh groundwater beneath the seabed in this region is not part of the modern groundwater cycle. Instead, it is ancient freshwater that was recharged by rainfall during a low sea-level period in the Late Pleistocene, when large areas of today’s seabed were still exposed as land. The findings were published in Science Advances under the title “Multimillennial climate-freshwater legacy beneath a large-river delta-front estuary.” During the Late Pleistocene, global sea levels were much lower than today. Large areas of present-day continental shelves were exposed to land, allowing rainwater to seep into underground aquifers. As the climate warmed and sea level rose after the ice age, seawater gradually covered these areas. The deeper groundwater system then became largely cut off from modern recharge and circulation. As a result, some of this ancient freshwater has remained preserved beneath the seabed for tens of thousands of years. This type of water is known as offshore, relatively fresh groundwater, or ORFG, meaning groundwater beneath the sea with a salinity of less than 10 grams per litre. Figure 1(Left). Sampling locations and porewater profiles reveal a large ORFG body preserved beneath the Pearl River Estuary and adjacent continental shelf. Figure 2 (Right). Conceptual model illustrating meteoric recharge and emplacement of ORFG during sea-level lowstands, followed by long-term preservation beneath the continental shelf during marine transgression. In this study, the team used an integrated geochemical approach to trace the origin and history of the groundwater beneath the Pearl River Estuary and its adjacent shelf. Their results show that this ORFG system is not being sustained by present-day river water or modern groundwater flow from land. Rather, it is a relict freshwater reservoir formed during past climate and sea-level changes. The findings provide new evidence that glacial–interglacial sea-level fluctuations played a direct role in shaping the distribution of freshwater resources beneath large river-delta margins. They also show that offshore freshwater can survive for very long periods when protected by low-permeability marine sediments, which act like a natural barrier between seawater and the deeper groundwater system. The study adds to the growing scientific understanding that offshore, relatively fresh groundwater may be a globally significant yet underexplored water resource. However, because such systems may be largely isolated and only slowly replenished, they should not be treated as unlimited freshwater reserves. Further research is needed to assess their long-term sustainability and vulnerability to human activities and climate change. The first author of the paper is Dr Chong Sheng, who completed much of the related work during his doctoral studies at The University of Hong Kong. He is currently a postdoctoral researcher at the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel in Germany, where his research focuses on coastal and continental shelf groundwater systems, hydrogeochemical processes, and numerical modelling. The corresponding author is Professor Jiu Jimmy Jiao from the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at The University of Hong Kong. The author team also includes Liuting Yuan, Pinghe Cai, Xin Luo, Jinchao Zuo, Kai Xiao, and Christian Hensen. The study, titled “Multimillennial climate-freshwater legacy beneath a large-river delta-front estuary,” was published in Science Advances.

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Nobel Laureate Professor Sir Andre GEIM takes HKU on a “Random Walk to Graphene” in Inaugural Lecture

Professor Sir Andre GEIM, Nobel Laureate and Chair Professor in the Department of Physics, Faculty of Science,  The University of Hong Kong (HKU), delivered his inaugural lecture titled “Random Walk to Graphene” on 9 June. Held at the Grand Hall of the Lee Shau Kee Lecture Centre, the lecture delved into how simple curiosity—and a willingness to embrace the unexpected—led to one of the most groundbreaking discoveries of our time. The event drew an audience of about 800 participants, spanning academic, policy, practitioner and student communities. Welcoming the legendary physicist to the stage, Professor Xiang ZHANG, President and Vice-Chancellor of HKU, said, “Professor Geim’s experience demonstrates to us the power of basic research.  Without basic research, there will not be knowledge translation, not to mention entrepreneurship and disruptive technologies that the world now emphasises. As educators, we really hope that having Professor Geim with us will inspire our next generation to think about how to redefine our future.”  Taking the podium, Professor Geim offered a refreshingly candid look behind the scenes of high-level scientific discovery. “When someone wins a Nobel Prize, people naturally want to know how and why it happened,” Professor Geim shared. “In this talk, I wanted to recount my rather unpredictable path in academia—a story marked by curiosity, wrong turns and a few strokes of good fortune.” Graphene was once dismissed by theorists as an impossible dream—an unstable “wonder material” that could not exist independently in our three-dimensional world. However, in 2004, Professor Geim and his collaborators turned theory into reality by successfully isolating the world’s first stable, single-atom-thin sheets of carbon using “sticky tape”. This paradigm-shifting achievement earned them the 2010 Nobel Prize in Physics. Beyond this landmark breakthrough, Professor Geim’s team pioneered the wider field of two-dimensional (2D) crystals. By demonstrating that atomically thin layers of various materials could be isolated and then stacked back together like atomic Lego bricks, they unlocked an entirely new realm of materials science. Rather than resting on his laurels, Professor Geim’s current work focuses on expanding this atomic toolkit. By exploring a growing family of 2D materials and assembling them layer by layer, his team is creating “designer” materials with properties that do not exist in nature. At HKU, Professor Geim intends to continue this role as an "atomic architect." He believes humans are on the cusp of a fundamental technological shift comparable to humanity’s transition from the Stone Age to the Bronze Age. Professor Geim’s appointment at HKU underscores the University’s commitment to bridging fundamental, curiosity-led science with real-world applications. By bringing world-leading minds to campus, HKU continues to champion its vision of becoming a world-leading university transforming humanity’s future.  

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HKU Physicist Professor Wang YAO Honoured with Certificate of Merit at National Award for Excellence in Innovation

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HKU Chemists Unlock the Secret to Designing Ultra-Tough and Responsive “Smart” Materials"

From household plastic packaging to the flexible frameworks that support wearable electronics, polymer materials form the invisible backbone of modern life. At a microscopic level, polymers consist of long, ribbon-like molecular chains that are entangled into a disorganised mass resembling a bowl of cooked noodles. For decades, these unpredictable molecular twists and knots have made it difficult for scientists to control, map, or customise the behaviour of the final material. A research team led by Professor Yufeng WANG and Professor Ho Yu AU-YEUNG from the Department of Chemistry at The University of Hong Kong (HKU) has achieved a breakthrough to address this challenge. By using discrete molecular rings as precise structural models of polymer knots, the team untangled the complex relationship between molecular architecture and material properties, allowing them to correlate characteristics such as stiffness, strength, and elasticity with the specific structures and topologies of the molecular rings. Their findings were recently published in the prestigious Journal of the American Chemical Society (JACS). Tuning Materials with a “Metal Switch” At the heart of this research is the discovery that the “hidden length” of the rings, a form of molecular slack within the material’s structure that releases when pulled under force. Much like a seatbelt catching to absorb an impact or a spring snapping back into place, different molecular architectures respond to mechanical stress in very different ways, thereby altering how the final material behaves. By replacing the unstructured tangles in conventional polymers with molecular rings of precise structures, the researchers were able to observe how different architectures store and release energy. Simple macrocyclic rings, for instance, are highly flexible and harbour significant hidden length; when the material is subjected to stress, this internal slack unfurls to absorb the impact, resulting in exceptional toughness and durability. In contrast, mechanically interlocked rings, known as catenanes, adopt a much more constrained and compact configuration. The team found that because these interlocked rings have less “slack” to unfurl, they behave like rapid-response springs. This creates a material with high elasticity, allowing it to snap back efficiently to its original shape after being stretched. The team took the research a step further by demonstrating that these materials can be tuned on demand. By introducing copper ions to the molecular rings, the internal slack can be effectively locked in place to increase rigidity. This ability to manipulate structural rigidity enables a material’s properties—such as stiffness and elasticity—to be dynamically altered in a controllable, responsive manner. Paving the Way for Soft Robotics and Tissue Engineering  This discovery provides a blueprint for creating a new generation of “smart” materials with highly specialised functions. By identifying these distinct mechanical pathways, the HKU team has provided a new framework for guiding the design of new materials with specific properties. Professor Ho Yu Au-Yeung from the HKU Department of Chemistry said the research helps scientists gain a deeper understanding of how entanglements at the molecular level influence material properties, opening up new possibilities for designing materials with specialised functions for different applications. “By choosing the right molecular ‘knots’ and controlling their ‘hidden length’, we are now able to design materials with specific functions tailored to different needs.” Professor Yufeng Wang from the HKU Department of Chemistry added that the findings could have important implications for fields such as soft robotics, tissue engineering and wearable electronics. “For example, soft robots require materials that are both flexible and strong; tissue engineering materials need to mimic the complex and dynamic movements of human muscles; while wearable electronic devices require both high durability and elasticity. This research provides scientists with a new framework for designing smart materials with specialised functions for different applications.” The research work is supported by a Collaborative Research Fund (C7075-21G) and General Research Fund (17313222) of the Research Grants Council of Hong Kong and HKU-CAS Joint Laboratory on New Materials (JLFS/P-701/24). First authors of the paper (Tianjin LUO, Yulin DENG and Mingda HU) are PhD students at the HKU Department of Chemistry. For more details, please refer to the journal paper “Role of Molecular Topology Elucidated in Unified Gels” published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.  

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Ancient Seawater May Have Helped Build Earth’s First Continents

A research team from the HKU Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences has uncovered new evidence that Earth’s earliest continents may have formed from rocks that had once interacted with ancient seawater and the surface environment, rather than from purely deep, untouched rocks inside the Earth. The study, published in Nature Communications, focuses on ancient granitoid rocks from the North China Craton, one of the world’s oldest continental regions. These rocks belong to a group known as tonalite-trondhjemite-granodiorite, or TTG, which makes up a major part of Earth’s early continental crust. For decades, scientists have debated how these ancient continental rocks formed. While it is widely accepted that TTGs were produced by the partial melting of water-rich mafic rocks, the origin of those mafic source rocks has remained uncertain. Were they formed deep inside the Earth, or had they once existed near the surface and been altered by seawater before being buried and melted? To answer this question, the team analysed sulfur and silicon isotopes in the ancient rocks. These isotopes act like geological fingerprints. Sulfur isotopes can preserve signals from Earth’s early atmosphere and surface sulfur cycle, while silicon isotopes can reveal whether rocks had been altered by seawater or silica-rich surface processes. The researchers found both non-zero sulfur isotope signatures and enriched silicon isotope values in the ancient granitoids. Together, these signals indicate that the rocks were derived from “supracrustal” sources — materials that had once been exposed at the surface or near-surface environments, such as the seafloor, before being transported into deeper parts of the Earth and melted to form continental crust. In simple terms, the findings suggest that ancient seafloor rocks interacted with seawater, were later buried deep within the Earth, and eventually melted, helping to form some of the earliest continental crust. The discovery has broader implications for understanding early Earth. It suggests that surface-to-interior recycling — the movement of materials from Earth’s surface into its deep interior — was already active in the Archean Eon, more than 2.5 billion years ago. This recycling may have played an important role in building stable continents and shaping Earth into a long-term habitable planet. This article is based on the research paper “Coupled sulfur-silicon isotopes reveal supracrustal origin of Archean continents”, published in Nature Communications. DEPS PhD student Kun SHANG is the first author, with Professors Jian ZHANG and Guochun ZHAO as corresponding authors. The study was conducted in collaboration with the University of Science and Technology of China.

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HKU Researchers Partner with Local Schools to Install Nest Boxes for Critically Endangered Cockatoos

Researchers from the School of Biological Sciences have launched a collaborative conservation initiative with local schools to support the survival of the critically endangered Yellow-crested Cockatoo (Cacatua sulphurea). The project involves the installation of specially designed artificial nest boxes on school grounds or in public parks to provide critical breeding sites for the species. Hong Kong is home to approximately 200 Yellow-crested Cockatoos—roughly 10% of the world’s remaining population. Despite being an introduced species, the local population serves as a vital genetic reservoir as native populations in Indonesia and East Timor face rapid decline due to poaching and habitat loss. Researchers at HKU School of Biological Sciences have been studying Hong Kong’s Yellow-crested Cockatoos for 10 years, tracking their population trends, breeding behaviour, and genetics.  “The loss of over 60% of natural tree hollows in Hong Kong due to typhoons and pruning has created a housing crisis for these birds,” said Dr. Astrid Andersson, the project lead. “By partnering with local schools, we are providing safe havens for breeding so we don’t lose this globally important urban population.” To date, four nest boxes have been installed at three schools: The ISF Academy and St. Louis School at their campuses in Pok Fu Lam and Sai Ying Pun (respectively), and Quarry Bay School (ESF) – for which the box has been installed in Victoria Park. “This initiative is a great opportunity to engage the next generation in urban conservation and hands-on conservation action. The students can help make and install the nest boxes, and learn about urban wildlife design,” said Harry Wong – arborist, designer, and collaborator on this project.   Key Project Highlights: Sustainable Nesting Solutions: The nest boxes are modified from Australian prototypes to withstand Hong Kong’s humidity and include internal camera systems for non-invasive monitoring. Community Outreach: Students will participate in citizen science, observing the birds’ breeding behaviour and collecting data on clutch size, incubation period, fledgling success, etc., for this rarely studied species.  Genetic Reservoir: Protecting these urban birds ensures a "backup population" that could one day assist in restoring the species to its native range.    This initiative demonstrates that even in a densely urbanised metropolis, collaborative efforts between academia and the community can provide a lifeline for species on the brink of extinction.   Designer Harry Wong conducts a workshop for students at Quarry Bay School about urban wildlife design and nest box construction. Photo: Astrid Andersson A cockatoo pair using the nest box installed at St. Louis School campus in Sai Ying Pun. Photo: Winster Wong   Quarry Bay School Green Team (Paarush, Aaron P, Alfa, Caitlyn, and Aaron W) at Victoria Park. Photo: Ceri Hill  

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HKU Science Joins China’s First Mars Sample Return Mission Tianwen-3

According to the selection results recently released by the China National Space Administration, HKU Science will participate in China’s first Mars Sample Return mission, Tianwen-3. The Short-Wavelength Infrared Spectrometer, led and developed by the HKU Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences (DEPS), has been selected as a payload for deployment on the service module of the Tianwen-3 mission. The orbital spectrometer will monitor Martian dust storms to support safe landing operations, conduct high-resolution mineralogical mapping of candidate landing sites, and continue long-term observations of Mars’s low-latitude regions after the sample return phase. It will play a critical role in searching for biosignatures, detecting hydrous minerals, and surveying Martian resources. The project is led by Professor Yiliang LI of the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at HKU, with major collaborating institutions including Zhejiang University and the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics, and Physics. In addition, the Tianwen-3 orbiter will carry three collaborative payloads, including the COSPAR-led Mars PEX Spectrometer, in which the HKU Laboratory for Space Research, led by Professor Quentin Parker, participates alongside Shenzhen University. Designed to search for traces of life on Mars and analyse surface mineral composition, the instrument will help investigate potential organic compounds and their distribution on the Martian surface.

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HKU Unveils Innovative Portable AI Optical Sensing Device for Rapid, Non-Invasive Cancer Risk Detection

Cancer remains a critical health challenge globally. In 2023, the Hong Kong Cancer Registry recorded close to 38,000 new cancer cases and nearly 15,000 cancer-related deaths. Faced with the continuously rising number of cases, society's demand for detection solutions that can be used for early screening and long-term monitoring is also increasing accordingly. Currently researchers are developing a range of innovative detection approaches, aiming to complement current techniques and enable a more comprehensive framework for cancer detection, better supporting public health monitoring needs.    Professor Chi-Ming CHE, Zhou Guangzhao Professor in Natural Sciences and Chair Professor of Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, The University of Hong Kong (HKU), and the Laboratory for Synthetic Chemistry and Chemical Biology Limited (LSCCB), and Dr Wei Liu, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, HKU, and LSCCB, have developed an innovative portable AI-enabled optical sensing device that enables rapid, non-invasive cancer risk detection using just a saliva sample. This innovative technology integrates advanced chemical sensing with artificial intelligence and was awarded a Gold Medal with Congratulations of the Jury at the 51st International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva (2026), recognising its scientific excellence and strong potential for practical application.    This innovative technology was awarded a Gold Medal with Congratulations of the Jury at the 51st International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva (2026)  Non-Invasive, Fast and Accessible Detection   This newly developed device represents a major advancement in cancer detection by offering a non-invasive, fast and user-friendly alternative to traditional methods. Designed for portability and ease of use, the device allows individuals to conduct tests independently through a mobile application, without the need for specialised medical personnel or large-scale equipment. The detection process is completed in under 10 minutes.  The schematic diagram showing the detection process of this innovative technology.  Professor Che said, “Using saliva instead of tissue samples enables us to minimise discomfort while reducing the risks associated with invasive procedures. This makes it a promising early-stage auxiliary detection tool for hospital examinations. Its convenience makes it particularly suitable for high-risk individuals, including those with a family history of cancer and patients requiring regular follow-up after treatment.  Innovative Luminescent Technology Meets Artificial Intelligence  At the core of this innovation is a novel class of luminescent metal complexes invented by Professor Che, which selectively bind to DNA damage sites – key indicators associated with cancer development. When bound to damaged DNA, especially mismatched DNA, the complexes exhibit a dramatic change in photo-luminescence compared to normal DNA, enabling detection using a highly sensitive device. The optical signal is captured by a miniature spectrometer, engineered by Dr Wei Liu, and then translated into actionable insights through AI-powered analysis. The integration of advanced chemical sensing with artificial intelligence creates a powerful platform that bridges molecular diagnostics and digital health technologies.  The innovative technologies: (a) The luminescent metal complexes that selectively bind to mismatched DNA, developed by Prof. Che; (b) The portable spectral device that captures the luminescent signal, developed by Dr. Liu. From Laboratory Breakthrough to Clinical Impact Professor Che emphasised, “This device is not intended to replace clinical diagnoses, but rather to serve as a complementary tool for rapid detection and continuous monitoring.” Preliminary studies involving patients with breast cancer and nasopharyngeal carcinoma have demonstrated strong capability in distinguishing between healthy and affected individuals. The research team is currently collaborating with clinical oncologists across multiple hospitals to conduct larger-scale validation studies covering a broader spectrum of cancer types. This initiative reflects HKU and LSCCB’s commitment to translating cutting-edge scientific research into practical solutions that address pressing healthcare challenges and deliver meaningful societal impact. 

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HKU Nobel Laureate Professor Ferenc Krausz Elected as International Member of U.S. National Academy of Sciences

Professor Ferenc KRAUSZ, Chair Professor of Laser Physics in the Department of Physics, Faculty of Science at The University of Hong Kong (HKU), has been elected as an International Member of the National Academy of Sciences, USA (NAS), in recognition of his outstanding contributions to ultrafast laser science and attosecond physics. Professor Xiang ZHANG, President and Vice-Chancellor of HKU extended his congratulations, remarking, “Professor Krausz’s work has fundamentally redefined the boundaries of what we can measure, allowing us to witness the swiftest processes in the physical world. His election is a profound recognition of a scientist who looks where others once thought it was impossible to see. At HKU, we strive to be a home for the pursuit of fundamental truths, with a view to inspiring the next generation of scholars to push beyond the established limits of human knowledge.” The NAS recently announced the election of 120 members and 25 international members in recognition of their distinguished and continuing achievements in original research. Reflecting on the honour, Professor Krausz said: “I am deeply grateful for this recognition from the National Academy of Sciences. It reflects many years of collaborative work, and I look forward to continuing to advance attosecond science and its applications.” Professor Krausz, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2023, is widely recognised for pioneering attosecond metrology, enabling the observation of electron dynamics on their natural timescales. His work has opened new frontiers in physics, chemistry, and materials science, with far-reaching implications for both fundamental research and technological innovation. About Professor Ferenc Krausz A Hungarian-born Austrian physicist and a pioneer of attosecond science, Professor Krausz earned his doctorate in laser physics with distinction from the Vienna University of Technology in 1991 and completed his habilitation in 1993. He continued his academic career at the Vienna University of Technology, where he joined as an assistant professor in 1996 and was promoted to full professor in 1999. Since 2004, he has been holding leadership roles as Director of the Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics and as Chair of Experimental Physics - Laser Physics at Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich. He founded the Centre for Advanced Laser Applications in Munich in 2015 and the Center for Molecular Fingerprinting (CMF) in 2019. With CMF (cmf.hu), he took the lead in establishing a new type of large-scale prospective longitudinal cohort study, “h4h.hu”, aimed at laying the foundations for personalised preventive healthcare. To this end, he recently initiated a global alliance, “Protecting.Health”, bringing together CMF, LMU and HKU.   His accolades include the Nobel Prize in Physics (2023), awarded for his experiments with attosecond pulses of light, which he shared with Pierre Agostini and Anne L’Huillier. He is also a recipient of the BBVA Foundation Frontiers of Knowledge Award (2023), the Wolf Prize in Physics (2022), and the King Faisal International Prize for Science (2013). His work has contributed to advances in precision measurement and a deeper understanding of fundamental processes in matter.

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HKU LSR Organises APRIM 2026 to Advance Space Research and International Collaboration

Taking place from May 4–8, 2026, the Asia-Pacific Regional International Astronomical Union Meeting (APRIM) 2026 officially opened yesterday at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. Organised by the Laboratory for Space Research (LSR) at the HKU Faculty of Science, this prestigious triennial event is being hosted in Hong Kong for the first time. APRIM 2026 brings together nearly 600 leading scholars from more than 40 countries and regions, making it the largest astronomical conference ever held in Hong Kong.   With the theme “Science, Cooperation and Friendship – Working Together Across the Asia-Pacific Region within the IAU Framework,” APRIM 2026 features dedicated sessions that explore space sustainability and frontier topics such as lunar bases. The programme offers a comprehensive agenda, with discussions ranging from black holes and exoplanets to orbital debris and the expanding space economy.   At the opening ceremony, Kevin Choi Kit-ming, Permanent Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, announced substantial government support for aerospace research, stating: “Hong Kong has already attracted 16 aerospace companies to the city, thanks to the nation’s 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30), elevating the space economy as a strategic pillar,” he said. He also announced over HK$100 million in government funding for six flagship aerospace R&D projects, including a HKU-developed short-wavelength infrared spectrometer selected as a payload for China’s Tianwen 3 Mars mission, scheduled for 2028.   Professor Quentin Parker, Director of the LSR and one of the event’s organisers, highlighted Hong Kong’s unique advantages as an emerging global hub for space sustainability, citing strengths in common law, fintech, international connectivity, and intellectual property protection. “APRIM represents far more than an academic conference. We can become a global hub for space sustainability,” he said.   The event’s impact extends beyond the main sessions, with a parallel meeting on space sustainability, a public open day, and an outreach conference running concurrently. These initiatives underscore Hong Kong’s ambition to lead international discussions on satellite regulation and the long-term stewardship of the space environment.   As APRIM 2026 continues throughout the week, the LSR reaffirms its commitment to advancing frontier research, fostering global partnerships, and supporting Hong Kong’s role in the new space economy and international space research.   For more details about APRIM 2026: https://aprim2026.org    Professor Quentin Parker, Director of the Laboratory for Space Research (LSR).   A group photograph showcasing the attending scientists and delegates was captured during the opening ceremony of APRIM 2026.    A panel of distinguished astronomers and Shaw Prize laureates engaged in a stimulating discussion during APRIM 2026. Video  

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HKU Research Team to Develop “Short-Wavelength Infrared Spectrometer” for China’s Tianwen-3 Mission Advancing the Search for Signs of Life on Mars

A research team from the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences will participate in China’s planetary exploration mission, Tianwen-3. According to the selection results recently released by the China National Space Administration, the “Short-Wavelength Infrared Spectrometer”, led and developed by HKU, has been officially selected as a payload for deployment on the service module of the Tianwen3 mission. The instrument will play a critical role in forecasting dust storms during landing manoeuvres, searching for biosignatures, detecting hydrous minerals, and surveying Martian resources.  In addition, the orbiter will carry three collaborative payloads, including the COSPAR-led Martian PEX spectrometer, on which the HKU Laboratory for Space Research participates alongside Shenzhen University. Tianwen-3 mission is China’s first Mars Sample Return mission. Scheduled for launch in 2028, with sample return planned for 2031, the mission aims to address fundamental scientific questions, including the uniqueness of life on Earth and the universality of biochemical mechanisms in the universe. Professor Xiang ZHANG, President and Vice-Chancellor of HKU, commented, “HKU is honoured to participate in the Tianwen-3 planetary exploration mission. The selection of our research project as a mission payload reflects the University’s deep-seated expertise in planetary science and deep-space exploration, while marking a significant contribution to the nation’s strategic advancement as a leading space power. We remain committed to deepening our frontier research to further expand the boundaries of human knowledge.” The project is led by Professor Yiliang LI of the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at HKU, with major collaborating institutions including Zhejiang University and the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics, and Physics. The instrument will be used for key investigations, including forecasting dust storms during the landing maneuver, searching for biosignatures, detecting hydrous minerals, and surveying resources on Mars. The orbital spectrometer will undertake three primary tasks: 1. To monitor the potential emergence and development of dust storms, thereby guiding the safe landing of the lander at sites of highest scientific value. 2. To provide detailed, high-spatial-resolution mineralogical mapping of candidate landing sites from orbit, supporting final-stage landing site selection for the Tianwen-3 mission. 3. Following completion of the sample return phase, the instrument will remain in orbit for at least five years to conduct sustained observations of Mars’s low-latitude regions. Professor Li stated: “This mission marks a significant contribution from Hong Kong’s scientific community to the nation’s deep space exploration programme. Using hyperspectral imaging technology, we will directly search for biosignatures and hydrous minerals on Mars, which is fundamentally important for understanding the distribution of life in the universe.” Professor Li has served as a core member of both the Landing Site Selection Team and the Mission Science Team of the Tianwen-3 mission. The selection of this payload demonstrates HKU’s international competitiveness in Earth and planetary sciences while fostering interdisciplinary synergy across science and engineering in Hong Kong. Professor Li further noted that the project aligns with two concurrent developments: “First, the continued expansion of HKU’s research capabilities in Earth and planetary sciences, particularly in cosmochemistry and astrobiology focusing on solar system bodies such as asteroids, Mars and Jupiter; and second, the Hong Kong SAR Government’s strategic initiative to cultivate a local aerospace industry, by leveraging the region’s geographical advantages.” Professor Yiliang LI of HKU Earth and Planetary Sciences.

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HKU Science Project on Peptide Drug Innovation Secures RAISe+ Funding

A research project led by Professor Xuechen LI from the Department of Chemistry has been selected for funding under the third round of the Research, Academic and Industry Sectors One-plus (RAISe+) Scheme by the Innovation and Technology Commission (ITC). The project, Peptide Drug Innovation and Discovery, focuses on advancing next-generation peptide therapeutics, a class of drugs that use short chains of amino acids to precisely target biological processes. With the global peptide drug market continuing to grow rapidly, the project aims to address key limitations of conventional peptide drugs, including their instability, poor permeability, and short half-lives. By tackling these challenges, the team aims to develop peptide drug candidates with improved efficacy and broader clinical potential, helping to develop more accessible therapies for patients worldwide. The project also positions Hong Kong to play a more active role in the rapidly expanding peptide therapeutics landscape. Professor Li is the Morningside Professor in Chemical Biology and Chair Professor of Medicinal Chemistry and Chemical Biology at HKU Chemistry. His research focuses on chemical biology, peptide science, and drug discovery. The RAISe+ scheme, supported by the ITC of the HKSAR Government, aims to foster cooperation between the research, academic, and industry sectors to accelerate the commercialisation of R&D outcomes. By bridging the gap between laboratories and industrial applications, these projects are poised to deliver substantial societal and economic benefits.   

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Exploring Italy’s Scientific and Cultural Heritage: A Journey from Trieste to Venice

Three PhD students, Min LONG, Menghan SONG, and Ting-Tung WANG, from the group of Professor Zi Yang MENG in the Department of Physics, embarked on a scientific journey at the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP) in Trieste, Italy, last December. Below, they share their experiences of exchanging knowledge and exploring the rich history and culture of Trieste and Venice.   Trieste: A City of Borders and History Trieste is a port city that once served as the main sea gate of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Today, the empire is gone, and the city is Italian, but its unique identity persists. The architecture reflects its imperial past, with grand, sombre buildings from the Habsburg era facing the waterfront. The piazzas are wide and open to the sea breeze, and historic cafés invite you to enjoy coffee amid a blend of influences – more reminiscent of Vienna than Rome. The light is Adriatic, but the soul is mixed, reflecting a city of borders and changed maps. Sculpture in Piazza Unità d'Italia In December 2025, we visited the Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP). The Centre is a cluster of functional buildings on the outskirts of Trieste. Founded by the late Nobel Laureate Abdus Salam and Italian physicist Paolo Budinich, it is a hub for scientists from all over the world, especially those from developing countries. It is a tranquil place with plain corridors and a slow pace. Here, we participated in a two-week Advanced School and Conference on Quantum Matter. The event intertwined pedagogical lectures from the school and conference-style talks on Quantum Spin Liquids.   At ICTP, we had enriching conversations with research scientists Marcello Dalmonte, Yin Ran, and Cenke Xu. Topics ranged from cutting-edge hybrid Monte Carlo simulations of fractional quantum Hall states—platforms for quantum computation—to the intricate techniques of entanglement microscopy that reveal the deep organising principles governing many-particle systems. A highlight was the exploration of the Chiral graviton—a phenomenon akin to ripples in the emergent internal geometry of the electronic universe—and its realisation in the fractional Chern insulator. These fruitful exchanges have already led to our recent preprint, Chiral Graviton Modes in Fermionic Fractional Chern Insulator, and we anticipate further collaborations, including a forthcoming visit to HKU by an Italian scholar.   Many distinguished Chinese physicists, such as Xi Dai and Lu Yu, have worked at ICTP. They did important work and helped facilitate knowledge exchange with their home institutions. ICTP has served as a bridge, facilitating knowledge exchange through sustained, dedicated work. In the cafeteria, a dozen languages mingle, unified by the language of physics. It is a truly inspiring place.   The Grand Canal     The ICTP campus   From Trieste to Venice: A Coastal Journey From Trieste, we took a two-hour train ride along the coast to Venice. Venice is unlike any other city. Stepping out of the station, you are greeted by the water of the Grand Canal. There are no cars, only boats. The city is built on millions of wooden pilings driven into the mud of the Venetian Lagoon. Once a powerful maritime republic, its wealth is evident in landmarks like the Doge’s Palace and the Basilica, with gold accents and ornate ceilings. Yet, the true essence of Venice lies in its small details. While in Venice, we took a boat out to Murano, the island famed for glassmaking. Watching a master shape molten glass into a delicate horse in just minutes revealed the skill and artistry behind this ancient craft. Back in the city, the streets are canals. The sidewalks are narrow. We crossed small bridges and passed shops displaying traditional Venetian Carnival masks—some simple white, others gilded with long beaks. These masks were once worn during festivals to conceal identity, allowing people to step outside their usual roles. Today, they are mostly made for tourists, but they still carry a sense of the city’s old mystery.   From left: Menghan Song, Ting-Tung Wang and Min Long As the light faded, the crowds departed on their boats, and the city quietened. We could hear the water lapping against the ancient stones. We found a small place to eat—simple fare of fish, pasta, and house wine. The next day, on the return train along the coast, we reflected on the two cities. Trieste, solid and serious on its land, is focused on fundamental questions about the universe. Venice, floating on its borrowed time, stands as a beautiful relic of the past. Both are real, and both tell a true story. That, in itself, is enough.

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HKU Astrophysicists Find Saturn’s Magnetic Bubble Differ from Earth-Based Models, Appearing to be Less Symmetrical and Off-Centre

Latest research led by Professor Zhonghua YAO of the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences (DEPS) at The University of Hong Kong (HKU) has found that auroras on Saturn behave markedly differently from those on Earth, appearing uneven and shifted to one side rather than forming the familiar symmetrical rings around the poles. Analysing archival data from NASA’s Cassini mission, the team shows that Saturn’s rapid rotation fundamentally reshapes its magnetic environment, driving this off-centre magnetic bubble pattern. A Shield with a Systematic Shift Like Earth, Saturn is surrounded by a magnetosphere, a magnetic “shield” that protects it from the solar wind. However, near the poles, funnel-shaped openings called “cusps” allow charged particles to leak into the atmosphere along magnetic field lines, producing auroras. On Earth, these entry regions, similar to a magnetic bubble, are usually centred around noon—the part of the planet facing the Sun—so the magnetic bubble tends to form fairly symmetrical rings around the poles. At Saturn, the dynamics change dramatically. These regions are shifted towards the afternoon side, most commonly between about 1 pm and 3 pm, and sometimes extending towards evening. As a result, the auroras are not centred, but displaced to one side, appearing uneven rather than forming a balanced ring. This difference is linked to Saturn’s rapid rotation. A full rotation takes only about 10 hours, and this fast spin reshapes the planet’s magnetic field, pushing the particle entry regions away from the Sun-facing direction. The findings suggest that, for giant planets like Saturn, rotation and charged particles released by its moons may play a larger role than the solar wind in shaping the magnetic environment. By identifying where charged particles enter a planet’s magnetic field, scientists can better understand how energy is transferred into its atmosphere. This helps improve models of planetary magnetic fields and space weather, and provides insight into how effectively different planets can protect their atmospheres. “This discovery of an ‘afternoon-skewed cusp’ confirms that giant planets operate under a different magnetospheric environment than Earth,” said Professor Yao. “It fundamentally alters our models of how high-energy particles gain energy and move faster across our solar system”. The research, published in Nature Communications, draws on data collected by the Cassini spacecraft, which orbited Saturn from 2004 to 2017. By analysing data up to 2010, the team identified 67 instances of particle entry into Saturn’s magnetic field, allowing them to map these regions for the first time. The study’s first author is Dr Yan Xu, a former postdoctoral fellow of Professor Zhonghua Yao at HKU, now affiliated with the Southern University of Science and Technology in Shenzhen. For more details, please refer to the journal paper.    

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HKU Centre of Functional Materials for Energy and Sustainability Joins Third InnoHK Research Cluster

The Centre of Functional Materials for Energy and Sustainability (CFMES) of The University of Hong Kong (HKU) has been officially approved for admission to the third InnoHK research cluster, SEAM@InnoHK, which focuses on sustainable development, energy, advanced manufacturing, and materials. This marks an important expansion of HKU’s involvement in InnoHK, adding to the existing seven HKU research labs within the Health@InnoHK and AIR@InnoHK clusters.   CFMES is established as the premier SEAM@InnoHK Centre to advance breakthrough discoveries in functional materials to address energy and sustainability challenges; to advocate world-class research in the area; to enhance Hong Kong’s international reputation for leading-edge research and innovation in both basic sciences and technology-enabling translational activities; and to nurture next-generation leading academics/scientists.   CFMES will leverage on the unique strengths and competitive edges to address bottleneck challenges in advancing discovery of advanced battery materials and electric-enabled technology for energy storage, green conversion and sustainability applications, and innovative light-emitting materials, and light-enabled and responsive materials and technology for energy and materials conversion, and recyclable sustainability through international, national and local inter-institutional and industrial collaborations.   Led by Professor Vivian Wing-Wah Yam, Vice-President and Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Global Innovation Centre) (Interim), Philip Wong Wilson Wong Professor in Chemistry and Energy, and co-headed by Professor Hongjie Dai, Sapientia Eminence Professor, both Chair Professors at the Department of Chemistry of HKU, the Centre will work with renowned collaborators, including The University of Groningen, the Max Planck Institute, Peking University and Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School, and The University of Tokyo.   Professor Yam highlighted the significance of the initiative, saying, “We are thrilled to be selected as a SEAM@InnoHK Centre, and we envision our CFMES as the premier Centre to provide solutions to important global real-world energy and sustainability challenges through innovative original research in advanced functional materials and processes. This will also serve as an international S&T hub to bring top talents both from academia and industry to Hong Kong and the GBA, to tackle the grand challenges, and to actively align with the National S&T strategy.”   Professor Stephanie Ma, Vice-President and Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research) of HKU, said, “I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to ITC for its funding and unwavering support of HKU’s research initiatives. I would also like to warmly congratulate Professor Vivian Yam and for her vision for this new InnoHK Centre. With HKU’s outstanding research capabilities and distinguished scholars, together with the strengths of InnoHK’s world-renowned universities and research institutions, we are confident that these international collaborations will significantly accelerate the translation of research outcomes into real-world impact, bringing tangible and far-reaching contributions to a sustainable future.”   InnoHK is a major innovation and technology initiative by the Hong Kong SAR Government to develop Hong Kong as a hub for global research collaboration. Two InnoHK research clusters have already been established: Health@InnoHK focusing on healthcare technology, and AIR@InnoHK focusing on artificial intelligence and robotics technologies.    For details about InnoHK@HKU, please visit: https://www.hkuinno.com.hk  

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Six Global Icons Redefine the Frontiers of HKU Science

  There are years that simply pass, and then there are years that define. This past year has marked a historic milestone for the Faculty of Science with the arrival of six distinguished scholars whose expertise spans the most vital frontiers of modern discovery.   From unlocking the mysteries of the cosmos to pioneering new eras in medicine and mathematics, this new cohort brings a level of global leadership that will shape our Faculty’s trajectory for decades to come.   Meet Our New Global Leaders and Chair Professors: Professor Nicolas DAUPHAS (Member of US National Academy of Sciences 2024) Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences Expanding our understanding of the Universe and its origins through planetary sciences. Professor Sir Andre GEIM (Nobel Laureate in Physics 2010) Department of Physics The discoverer of graphene, continuing to push the boundaries of materials at the atomic scale.   Interview Professor Ferenc KRAUSZ (Nobel Laureate in Physics 2023) Department of Physics Pioneering attosecond light science to revolutionise early disease detection.   Interview Professor Bảo Châu NGÔ (Fields Medalist 2010) Department of Mathematics A transformative force in contemporary mathematics, bridging deep connections in number theory and geometry.   Interview Professor Hà Văn VŨ (Recipient of Delbert Ray Fulkerson Prize 2012) Department of Mathematics Utilising combinatorics and random matrix theory to address fundamental questions in AI and data science.   Interview Professor Bing ZHANG (Global STEM Scholar) Department of Physics A world leader in astrophysics and the founding director of the Hong Kong Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics (HKIAA)   Interview     These scholars do more than strengthen their individual disciplines; they bring fresh ambitions that will lead the way into the Faculty’s next phase of intellectual growth. We invite you to learn more about their journeys and the future of science at HKU.

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HKU Swire Institute of Marine Science Launches Youth Programme to Cultivate Future Ocean Stewards

The Swire Institute of Marine Science (SWIMS) at The University of Hong Kong (HKU) has launched the Exploring Marine Biodiversity: Empowering Youth Ambassadors for Ocean Stewardship programme. Supported by the Environment and Conservation Fund (ECF), the programme immerses local secondary school students in marine science through hands-on training, empowering them as the next generation of ocean stewards. The programme was inaugurated at an opening ceremony on 30 January at the Rayson Huang Theatre at HKU, attended by Professor Jay SIEGEL, HKU Vice-President and Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Teaching and Learning); Professor David BAKER, Interim Director of SWIMS; Dr Eric Kam-chung CHENG, Chairman of the Environment and Conservation Fund Committee; and Dr Jim CHU, Assistant Director (Fisheries and Marine Conservation) of the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD). More than 100 students and teachers from 25 secondary schools in Hong Kong attended the ceremony. Student Lolan CHIU identifying marine species she found on an ARMS under a microscope. Hands-On Learning in Marine Science and Conservation Each participating school nominates five student ambassadors to take part in a four-day immersive training programme at SWIMS’ Cape D’Aguilar research facility, located adjacent to the Cape D’Aguilar Marine Reserve. The programme blends lectures, laboratory sessions, and field visits to key sites such as Hoi Ha Wan Marine Park, Telegraph Bay, and Tai Tam, covering diverse habitats including coral communities, rocky shores, and mangroves. Students gain firsthand experience with advanced research techniques used by marine scientists, including drone mapping of restored mangroves and environmental DNA (eDNA) analysis for species detection. The programme also focuses on building leadership and advocacy skills, enabling participants to share their knowledge within their schools and wider communities. Ms Janis MOK, Outreach and Strategic Partnerships Manager at SWIMS, explained the mission, “This programme unites Hong Kong’s schools, cboth local and international. We hope to achieve a cascading and multiplying effect, reaching beyond the students we teach. Already, 175 students from 39 schools have signed up, exceeding our expectations.” Dr Jim CHU, AFCD Assistant Director (Fisheries and Marine Conservation) emphasised the programme’s broader goal: protecting Hong Kong’s marine environment, “The most important message is to teach the general public to protect our oceans, how to enjoy nature while being its guardians, not just its guests.” Inaugural Workshop Engages Students in Biodiversity Discovery Dr Phil Thompson and an ARMS that he just retrieved from the sea. Participants in the Discovering Marine Biodiversity workshop at SWIMS   The first workshop of the programme, Discovering Marine Biodiversity, took place on 28 February. Students explored Hong Kong’s rich marine ecosystems and the importance of conservation, followed by interactive activities such as identifying marine organisms collected using an Autonomous Reef Monitoring Structure (ARMS). “The workshop was fantastic! The kids were super engaged, jumping right in, collaborating,” said Josh BLUE, Head of Education, Curriculum, Learning and Assessment Education at English Schools Foundation. He continued, “Hopefully, we will continue building on this message of sustainability, protecting marine ecosystems, and creating a better world.” SWIMS Outreach and Education Officer Dr Phil THOMSON agreed, “Everyone was very enthusiastic! The challenge is to identify the organisms they find on the ARMS, but this is the whole point of this exercise. The number of species, or biodiversity, matters for the health of the environment. That’s the important message from the course that the students will share with their peers.” One of the participating students, Lolan CHIU, a year 12 student at ESF Sha Tin College, said the programme gave her a glimpse into what being a real scientist means, “I want to become a marine biologist. I have already been to the Philippines to get my SCUBA diving license and Thailand to participate in CoralWatch. I was really surprised by how detail-oriented you have to be, looking at different species and carefully observing small details in their shapes and patterns! I cannot wait to share with my schoolmates what I have learned in this programme.” The programme represents a significant step in nurturing youth engagement in marine conservation and strengthening Hong Kong’s culture of environmental stewardship. About The Swire Institute of Marine Science (SWIMS) Part of the Faculty of Science at The University of Hong Kong, the Swire Institute of Marine Science (SWIMS) is one of the world’s leading marine research institutions. SWIMS specialises in the study of shallow coastal seas and the interaction between humanity and the ocean. Since its foundation in 1990, SWIMS has trained hundreds of scientists from around the world who now play leading roles in marine research and conservation.  

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HKU Team Explores Ancient Pathogens in Antarctica

HKU researchers have returned from Antarctica after collecting sediment samples from penguin colonies to trace ancient pathogens and understand how environmental change shapes microbial ecosystems. The fieldwork brings together researchers from across HKU, including the School of Biological Sciences (SBS), and is led by the School of Public Health (SPH), with collaborators from the University of Nottingham. By analysing DNA preserved in layers of sediment rich in penguin guano, the team aims to reconstruct past microbial communities and identify potential pathogens associated with penguin populations. Collecting Clues from Antarctic Lake Sediments Fieldwork was carried out on King George Island and Ardley Island in Antarctica as part of the PathoPast project, led by Dr Alexander Williams (Postdoctoral Fellow, SPH), with contributions from Dr Martha Ledger (Postdoctoral Fellow, SBS) and Dr Roseanna Mayfield (Assistant Professor, the University of Nottingham). The team collected sediment cores from Antarctic lakes located near historic penguin colonies. These layered sediments act as natural archives, preserving biological material deposited over decades to centuries, including large quantities of penguin droppings, or “guano”. By analysing ancient nucleic acids preserved within the guano-rich sediments, the project aims to reconstruct past microbial communities and identify potential pathogenic organisms associated with penguin populations. Although Antarctica is often perceived as pristine and isolated, it is experiencing rapid environmental change. Shifts in temperature, wildlife distribution and human activity may influence microbial dynamics in ways that are not yet fully understood. “Sediment cores allow us to look back in time,” said Dr Williams. “By analysing the microbial traces preserved in lake sediments, we can reconstruct how they have fluctuated over time in response to environmental change. This helps us understand not only wildlife health in polar ecosystems, but also broader One Health dynamics, including how environmental shifts influence pathogen circulation across wildlife, ecosystems and potentially even human interfaces.” PathoPast field team in Antarctica (from left): Drs Martha Ledger, Alexander Williams and Roseanna Mayfield. Image credit: Martha Ledger. Fieldwork Under Extreme Conditions Fieldwork was conducted on Ardley Island and King George Island under challenging logistical and environmental conditions. The team carried specialised coring equipment and an inflatable dinghy, weighing a combined 70kg, across difficult terrain in cold, highly variable weather conditions, working within tight operational windows. “Antarctic fieldwork requires careful planning and resilience,” Dr Ledger added. “Weather conditions can change rapidly, and every sediment core extracted requires coordinated teamwork. But being able to recover these intact sediment records from such a remote environment is incredibly rewarding.” In addition to sediment cores, the team collected modern penguin guano samples to assess present-day microbial communities. These samples will be analysed at the HKU State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases and compared with the historical records preserved in the lake sediments. Antarctic research access is highly internationally competitive. The project benefited from transnational access to the Professor Julio Escudero Base, funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe programme through the POLARIN project (Grant Agreement No. 101130949). At HKU, the project is conducted under the supervision of Professor Tommy Lam from SPH, with support from The Hong Kong Jockey Club Global Health Institute (HKJCGHI), which contributes to its conceptual design, laboratory work and data analysis.

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HKU Study Uncovers Mineral “Sink” that Reduced Phosphorus in Early Oceans Potentially Delaying Earth’s Oxygen Rise

Scientists have long sought to explain a key mismatch in Earth’s early history: oxygen-producing photosynthesis evolved hundreds of millions of years before atmospheric oxygen began to rise during the Great Oxidation Event. This delay has been linked to limited phosphorus—a nutrient essential to life—but the specific processes controlling phosphorus availability in the iron-rich oceans of Archean Earth (approximately 3.2–2.5 billion years ago) remained unclear. A study led by the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at The University of Hong Kong (HKU) has identified a previously overlooked process that may explain this prolonged delay. The research was conducted in collaboration with the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC). The work was led by HKU’s Professor Guochun ZHAO (Mok Sau-King Professor) as corresponding author, alongside Emeritus Professor Min SUN and Dr Xing CUI, Postdoctoral Fellow and first author of the paper. Professor Jihua HAO of USTC served as co-corresponding author. By combining laboratory experiments with simulations, the team systematically revealed, for the first time, that in the ferruginous (Fe²⁺-rich) oceans of early Earth, common phyllosilicate minerals—including kaolinite, montmorillonite, nontronite, and lizardite—could effectively trap dissolved phosphate on their surfaces. This process was driven by an “Fe(II) bridging effect,” where Fe²⁺ ions formed chemical links between mineral surfaces and phosphate. As these mineral particles settled and were buried in sediments, this mechanism removed essential phosphorus from seawater, limiting its availability to support marine life. The findings have been published in Nature Communications. Phosphorus and the Early Earth Puzzle Phosphorus is an essential element for life and a key component of cellular membranes and nucleic acids. In many marine environments, its limited availability constrains primary productivity, making its cycling and bioavailability critical to understanding the co-evolution of the biosphere and geosphere. While interactions between minerals and dissolved phosphate play a vital role in the modern phosphorus cycle, how these interactions operated under the very different atmospheric and oceanic chemistry of the early Earth, particularly during the Archean, has remained unclear. Under anoxic and acidic weathering conditions of early Earth, the formation of Fe(III)-oxides was minimal, limiting their role as “phosphorus carrier”. Yet increasing attention has focused on clay minerals (a group of phyllosilicates), which possess strong phosphorus adsorption capacity and may have acted as a primary alternative for phosphorus sequestration. “Surface environments on the early Earth were vastly different from today, with oceans containing higher concentrations of dissolved Fe(II) and silica, and almost no sulfate,” explained the paper's first author, Dr Xing Cui. High silica levels could have competed with phosphate for mineral surface sites, while the scarcity of oxygen and low sulfate helped maintain iron in its Fe(II) form. “How these unique water chemistry conditions influenced the adsorption and transport of phosphorus by clay minerals is a key piece of the puzzle in understanding the environmental constraints on early life evolution,” said Dr Cui. The research team simulated the water chemistry of Archean rivers and oceans and systematically investigated the adsorption behaviour of phosphate onto common phyllosilicate minerals. The results showed that even at low to moderate concentrations of Fe2+ (20 μM to 0.1 mM), phosphate adsorption onto phyllosilicate surfaces was significantly enhanced, with a much stronger effect than that of other divalent cations such as Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺. Although high concentrations of dissolved silica in the early oceans partly inhibited phosphate adsorption, the enhancing effect of Fe(II) remained dominant. “Through molecular simulations, we further uncovered the underlying mechanism,” said Dr Cui. “Fe(II) can form stable bridging complexes between the mineral surface and phosphate ions, substantially boosting adsorption efficiency. This ‘Fe(II) bridging effect’ was likely widespread in early iron-rich water bodies.” Phosphorus and Life–Environment Co-evolution By integrating experiment results with modelling, the team reconstructed a new picture of the early Earth's phosphorus cycle. During the mid to late Archean (ca. 3.2–2.5 billion years ago), as continents emerged and weathering intensified, rivers delivered large amounts of terrigenous detrital clay minerals to the oceans. In iron-rich rivers, these clays could adsorb phosphorus via the Fe(II) bridging effect, and following rapid burial in coastal sediments, act as an efficient sink that removes phosphorus from seawater. At the same time, ongoing seafloor weathering may have supplied nutrients, but newly formed phyllosilicates such as lizardite and nontronite, produced during seafloor weathering of mafic/ultramafic crust, could likewise efficiently adsorb dissolved phosphate with the aid of Fe(II), leading to its rapid burial and maintaining low levels of bioavailable phosphorus in the early oceans. “Our Monte Carlo simulations estimate that during the late Archean, the phosphorus burial flux facilitated solely by phyllosilicate adsorption could have been comparable to the total reactive phosphorus input by rivers at that time,” noted co-corresponding author Professor Jihua HAO. “This implies that phyllosilicate adsorption was a major sink in the early Earth’s phosphorus cycle, effectively removing phosphorus from the ocean water column.” This persistent phosphorus limitation may have delayed a significant rise in marine primary productivity, partially explaining why the Great Oxidation Event (GOE) occurred hundreds of millions of years after the emergence of oxygenic photosynthesis. This work intimately links mineral surface chemistry, aquatic geochemistry and biogeochemical cycles. “It not only deepens our understanding of the environmental and biological co-evolution of the early Earth, but also provides an analogue framework for investigating nutrient cycling and potential habitability of other planetary bodies, such as early Mars,” said Professor Guochun ZHAO, the corresponding author of the paper. In reducing, iron-rich aquatic environments, clay minerals may commonly play a key role as nutrient “regulators”. For more details, please refer to the journal paper “Phyllosilicate adsorption limited phosphorus bioavailability in early ferruginous oceans” published in Nature Communications: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-69293-4   Image 2: A schematic diagram of the phosphorus cycle model for the early Earth (late Archean), illustrating continental weathering and riverine transport, and the burial process in ferruginous oceans, emphasising the previously underestimated crucial role of phyllosilicate minerals. Image credit: X. Cui et al. (2026). Nature Communications.   Image 3: Experimental results showing adsorption of dissolved orthophosphate onto common detrital and authigenic phyllosilicate minerals in simulated early aquatic environments. Image credit: X. Cui et al. (2026). Nature Communications.     Image 4: Molecular simulation results showing phosphate adsorption onto montmorillonite, lizardite, and greenalite surfaces, highlighting the superior performance of Fe(II) in the cation bridging effect. Image credit: X. Cui et al. (2026). Nature Communications. Image 5: A group photo of the HKU research team. From left: Professor Guochun ZHAO, Dr Xing CUI, and Professor Jihua HAO.

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HKU Hosts International Symposium Advancing Synthetic Chemistry and Interdisciplinary Innovation

In collaboration with the Greater Bay Area Association of Academicians, HKU’s State Key Laboratory of Synthetic Chemistry and the Department of Chemistry co-organised the Hong Kong International Symposium on Synthetic Chemistry and Interdisciplinary Research on 14–15 March 2026 at HKU.   The event brought together leading scholars, researchers and emerging scientists from around the world to exchange insights on cutting-edge developments in synthetic chemistry and its interdisciplinary applications. It highlighted the central role of synthetic chemistry in addressing global challenges, spanning drug discovery, advanced materials and sustainable technologies.   Professor Xiang Zhang, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and President of The University of Hong Kong; Photo courtesy: GBAAA  Professor Chi-Ming Che, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Chair of the Organising Committee for the Hong Kong International Symposium on Synthetic Chemistry and Interdisciplinary Research; Photo courtesy: GBAAA Over two days of intensive discussions, participants explored how synthetic chemistry can serve as a unifying platform across disciplines, fostering innovation in areas such as life sciences, energy and materials science. The symposium also provided a valuable forum for young researchers and students to engage with internationally renowned scientists and broaden their research perspectives.   Engaging Exchange Between Speakers and Attendees; Photo courtesy: GBAAA   Speakers Presenting Their Posters and Students in Attendance; Photo courtesy: GBAAA The symposium concluded successfully with in-depth exchanges on frontier research topics, further reinforcing Hong Kong’s role as a hub for international scientific collaboration and innovation. As a co-organiser, HKU Science continues to play a pivotal role in advancing synthetic chemistry and promoting cross-disciplinary dialogue. By convening global expertise and nurturing the next generation of scientists, the Faculty reaffirms its commitment to translating fundamental research into impactful solutions for society.    Learn More: https://www.synchem.hk/ 

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In Loving Memory of Emeritus Professor CHAN Sai Cheung (1935 – 2026)

It is with deep sadness that we mourn the passing of Emeritus Professor Chan Sai Cheung, former Dean of Science and a distinguished pillar of the Department of Chemistry, who passed away peacefully in Vancouver on 15 February 2026 at the age of 91. We honour Professor Chan as a visionary leader and an accomplished inorganic chemist whose legacy continues to shape our academic community today. Professor Chan’s association with HKU spanned more than three decades of dedicated service. An alumnus of the University, he graduated with a Bachelor of Science (First Class Honours) and a Master of Science in 1957 and 1959 respectively, before completing his PhD at the University of London in 1962. He first joined the Department of Chemistry as a Demonstrator in September 1956. Over the next 34 years, he rose steadily through the academic ranks, retiring in August 1990 as a Chair Professor. In recognition of his immense contributions to the University and to science, he was conferred the title of Emeritus Professor in 1990. A respected figure in the international chemistry community, Professor Chan was a pioneer in inorganic chemistry. His scholarly achievements were recognised by the award of the Doctor of Science (DSc) degree from the University of London, and by his election as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (FRSC) and Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA). Working at a time when research resources were far more limited than today, he nevertheless produced a rigorous and influential body of work, including many publications in international leading journals such as Nature and top journals of the American Chemical Society and the Royal Society of Chemistry. His research in inorganic and coordination chemistry, particularly on reaction mechanisms in transition-metal complexes, contributed to the foundational understanding of metal complex reactivity. His work helped establish inorganic chemistry as a recognised strength at HKU, placing the University’s research in the field firmly on the international map. He also served the wider scholarly community as a journal editor. Beyond research achievements, Professor Chan was a pivotal leader, serving as the Dean of Science from 1977 to 1983, guiding the Faculty through a period of development and strengthening its commitment to academic excellence. His leadership laid important foundations for the Faculty’s continued growth and reputation. A familiar presence in the University’s Senior Common Room, the former Dean was known for his warmth, openness, and genuine interest in others. His collegial spirit and unassuming manner made him a valued mentor and a cherished member of the HKU community.  Professor Chan will be remembered not only for his scholarly work and leadership, but also for his humility and dedication to mentoring younger generations. Many postgraduate students and junior colleagues benefited from his thoughtful guidance and encouragement, later establishing distinguished academic careers around the globe. Professor Chan’s passion for chemistry and his devotion to the Faculty have left an indelible mark on all whose lives he touched. He will be dearly missed. We extend our heartfelt condolences to his family and friends during this difficult time. His legacy will continue to inspire generations of scholars to come. Professor Qiang ZHOU                  Professor Xiaoyu LI Dean of Science                              Head of Chemistry  

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HKU Chemistry Innovations Highlighted at Geneva Inventions Exhibition

The Faculty of Science was among the contributors to the University’s record-breaking performance at the 51st International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva (IEIG), held from March 11 to 15, 2026. At this year’s exhibition, HKU received 46 awards in total, its strongest result to date. Among the projects recognised with Gold Medals and the Jury's Congratulations were two innovations involving researchers from the Department of Chemistry, reflecting HKU Chemistry’s strength in translating scientific research into practical, forward-looking solutions. One of the recognised projects is “A portable device for non-invasive and rapid cancer detection using AI-powered optical sensing”. Led by Professor Chi-Ming CHE and Dr Wei LIU from the Laboratory for Synthetic Chemistry and Chemical Biology Limited, the invention enables rapid, non-invasive cancer risk assessment by detecting DNA damage levels in saliva. Using luminescent metal compounds and a miniature spectral sensor, the device can deliver results in about 10 minutes via a mobile app, without requiring professional medical expertise. The project points to a more convenient and accessible approach to routine cancer risk evaluation. Also receiving a Gold Medal with Congratulations of the Jury was “AA4Sci: AI-powered platform for energy materials innovation”, led by Professor Guanhua CHEN from the Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, in collaboration with Dr Jie LIU from the Hong Kong Quantum AI Lab. The platform combines a smart literature reader with Graph RAG technology to analyse and organise vast volumes of scientific research. Through specialised named-entity recognition, knowledge graphs, and intelligent large-language model agents capable of multi-step reasoning, it helps identify promising new materials and generate optimal synthesis pathways. By streamlining the process from literature review to discovery, AA4Sci offers a powerful new approach to accelerating research in energy materials. One of the world’s leading exhibitions devoted exclusively to inventions and innovation, the Geneva event provides an international platform for presenting technological advances with real-world potential. HKU’s overall results underscore the breadth of innovation across the University, while these award-winning projects highlight the Faculty of Science’s contributions in chemistry, AI and applied scientific research.  

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Lighting the Spark at Nobel Week

“As the lights dimmed in Stockholm’s Concert Hall and a Nobel laureate stepped to the podium, I realised that my vision of what a career in physics could be had changed forever.” --Gordon Yat Long WONG, Year 5 Science Master Class student (majoring in Physics (intensive))   Meeting with Professor Omar YAGHI, Nobel Laureate in Chemistry 2025   Gordon (bottom left) with fellow participants in the Nobel Week programme   Stepping into the crisp air of Stockholm, Sweden, for Nobel Week was more than an academic field trip, it marked a turning point in how I see my future in physics. As a student in the Science Master Class at HKU, I took on a dual role: an eager participant immersed in world-class physics and a student leader guiding a group of Hong Kong high schoolers throughout the programme. This unique vantage point allowed me to deepen my own scientific understanding while witnessing the “spark” of discovery ignite in the next generation.   A Journey Beyond the Textbook The tour was designed to immerse us in the history and significance of the Nobel Prize while introducing us to cutting-edge scientific ideas, including macroscopic quantum phenomena and metal-organic frameworks. Learning how fundamental discoveries in physics, chemistry, and related fields have shaped our world reminded me of the long-term impact of scientific research. For me, the experience reinforced a deeper motivation: to pursue physics not only as an academic discipline but also as a way to contribute to society. As an aspiring researcher, I hope to one day follow in the footsteps of these pioneers by pursuing a PhD and contributing to the advancement of scientific knowledge.   Nobel laureates, scientists & experts discussing global issues at the Nobel Dialogue Day. Wisdom from the Podium One of the most memorable experiences was attending the Nobel lectures and the Nobel Week Dialogue. Listening to Nobel laureates reflect on their discoveries and decades-long careers was both humbling and inspiring. What struck me most was how frequently they emphasised curiosity and persistence rather than immediate success.  Many shared that their ideas were initially met with scepticism, and that their research journeys were marked by setbacks and uncertainty. As a physics student, I often find myself absorbed in problem sets and examinations, but hearing these stories was a powerful reminder that true scientific progress begins not with answers, but with meaningful questions and the courage to explore the unknown. The dialogue sessions also highlighted the deep connection between science and global challenges, demonstrating how scientific research is intertwined with society’s broader needs. Nobel Week Lights at Stockholm City Hall Science, Culture, and Community Beyond the academic programme, Stockholm itself offered a rich cultural dimension to the experience. Visiting the Stockholm City Hall and Concert Hall, venues where the Nobel ceremonies take place, made the entire experience feel more tangible and immediate. Walking through the city during the Nobel Week Lights lightshow and exploring museums allowed us to appreciate how deeply science is woven into Sweden’s cultural identity and history. Serving as a student leader during the tour added another meaningful layer to the experience. The role challenged my communication and mentorship skills as I guided younger students through the programme and supported their engagement with the lectures and discussions. Encouraging them to ask questions and connect with peers from around the world reminded me how important it is to make science accessible and exciting for the next generation. Their curiosity and enthusiasm reminded me of why I chose to study physics in the first place. Furthermore, interacting with students from different countries broadened my perspective. We exchanged ideas about cultural differences, science, and future aspirations. These interactions made me appreciate the international nature of science and the importance of collaboration across cultures. Carrying the Spark Forward Overall, the Nobel Week Tour was a valuable experience that strengthened my passion for physics and broadened my understanding of science in a global context.  Much like the Grand Master tutorials at HKU Science, where leading scientists share the stories behind their discoveries, the opportunity to hear directly from Nobel laureates offered invaluable insight into the realities of a scientific career. It also allowed me to grow as an aspiring researcher and mentor. I am grateful to the HKU Admissions Office and the Faculty of Science for making this experience possible. More importantly, the journey has reinforced my commitment to carrying forward the spirit of curiosity, collaboration, and responsibility that defines the scientific community.     Programme Highlights Nobel Lecture Day Nobel Dialogue Day Meeting with Nobel Laureate in Chemistry Professor Omar YAGHI Lectures and visits at Stockholm University Day tour in Stockholm Excursion to Uppsala   Learn more: https://www.nobelprize.org/ceremonies/nobel-week-2025  

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How Birds Thrive on Sugar

Most birds avoid sugary food. But hummingbirds, sunbirds, honeyeaters and some parrots live almost entirely on nectar or fruit to fuel their high-energy lifestyles. They consume huge amounts of sugar every day, without developing diabetes or other diseases that high-sugar diets can cause in humans. How do they do it? An international team, including Professor Simon Sin of the School of Biological Sciences, compared the genomes of four bird groups that independently evolved sugar-rich diets with the genomes of closely related birds that do not eat sugar. Even though these sugar-consuming birds evolved on different continents and millions of years apart, the scientists found something striking: evolution had affected some of the same genes in each group. Some genetic changes were unique to each lineage. But others appeared again and again, especially in genes involved in sugar processing and in regulating blood pressure and fluid balance. These changes help birds handle both the high sugar levels and the large volumes of liquid they consume from nectar. Hummingbird feeding on nectar, engineered by evolution for extreme energy demands. Image provided by Simon Sin.  New Holland honeyeater in feeding posture. Image provided by Gerald Allen. Rainbow lorikeet perched among leafy branches.  Image provided by Gerald Allen Out of thousands of genes examined, one stood out. A gene called MLXIPL, which plays a key role in sugar metabolism, was modified in all four sugar-eating bird groups but not in their non-sugar-eating relatives. Laboratory tests showed that in hummingbirds, this gene is much more active than in close relatives that do not feed on nectar. The findings suggest that evolution can arrive at similar biological solutions, even in species separated by millions of years. Understanding how these birds tolerate extreme sugar intake may also offer clues for studying human metabolic diseases. The research was led by scientists at Harvard University, the Max Planck Institute for Biological Intelligence, and the Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum Frankfurt. Professor Simon Sin contributed to sequencing and assembling the whole genomes of several sugar-feeding bird species. The study "Convergent and lineage-specific genomic changes shape adaptations in sugar-consuming birds" is published in Science and can be accessed here.

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HKU Marine Scientists Reveal Giant Clam Feeding Strategy Could Determine Their Future Survival

Giant clams (Tridacna gigas), members of the family Tridacnidae and among the most striking inhabitants of tropical coral reefs, are being driven towards extinction. Over-harvesting for the jewellery and aquarium trade, as well as for food, together with habitat loss and pollution, has severely reduced their populations. Climate change is now compounding these threats, making the situation even more precarious for these vulnerable animals. There are many species of giant clams in the wild. Some are disappearing faster than others, but the reasons for these differences are not yet fully understood. Other species appear plentiful, yet it remains unclear how far into potential decline they may actually be, and such species may therefore be inadequately protected. A research team from the Swire Institute of Marine Science (SWIMS) and the School of Biological Sciences of The University of Hong Kong (HKU) has helped address this question by developing an innovative mathematical model that allows conservationists to easily assess feeding strategies of different giant clam species. This knowledge can help conservationists to predict the future vulnerability of different giant clam species and identify those in need of timely protection.  Close-up of the mantle of a giant clam (Tridacna gigas) in its natural reef habitat. The colourful tissue contains symbiotic algae that perform photosynthesis and supply energy to the host. Image credit: Isis Guibert. Dr Isis Guibert preparing samples for analysis at the Semirara Marine Hatchery and Laboratory as part of the giant clam research project. Image credit: Ronnie Estrella.   Understanding feeding strategies in giant clams   Giant clams have two feeding methods. As animals, they eat organic matter by filtering it from the surrounding water. At the same time, they also rely on photosynthesis, much like plants do: symbiotic “partner” algae living inside the clam harvest sunlight and share the resulting energy with their hosts. To determine how much each species relies on these two energy sources, SWIMS researchers used chemical analysis to identify the unique nutritional pathways of six giant clam species. By measuring natural variations in carbon and nitrogen isotopes in both the clams and their symbiotic algae, and integrating these data into a mathematical model they developed — HERS (Host Evaluation: Reliance on Symbionts) — the team quantified how strongly each species depends on photosynthesis versus filter-feeding. Comparing these values across species showed that giant clams occupy different positions along a nutritional spectrum, with each species adopting a distinct feeding strategy. The fastest-growing and largest clams were found to rely more heavily on their symbiotic algae partners for energy. While this method may support rapid growth, it may also increase vulnerability. A strong dependence on light-harvesting symbionts could increase vulnerability to climate change, as these algae are sensitive to rising sea temperatures. Moreover, larger body size may further heighten exposure to over-harvesting, as such clams are more easily targeted. These findings suggest that differences in feeding strategy may be vital for assessing extinction risk, offering conservationists a new framework for prioritising protection efforts. “Giant clams are not just iconic reef residents, they are ecosystem engineers who play a crucial role in the health and resilience of coral reefs,” said Dr Isis GUIBERT, Postdoctoral Researcher at SWIMS and lead author of the study. “Understanding how these nutritional strategies differ among species is key to anticipating their future under environmental change.” “Our findings highlight that the very traits which make these clams so impressive also put them at greater risk,” explained Professor David BAKER, Interim Director of SWIMS and corresponding author of the study. “By revealing these hidden vulnerabilities, we can better focus conservation efforts where they are needed most.” “Our approach also sets the stage for future research on other symbiotic reef species, such as corals,” Professor Baker added. “It’s a step forward in understanding and protecting marine biodiversity.” This work, led by Professor David Baker and Dr Isis Guibert, was carried out in collaboration with researchers including Dr Cecilia Conaco and Dr Patrick Cabaitan from the University of the Philippines, Diliman, as well as Dr Ronnie Estrella, Director of the Semirara Marine Hatchery and Laboratory. The study was supported by Division of Ecology and Biodiversity PDF Research Award, the Research Grants Council Collaborative Research Fund (17108620), the Environment and Conservation Fund (ECF-67/2016 and CRF7G_C7013-19G), and the Department of Science and Technology of the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development (DOST-PCAARRD; QMSR-MRRD-MEC-295-1449, 314-1542 and 314-1545).  For more details, please refer to the journal paper “Trophic niche partitioning in giant clams” published in Communications Biology. 

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Nobel Laureate Professor Sir Andre Geim Joins HKU as Chair Professor

The University of Hong Kong (HKU) welcomes Professor Sir Andre GEIM, Nobel Prize-winning physicist and pioneering scientist behind the revolutionary creation of graphene, to join the University as Chair Professor under the Faculty of Science, commencing early April, 2026. This appointment further solidifies HKU’s leadership in global scientific innovation and cements Hong Kong’s role as a hub for transformative research and discovery. Professor Xiang ZHANG, President and Vice-Chancellor of HKU, remarked, “Professor Geim’s ambition in discovery—turning fundamental science into world-changing innovation—perfectly aligns with our vision to be a ‘world-leading university transforming humanity’s future’. At HKU, he will find not just a platform for research, but a community of scholars ready to redefine what is possible.” Once considered as merely a theoretical construct—an unstable “wonder material” that could not exist independently—graphene’s potential was realised in 2004 when Professor Geim and his collaborators successfully isolated the world’s first stable graphene sheets. This paradigm-shifting achievement earned them the 2010 Nobel Prize in Physics. Beyond this landmark breakthrough, Professor Geim’s team pioneered the wider field of two-dimensional crystals by showing that atomically thin layers of many materials, such as graphene, can be isolated, and then reassembled into multilayer structures. This vision proved extraordinarily fertile: it has reshaped modern materials science and condensed matter physics, enabling van der Waals heterostructures that combine conductors, semiconductors and insulators into bespoke atomic-scale architectures. The impact on science and technology has been profound, and it continues to grow. Professor Geim’s seminal graphene research is underscored by an exceptional distinction: two of his groundbreaking papers rank among the 100 most cited scientific publications in history, as recognised by Nature. His illustrious career has been recognised with the highest honours across the scientific world, including the Copley Medal, the Royal Society’s most prestigious award; the John Carty Prize from the U.S. National Academy of Sciences; and knighthoods from both the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. As an elected member of the national academies of China, the U.S., and the UK, among others, Professor Geim’s influence spans continents, embodying the global spirit of scientific collaboration. “Hong Kong's dynamic research environment, with its distinctive East-West synergy and world-class infrastructure, provides the perfect platform for ambitious scientific exploration,” said Professor Geim. “HKU’s forward-looking approach to interdisciplinary research and its commitment to supporting bold ideas creates the conditions in which great science happens. I'm excited to collaborate with outstanding colleagues here and to contribute to discoveries that will matter globally.” This appointment forms part of HKU’s strategic initiative to attract world-leading talent. The University has welcomed 114 distinguished international scholars from 18 countries in 2025 alone, spanning cutting-edge fields from quantum technologies to creative media. This concerted effort reinforces HKU’s status as a world-leading university and a magnet for intellectual excellence.

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HKU Laboratory for Space Research to Host APRIM2026, Positioning Hong Kong as an Asia-Pacific Astronomy Hub

In a landmark development for the region’s scientific community, Hong Kong has been selected to host the Asia-Pacific Regional IAU Meeting (APRIM) for the first time. Dubbed the “The Olympics of Astrophysics and Space Science”, this prestigious event will take place from May 4 to 8, 2026, at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC). Organised by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) and hosted by The University of Hong Kong’s Laboratory for Space Research (LSR), the conference will feature Nobel and Shaw laureates, as well as other distinguished scientists from around the world. As a leading astronomical gathering in the Asia-Pacific, the event represents a significant milestone for Hong Kong, underscoring its pivotal role in fundamental research, STEM education, and international collaboration. A Convergence of Minds in a Burgeoning Space Hub Professor Quentin PARKER, Chair of the APRIM2026 and Director of the HKU Laboratory for Space Research, noted that bringing the “Olympics of Astrophysics and Space Science” to Hong Kong demonstrates the city’s capacity to serve as a global nexus for astronomy. “As Chair of this historic meeting, I am honoured to welcome the global Astrophysics and Space Science community to Hong Kong. We aim to use this platform not only to showcase our city’s capabilities in the ‘New Space’ era but to inspire the next generation of scientists to pursue the unknown,” said Professor Parker. Professor XUE Suijian, former Deputy Director of the National Astronomical Observatories of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, attributed the IAU's decision to Hong Kong’s highly international environment and academic excellence. He highlighted the city’s growing contributions to deep-space exploration, planetary science, and big data analysis, cementing its role as a bridge for international scientific exchange. Bridging Fundamental Research and Future Possibilities While rooted in academic rigour, APRIM 2026 also addresses the paradigm shift from government-led initiatives to the democratised era of “New Space”. The conference offers a platform that links theoretical astrophysics with real-world applications.     Aligning with the global scientific agenda, the conference is expected to bring together nearly 1,000 experts. Discussions will span from the origins of the universe to emerging directions in space exploration, covering key areas such as Planetary Science, Stellar Evolution, and Cosmology. The event will also seek to bridge academia and industry, exploring how frontier technologies can contribute to addressing global challenges. Championing Space Sustainability A defining feature of APRIM2026 is its focus on “Space Sustainability”. With the growing density of satellite constellations in low Earth Orbit (LEO), the scientific community faces urgent challenges, particularly in relation to space debris and light pollution. Through dedicated sessions and public engagement, the conference will tackle these critical issues and advocate for responsible stewardship of the cosmic environment. By integrating these discussions with outreach sessions, including youth-focused workshops, the event aims to cultivate a scientifically literate generation ready to steward the future of space exploration. Professor Luis C. HO, Director of the Kavli Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics at Peking University, described the meeting as a vital platform for strengthening Asia-Pacific research collaboration. He noted that the event marks a shift from pure fundamental research to industrial application, allowing high-tech solutions to serve the public and open the “blue ocean” of the space economy. About the Organisations International Astronomical Union (IAU) The IAU brings together over 13,000 professional astronomers from more than 85 countries. Its mission is to promote and safeguard the science of astronomy in all its aspects through international cooperation. For more information, please see the following link: https://iau.org. The HKU Laboratory for Space Research (LSR) is an interdisciplinary centre at The University of Hong Kong dedicated to advancing space science, planetary research, and high-energy astrophysics through satellite research and academic collaboration. For more information, please see the following link: https://www.lsr.hku.hk.

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Professor Nicole KHAN Awarded the 2025 Sir Nicholas Shackleton Medal for Coastal Research

We are pleased to announce that Professor Nicole KHAN from the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences has been awarded the 2025 Sir Nicholas Shackleton Medal by the International Union for Quaternary Research (INQUA). Named after the Quaternary geologist Sir Nicholas Shackleton, this prestigious international award is presented biennially to outstanding young scientists who have made significant contributions to Quaternary research. Professor Khan was recognised for her work on sea-level changes and coastal evolution, particularly her efforts in reconstructing high-precision records in regions vulnerable to climate change. Professor Khan’s research utilises the Quaternary record—specifically the Holocene epoch—to establish a baseline for understanding modern sea-level rise. Her research group focuses on climatically sensitive regions such as Southeast Asia and the Caribbean, vulnerable regions that have historically lacked sufficient data. By employing a diverse range of proxies, including mangrove peat, microfossils, and environmental DNA, Professor Khan has successfully reconstructed past sea levels with high precision. Beyond her regional focus, Professor Khan has been a contributor to global scientific collaboration. Her leadership in HOLSEA (Geographic Variability of Holocene Sea Level) and involvement in the PALSEA (PALeo constraints on SEA level rise) projects have helped in fostering centralised database sea-level databases worldwide, while refining the models used to project future sea-level scenarios and providing valuable information for coastal planning and mitigation strategies. She also serves as an active member of the Coastal and Marine Processes (CMP) commission, where she engages in international collaboration within the Quaternary community. Upon receiving the medal, Professor Khan expressed her gratitude to her colleagues and students. “This is a shared achievement for our entire research group and my network of collaborators,” she said. “I look forward to continuing this work to help coastal communities adapt to our changing world.” We extend our heartfelt congratulations to Professor Khan on this outstanding recognition and applaud her continued commitment to advancing knowledge in Quaternary science for the benefit of vulnerable coastal communities worldwide.   Click here for more information about the award.

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HKU Astrophysicists Contribute to Interpreting a Possible First-Ever Einstein Probe Observation of a Black Hole, Tearing Apart a White Dwarf

An unprecedented high-energy cosmic event is offering new insights into extreme astrophysical processes. On 2 July, 2025, the China-led Einstein Probe (EP) space telescope detected an exceptionally bright X-ray source whose brightness varied rapidly during a routine sky survey. Its unusual signal immediately set it apart from ordinary cosmic sources, triggering rapid follow-up observations by telescopes worldwide. This research was coordinated by the EP Science Center of the National Astronomical Observatories, Chinese Academy of Sciences (NAOC), with participation from multiple research institutions in China and abroad. Astrophysicists from the Department of Physics at The University of Hong Kong (HKU), who are integral members of the EP scientific team, worked together with the broader collaboration to interpret the event, proposing that it may mark the moment when an intermediate-mass black hole tears apart and consumes a white dwarf star. If confirmed, this would be the first observational evidence of such an extreme black hole “feeding” process. The findings have been published as a cover article in Science Bulletin. A Cosmic Event that Broke the Usual Pattern This discovery was made possible by EP’s two unique and complementary X-ray instruments. During a routine sky survey on 2 July 2025, the Wide-field X-ray Telescope (WXT), which uses advanced lobster-eye micro-pore optics and offers a vast field of view with high sensitivity, detected a transient X-ray source exhibiting violent variability, later designated EP250702a (also known as GRB 250702B). Almost at the same time, NASA’s Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope recorded a series of gamma-ray bursts from the same region of the sky. The significance of the event became clear only after scientists examined WXT’s earlier observations. The telescope had already detected persistent X-ray emission from the exact location about a day before the gamma-ray bursts appeared—a sequence rarely seen in high-energy cosmic explosions. About 15 hours after the initial signal, the source erupted into a series of intense X-ray flares, reaching a peak luminosity of around 3 × 10⁴⁹ erg s⁻¹ and placing it among the brightest instantaneous outburst events ever observed in the Universe. “This early X-ray signal is crucial,” said Dr Dongyue LI, first author of the paper from the National Astronomical Observatories of China. “It tells us this was not an ordinary gamma-ray burst.” Thanks to the precise coordinates provided by WXT, several large telescopes worldwide rapidly followed up, successfully pinpointing the celestial object across multiple wavelengths and confirming its location in the outskirts of a distant galaxy. Subsequently, EP’s other instrument—the Follow-up X-ray Telescope (FXT) took over, tracking the source’s dramatic evolution. Over about 20 days, its brightness dropped by more than a hundred thousand times, while its X-ray emission shifted from higher-energy (“hard”) to lower-energy (“soft”) states. By combining data from the EP with follow-up observations across the electromagnetic spectrum, scientists found that EP250702a exhibited a set of unusual features that existing models could not fully explain. Its X-ray emission appeared before the gamma-ray burst, was extraordinarily bright, evolved on a remarkably fast timescale, and occurred in the outskirts of its host galaxy rather than at its centre—a pattern rarely seen in known high-energy cosmic events. Among the many theoretical scenarios considered, one explanation finally stood out: an intermediate-mass black hole tearing apart a white dwarf star.   (b) Temporal evolution trend of the X-ray spectrum of EP250702a. The photon index increased significantly from about 1 in the early phase (indicating a 'hard' spectrum) to above 3 in the later phase (indicating a 'soft' spectrum). This clear 'hard-to-soft' transition, observed for the first time in such an event, suggests the possible emergence of a thermal radiation component at later times. Image credit: Einstein Probe Science Center, National Astronomical Observatories, CAS.     HKU Astrophysicists Provide Key Model Support The HKU team played vital roles in data interpretation and theoretical modelling, leading to the identification of the underlying physical mechanism of the phenomenon. The team of Professor Lixin DAI from the Department of Physics and the Hong Kong Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics (HKIAA) at HKU provided the crucial theoretical judgement that led to the focus on this model. As a co-corresponding author, she explained, “The white dwarf–intermediate-mass black hole model can most naturally explain its rapid evolution and extreme energy output.” Dr Jinhong CHEN, a co-first author of the paper and a postdoctoral fellow in the HKU Department of Physics, conducted in-depth numerical simulations to analyse the model. “Our computational simulations show that the combination of the tidal forces of an intermediate-mass black hole, combined with the extreme density of a white dwarf, can produce jet energies and evolutionary timescales that are highly consistent with the observational data,” he said. Professor Bing ZHANG, Director of HKIAA at HKU and a co-author of the paper, stated, “Hong Kong possesses an internationalised research vision and technical expertise in astronomy. The HKU team’s deep involvement and contribution to this significant discovery fully demonstrate the unique value and critical role of Hong Kong’s scientific research capabilities in the forefront of global scientific exploration.” Professor Lixin Dai added, “The robust discussion among international teams, each with their competing models to explain this event, is precisely what highlights its immense scientific value.” “The mission of the Einstein Probe is to capture unpredictable and extreme transient phenomena in the universe,” said Professor Weimin YUAN from the National Astronomical Observatories of China, Principal Scientist of the Einstein Probe mission. “The discovery of EP250702a fully demonstrates our capability to be the first to capture the Universe’s most extreme moments and further exemplifies China’s ability to make decisive contributions to international astronomical exploration.” If ultimately confirmed, this event would provide the first clear, direct evidence of an intermediate-mass black hole tearing apart a white dwarf and producing a relativistic jet. Such a discovery would help shed light on the long-missing population of intermediate-mass black holes and open new avenues for studying how black holes grow, the ultimate fate of compact stars, and the emerging field of multi-messenger astronomy. Project and Team Collaboration The collaborative team for this paper includes over 40 universities and research institutions, such as The University of Hong Kong, the National Astronomical Observatories of China, Anhui Normal University, Sun Yat-sen University, and the University of Science and Technology of China. Co-first authors of the paper are Dr Dongyue Li and Associate Researcher Wenda Zhang (National Astronomical Observatories of China), Dr Jun Yang (Zhengzhou University), and Dr Jin-Hong Chen (The University of Hong Kong). Co-corresponding authors are Associate Researcher Wenda Zhang, Researcher Weimin Yuan, and Researcher Chichuan Jin (National Astronomical Observatories of China); Professor Lixin Dai (The University of Hong Kong); and Researcher Chen Zhang (National Astronomical Observatories of China). The Einstein Probe satellite project is led by the Chinese Academy of Sciences. The mission also reflects extensive international collaboration, with key partners including the European Space Agency (ESA), the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics (MPE) in Germany, and the French National Centre for Space Studies (CNES). The research brought together more than 300 scientists from over 40 universities and research institutions in China and around the world, highlighting the strength of open science and large-scale international collaboration in tackling frontier scientific challenges.  

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Professor Wei Qian Receives the 2025 David G. Kendall Award for Young Researchers in Probability Theory

Professor Wei QIAN from the Department of Mathematics has been awarded the 2025 David G. Kendall Award for Young Researchers. This highly regarded award, jointly presented by the Bernoulli Society (BS) and the Royal Statistical Society (RSS), recognises researchers who have demonstrated significant achievements and great potential in the fields of Mathematical Statistics and Probability Theory. The selection committee of the award seeks out early-career researchers who not only show exceptional promise but have already made substantial contributions to their respective fields. For the 2025 edition, which specifically honoured excellence in Probability Theory, the committee noted the impressive depth of Professor Qian’s research, which spans several core areas of modern probability—including Brownian loop soups, the Gaussian free field, Liouville quantum gravity, and percolation theory. In light of this recognition, Professor Qian will be invited to deliver the Kendall Lecture at the upcoming Bernoulli conference.   Professor Wei Qian’s Profile Professor Wei QIAN joined the Department of Mathematics at The University of Hong Kong in 2025 as an Associate Professor. She obtained her PhD in 2017 from ETH Zürich under the supervision of Fields Medallist Wendelin Werner. Following her doctoral studies, she served as a Junior Research Fellow at Churchill College and a research associate at the University of Cambridge until 2020. She then held the position of Chargée de recherche at the CNRS (Laboratoire de Mathématiques d'Orsay, Université Paris-Saclay) before moving to Hong Kong, where she served as an Assistant Professor at the City University of Hong Kong from 2022 to 2025. Professor Qian’s research focuses on random two-dimensional geometry, a modern area of probability theory, strongly motivated by mathematical physics and featuring conformally invariant structures. Her research has been published in leading international journals, including the Journal of the European Mathematical Society, Memoirs of the American Mathematical Society, Proceedings of the London Mathematical Society, Journal de Mathématiques pures et appliquées, Annals of Probability, Probability Theory and Related Fields, Communications in Mathematical Physics, and Physical Review Letters. Beyond her research, she is an active educator who has taught advanced mathematics courses, in particular probability, across leading institutions in Europe and Hong Kong.   Click here for more details about the award.

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Fields Medalist Professor Ngô Bảo Châu Joins HKU as Chair Professor

The University of Hong Kong (HKU) welcomes Professor Ngô Bảo Châu, recipient of the 2010 Fields Medal, to join the Department of Mathematics under the Faculty of Science, commencing June 2026. Professor Ngô earned global recognition for his groundbreaking proof of the fundamental lemma in the Langlands Programme, a monumental achievement that solved a three-decade-old mathematical challenge and was named one of Time magazine's Top 10 Scientific Discoveries of 2009. Professor Xiang Zhang, President and Vice-Chancellor of HKU, remarked, “Professor Ngô's joining HKU marks another defining moment in HKU’s mission to pursue excellence in global scholarship, cementing our role as a global nexus for visionary research and exceptional talent. We look forward to the catalysis this will bring to new intellectual frontiers, while reinforcing Hong Kong’s standing as a premier hub for world-class scholarship—where East and West converge to shape the future of knowledge.” The Langlands Programme, proposed by mathematician Robert Langlands in 1967, stands as one of mathematics' most ambitious theoretical frameworks, creating vital connections between number theory and group theory. For three decades, its fundamental lemma remained unproven until Professor Ngô's ingenious solution in 2009, which not only validated years of mathematical work but also opened new pathways within this profound theoretical structure. In 2010, Professor Ngô made history by becoming the first Vietnamese mathematician awarded the Fields Medal – mathematics' highest honour for researchers under 40. Along with the Abel Prize, these awards are widely regarded as the discipline's equivalent of the Nobel Prize. His transformative contributions to number theory and representation theory have had far-reaching implications across mathematical physics. His distinguished honours include the Clay Research Award (2004), Oberwolfach Prize (2007), Sophie Germain Prize (2007), and election as a Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (2012) and a Foreign Member of the French Academy of Sciences (2016). Professor Ngô expressed his vision for joining HKU's academic community, "HKU's global connectivity and interdisciplinary culture create the ideal environment for transformative research. I am excited to collaborate with the University's brightest minds – not only to advance mathematics but to shape its future as a discipline that will redefine scientific discovery for decades to come." The arrival of Professor Ngô significantly strengthens HKU's position as a global leader in fundamental research, where world-class scholars unite to drive transformative interdisciplinary breakthroughs and ignite a spirit of intellectual daring that transcends academic boundaries.  

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HKU Biologists Discover Alternative Systems that Help Cells Control Genes

In mammals (left), previous studies show that most MBD3 binding sites overlap with MBD2 and the Nucleosome Remodeling and Deacetylase (NuRD) complex, while MBD2 also independently occupies additional regions enriched with DNA methylation (5-methylcytosine, 5mC).   In Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) (right), which lacks DNA methylation, MBD-2 (Cel-MBD-2) displays a dual binding pattern as in mammalian MBD2, despite lacking a methyl-binding domain. The majority of CelMBD-2 binds to genomic regions enriched with repressive histone modifications, such as H3K27me3 and H3K9me2/3, independently of NuRD. This model illustrates how MBD-2 can be guided by different epigenetic signals when DNA methylation is absent. (Image credit: Tsui, et al., 2026. Nature Communications) Researchers at the School of Biological Sciences of The University of Hong Kong (HKU) have uncovered how eukaryotic cells can control gene activity even after losing one of their major gene-regulatory systems during evolution. By studying a microscopic soil-living roundworm, the team revealed how an alternative, conserved epigenetic mechanism can take over when a common one is missing. The study has just been published in the interdisciplinary scientific journal Nature Communications. The findings provide new insights into how gene regulation adapts through evolution and may help scientists better understand disease mechanisms involving massive gene dysregulation, such as cancers, neurological disorders and autoimmune diseases. Cells must carefully control which genes are turned on and which are turned off throughout development to function properly. While the DNA sequence provides the genetic blueprint, gene expression is also regulated by epigenetic mechanisms — regulatory systems that influence when genes are turned on without changing the genetic code. This allows different cell types, such as nerve cells and muscle cells, to share the same DNA while behaving very differently. One common way cells control gene activity is through DNA methylation, in which a small chemical label, the methyl group, is added to cytosine, a specific base on DNA, forming 5-methylcytosine (5mC), to signal that certain genes should be kept switched off. 5mC is a key epigenetic mark in many animals and plants. However, some organisms, including the microscopic roundworm C. elegans, have lost DNA methylation multiple times during evolution. For a long time, scientists did not fully understand how these organisms could still regulate their genes properly without this major epigenetic system.   In this study, Dr Emily Hok Ning TSUI, a Postdoctoral Fellow at the School of Biological Sciences at HKU, working in the laboratories of Professor Karen Wing Yee YUEN and Professor Chaogu ZHENG, together with Dr Charmaine Yan Yu WONG, also in the YUEN Lab, showed that when DNA methylation is absent, cells can switch to an alternative epigenetic mechanism. Instead of relying on chemical labels on DNA, cells use various histone modifications — different posttranslational chemical marks on histone proteins, the packaging proteins in which DNA is wrapped around inside the cell.   The researchers focused on a protein called MBD-2 (methyl-CpG-binding domain protein 2), which in many animals recognises 5mC-marked DNA and helps silence or activate genes. Surprisingly, even though C. elegans lacks DNA methylation and 5mC, its version of MBD-2 remains essential.   The HKU team found that in C. elegans, MBD-2 no longer reads DNA methylation signals. Instead, it is localised to genes in association with specific repressive histone marks, particularly H3K27me3, a histone modification known to be associated with gene silencing.   When MBD-2 was deleted, the worms became infertile and developed severe physical defects. A large number of genes were no longer properly regulated, demonstrating that MBD-2 remains a key regulator of gene activity, even in the absence of DNA methylation.   These findings reveal that epigenetic regulation is highly adaptable. When one gene-control system is lost, organisms can adapt to read different signals and maintain precise control in gene expression.   “While scientists already know histone modifications and DNA methylation are highly interconnected and crosstalk with each other, this study in C. elegans showcases the functional conservation of the gene-regulatory NuRD complex on one hand, but also the plasticity and adaptability of epigenetic mechanisms in eukaryotes on the other hand,” said Professor Karen YUEN.   This work may help scientists better understand the causes of human diseases, such as cancers, autism and inflammation, in which aberrant DNA methylation disrupts the regulation of many genes at the same time. Understanding how different epigenetic mechanisms can compensate for one another may also facilitate the development of alternative therapeutic approaches.   For more details, please refer to the journal paper: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-026-68592-0   Figure 2. The research team at the School of Biological Sciences. From the left: Professor Chaogu ZHENG, Dr Emily Hok Ning TSUI, Dr Charmaine Yan Yu WONG and Professor Karen Wing Yee YUEN. 

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HKU and UCLA Scientists Uncover the Mechanism powering “Space Battery” above Auroral Regions

The dazzling lights of the aurora are created when high-energy particles from space collide with Earth’s atmosphere. While scientists have long understood this process, one big mystery remained: What powers the electric fields that accelerate these particles in the first place? A new study co-led by the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at The University of Hong Kong (HKU) and the Department of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) now provided an answer. Published in Nature Communications, the research reveals that Alfvén waves — plasma waves travelling along Earth’s magnetic field lines — act like an invisible power source, fueling the stunning auroral displays we see in the sky. By analysing how charged particles move and gain energy in different regions of space, the researchers demonstrated that these waves act as a natural accelerator, supplying energy that drives charged particles down into the atmosphere and produces the glowing auroral lights. To confirm their findings, the team analysed data collected by multiple satellites orbiting Earth, including NASA's Van Allen Probes and the THEMIS mission. The data provided solid evidence that Alfvén waves continuously transfer energy to the auroral acceleration region, maintaining the electric fields that would otherwise dissipate. “This discovery not only provides a definitive answer to the physics of Earth’s aurora, but also offers a universal model applicable to other planets in our solar system and beyond,” said Professor Zhonghua YAO of the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at HKU. Professor Yao leads a dedicated team in space and planetary science at HKU, which has established a reputation for high-impact research on planetary auroras. With deep expertise in the magnetospheric dynamics of planets like Jupiter and Saturn, the HKU team brought a critical planetary perspective to the study. “Our team at HKU has long focused on the auroral processes of giant planets. By applying this knowledge to the high-resolution data available near Earth, we have bridged the gap between Earth science and planetary exploration.” Professor Yao added. The research represents a model of interdisciplinary collaboration. The UCLA team, led by Dr Sheng TIAN, contributed extensive expertise in Earth’s auroral physics, while the HKU team provided the broader context of planetary space physics. The full research paper can be read here.   Caption: Comparative schematic of auroral acceleration processes on Earth and Jupiter. The electron spectrum for the Earth was from DMSP F19 spacecraft, and the one for Jupiter was from Juno spacecraft. Both spectra exhibit a similar inverted V-shaped structure, indicating the presence of stable electric potential drops above the auroral regions. This similarity points to a common auroral acceleration mechanism across planets and illustrates how insights from planetary aurorae help interpret high-resolution observations near Earth. Image credit: S. Tian and Z. Yao  

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Internationally Renowned Mathematician Professor Hà Văn VŨ Joins HKU

The Department of Mathematics at The University of Hong Kong has welcomed Professor Hà Văn VŨ, a world-leading mathematician whose research has shaped modern combinatorics, probability, and random matrix theory. Professor Vũ received his PhD from Yale University in 1998 and was previously a full professor there. Before that, he held academic positions at the University of California, San Diego and Rutgers University. He is internationally recognised for solving several landmark problems in mathematics, including the Erdős–Folkman problem in number theory with Endre Szemerédi, the Shamir conjecture in random graph theory with Anders Johansson and Jeff Kahn, and together with Terence Tao, the circular law conjecture and four-moment theorem in random matrix theory. Random matrix theory plays a foundational role in quantum physics, complex systems, and artificial intelligence, where large random matrices are used to model quantum behaviour, analyse massive datasets, and understand the stability and performance of modern algorithms. Professor Vũ’s work has helped establish the theoretical framework underlying these calculations. His honours include the George Pólya Prize in 2008, the Delbert Ray Fulkerson Prize in 2012,  and an invitation to speak at the International Congress of Mathematicians in 2014, reflecting his standing among the world’s leading mathematicians. At HKU, Professor Vũ will further strengthen the University’s research capacity in pure and applied mathematics, foster international collaboration, and contribute to the training of the next generation of mathematical scientists at a time when deep theoretical insight is increasingly vital to science and technology.  

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DEPS at 30: A Community Shaped by Earth, Bound by Curiosity

In 2025, the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences (DEPS) celebrated a milestone that was as meaningful as it was hard-earned: its 30th anniversary. The occasion marked not only three decades of teaching and research, but 30 years of building a community shaped by curiosity, care, and a shared fascination with the planet we call home. Where the Story Begins Every department begins with a founding date; far fewer begin with a sense of adventure. When the Department first opened its doors in 1995, it was a modest beginning powered by conviction. Led by founding Chair Professor John MALPAS and supported generously by the Hui family, the team set out to build something Hong Kong had long needed: a home for geoscience expertise, and a training ground to understand the city’s complex landscape. In those early years, learning unfolded far beyond lecture rooms. Staff and students traced coastlines and hillsides, read stories written in stone and strata, and learned to see the Earth not as a static object but as a living archive of time. Field boots, folded maps and shared laughter became part of daily life, underpinned by a simple belief—that to understand the Earth is also to learn how to care for it. From the outset, the Department embraced a clear dual mission: to master the fundamentals of geology while responding to the applied challenges of an increasingly urbanised world. “This balance between pure and practical science has shaped three decades of discovery, innovation and impact,” said Professor Zhonghui LIU, Interim Head of DEPS. A Homecoming Written in Memory  “We’ve gone from tracing Hong Kong’s bedrock to studying planetary formation and climate futures,” Professor Liu reflected. “That’s why our celebration theme, ‘Beyond the Earth,’ feels so fitting. It captures not just our new scientific direction in space research, but the way this community has always tried to reach a little further than anyone expected.” The celebrations began on 28 November, like a long-awaited reunion. Alumni streamed back, some travelling hours, others crossing continents, to find their teachers, their friends, and, in many ways, a younger version of themselves. There were embraces held a moment longer, and jokes that resurfaced effortlessly. Nearly 50 alumni shared stories of their first field trips, their toughest assignments, and the sense of discovery that shaped their careers. What filled the room was not simply nostalgia. It was a quiet acknowledgement that the Department had not only given them knowledge, but a place to belong. Ideas by Day, a Community by Night The following day, 29 November, brought a a shift toward the future. At the anniversary symposium, 12 distinguished speakers reflected on the Earth beneath us and the worlds beyond, inviting more than 100 participants to imagine the possibilities of the coming decades. The keynote by Mr Tony Ying Kit HO, JP, added a thoughtful public dimension, grounding the scientific excitement in civic purpose. As evening settled, Loke Yew Hall glowed under evening lights as over 150 guests gathered for the Celebration Ceremony. The presence of 17 academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) made the room feel both intimate and momentous, a reminder of how far DEPS’s reputation has travelled. Vice-President and Pro-Vice-Chancellor Professor Peng GONG and Dean of Science Professor Qiang ZHOU offered warm reflections —not only marking achievements, but honouring the people who made them possible. The Celebration Dinner that followed was alive with clinking glasses, renewed friendships, and the gentle hum of gratitude. More than 200 guests, including our staunch supporter Ms Sylvia HUI, came together with an ease that only a well-knit community can create.   The Road Ahead The final morning, 30 November, captured the Department’s soul. In one room, Mok Sau-King Professor and Chair Professor Guochun ZHAO, joined by 18 CAS academicians, led deep discussions about the Department’s next strategic chapter: new research frontiers, collaborations, and responsibilities. It was the kind of quiet, serious work that shapes decades to come. Out on the calm waters of the Tolo Channel, a boat glided under the guidance of retired academic Professor L S CHAN. Alumni pointed toward familiar rock formations as the coastline passed like an old friend. The tranquility offered a space for quiet reflection, a chance for all to remember what first drew them to the field. As DEPS steps into its next decade, it carries a rare kind of warmth: a community built on curiosity, lifted by generosity, and sustained by the belief that understanding our world is a shared human calling.  

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HKU Chemists Develop First-in-Class Inhibitor Targeting a Key Epigenetic Regulator A New Strategy to Beat Lung Cancer

A research team led by Professor Xiang David Li from the Department of Chemistry at The University of Hong Kong (HKU), in collaboration with researchers from the Shenzhen Bay Laboratory and Tsinghua University, has made a breakthrough in epigenetic drug discovery. The team has successfully developed a first-in-class chemical inhibitor that precisely and selectively targets the ATAC complex, a critical cellular “switch operator” that activates tumour-promoting genes, opening a novel therapeutic avenue for non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The findings were recently published in the top-tier journal Nature Chemical Biology, and multiple international patent applications have been filed. Histone Modifications as Genetic Switches in Our Cells Inside human cells, DNA is wrapped around protein structures called histones to form chromatin. Chemical modifications on histones function like genetic “switches”, determining whether genes are turned on or remain silent.  Among these modifications, histone acetylation is one of the most important “on” switches that activate gene expression. This modification is catalysed by enzyme complexes known as histone acetyltransferases (HATs).  The ATAC complex is one such HAT complex and plays a pivotal role in activating genes involved in cell growth and DNA replication. In cancers such as NSCLC, the ATAC complex becomes overactive, inappropriately flipping the “on” switch for numerous cancer-driving genes, fuelling uncontrolled tumour growth and spread. However, selectively inhibiting ATAC without disrupting other essential cellular complexes has remained a challenge in drug development. Precisely Targeting a Unique Component of ATAC Previous drug-development efforts focused on inhibiting GCN5, the catalytic subunit responsible for histone acetylation within ATAC. Nevertheless, GCN5 is also shared by several other HAT complexes, meaning that blocking it would inadvertently interfere with normal cellular functions and lead to significant side effects. To address this challenge, Professor Li’s team devised an innovative strategy targeting YEATS2, a protein subunit specific to the ATAC complex.  Using structure-guided design, the researchers developed a potent and highly selective inhibitor of YEATS2, named LS-170. This inhibitor specifically binds to the acetyl-lysine recognition domain of YEATS2, preventing it from anchoring the ATAC complex to chromatin. Consequently, the complex is displaced from its target genomic regions, leading to a significant reduction in local histone acetylation and the “off” switching of oncogenes in NSCLC. Strong Suppression of Tumour Growth and Metastasis In NSCLC cell lines and animal models, LS-170 demonstrated strong efficacy in suppressing tumour growth and metastasis. Notably, the YEATS2 gene is frequently amplified in multiple solid tumours—including lung, ovarian, and pancreatic cancers—suggesting that this targeted strategy may hold broader therapeutic potential beyond lung cancer. This study represents the first chemical approach to precisely decode the function of a specific HAT complex, revealing ATAC's distinct role in maintaining gene expression programs in cancer. It also offers new insights for developing other complex-specific epigenetic drugs for human diseases. “In this work, we didn’t just create a potent and highly specific inhibitor that can suppress tumours, we also uncovered a novel strategy to target just one epigenetic complex out of several that share the same enzyme core. This approach opens up exciting possibilities for developing highly selective, complex-specific drugs that could potentially revolutionise treatments for human diseases,” said Professor Xiang Li, one of the corresponding authors of the paper. About the Research Team: The interdisciplinary collaboration was led by Professor Xiang David LI (HKU Chemistry), together with Professor Weiping WANG (HKU Pharmacology and Pharmacy), Researcher Xin LI (Shenzhen Bay Laboratory), and Professor Haitao LI (Tsinghua University). Co-first authors included Dr Sha LIU, Dr Yin Qiao WU, Dr Jinzhao LIU, and Dr Xinyi YAO.   For more details, please refer to the journal paper: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41589-025-02132-7  

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HKU Astronomer Uses “China Sky Eye” to Reveal Binary Origin of Fast Radio Bursts

An international team of astronomers, including researcher from the Department of Physics at The University of Hong Kong (HKU), has uncovered the first decisive evidence that at least some fast radio burst (FRB) sources—brief but powerful flashes of radio waves from distant galaxies—reside in binary stellar systems. This means the FRB source is not an isolated star, as previously assumed, but part of a binary stellar system in which two stars orbit each other. Using the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Telescope (FAST) located in Guizhou, also known as the “China Sky Eye”, the team detected a distinctive signal that reveals the presence of a nearby companion star orbiting the FRB source. The discovery, published in Science, is based on nearly 20 months of monitoring an active repeating FRB located about 2.5 billion light-years away. A rare signal: the RM flare Changes in the polarisation properties of radio waves can reveal the environment around an FRB source. The team observed a rare phenomenon known as an ‘RM flare’—a sudden and dramatic change in the polarisation properties of the radio signal, likely caused by a coronal mass ejection (CME) from a companion star that contaminates the environment of the FRB source. ‘This finding provides a definitive clue to the origin of at least some repeating FRBs,’ said Professor Bing ZHANG, Chair Professor of Astrophysics of the Department of Physics and Founding Director of the Hong Kong Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics at HKU, and a corresponding author of the paper. ‘The evidence strongly supports a binary system containing a magnetar—a neutron star with an extremely strong magnetic field, and a star like our Sun.’ Monitoring repeating FRBs with FAST Fast radio bursts are millisecond-long but extraordinarily bright radio flashes from beyond our Milky Way galaxy. While most FRBs are observed only once, a small fraction repeat, offering rare opportunities for long-term study and making it possible to detect unusual changes over time. These repeating sources have been closely monitored by FAST since 2020 through a dedicated FRB Key Science Programme co-led by Professor Bing Zhang. FRB 220529A was one of the active repeating FRBs continuously monitored with FAST. ‘FRB 220529A was monitored for months and initially appeared unremarkable,’ said Professor Bing Zhang. ‘Then, after a long-term observation for 17 months, something truly exciting happened.’ Tracing the signal through space FRBs are known for their near 100% linear polarisation. As radio waves travel through a magnetised plasma, their polarisation angle rotates with frequency—an effect known as Faraday rotation, measured by the rotation measure (RM). ‘Near the end of 2023, we detected an abrupt RM increase by a factor of twenty,’ said Dr Ye LI of Purple Mountain Observatory and the University of Science and Technology of China, the paper’s first author. ‘The RM then rapidly declined over two weeks, returning to its previous level. We call this an “RM flare”.’ Such a short-lived RM change is consistent with a dense magnetised plasma briefly crossing the line of sight. ‘One natural explanation is that a nearby companion star ejected this plasma,’ explained Professor Bing Zhang. ‘Such a model works well to interpret the observations,’ said Professor Yuanpei YANG, a professor from Yunnan University and a co-first author of the paper. ‘The required plasma clump is consistent with CMEs launched by the Sun and other stars in the Milky Way.’ Although the companion star cannot be directly observed at this distance, its presence was revealed through continuous radio observations with FAST and Australia’s Parkes telescope. ‘This discovery was made possible by the persevering observations using the world’s best telescopes and the tireless work of our dedicated research team,’ said Professor Xuefeng WU of Purple Mountain Observatory and the University of Science and Technology of China, the lead corresponding author. The discovery also supports a recent unified physical picture proposed by Professor Bing Zhang and his collaborator, in which all FRBs originate from magnetars, with interactions in binary systems enabling a preferred geometry that allows more frequent, repeating bursts. Continued long-term monitoring of repeating FRBs may reveal how common binary systems are among these mysterious sources. Collaboration and Support The research was carried out jointly by HKU, Purple Mountain Observatory, Yunnan University, the National Astronomical Observatories of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and other collaborating institutions. Professor Xuefeng Wu (Purple Mountain Observatory), Professors Peng Jiang and Weiwei Zhu (National Astronomical Observatories), and Professor Bing Zhang of the Department of Physics at HKU served as co-corresponding authors. The project received support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China and other national and international grants from the collaborators. Observing time was provided by the FAST FRB Key Science Project (W.-W. Zhu and B. Zhang as Co-PIs), a FAST DDT program (coordinated by X.-F. Wu and P. Jiang), as well as FAST and Parkes PI projects (PIs: Y. Li and S. B. Zhang). For related research papers, please refer to the following link.  Image caption: Artist’s impression illustrating a binary-origin scenario for fast radio bursts. A magnetised plasma cloud, generated by a coronal mass ejection from the companion star, crosses the line of sight to the FRB source, causing a sharp and transient variation in the rotation measure.  

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Substantial Research Impact Fund Secured to Safeguard Hong Kong Oysters from Environmental Collapse

Professor Thiyagarajan VENGATESEN from the School of Biological Sciences and the Swire Institute of Marine Science (SWIMS) has been awarded HK$4,165,000 under the Research Impact Fund (RIF) 2025/26 exercise for a project addressing the critical decline in Hong Kong oyster production caused by climate change. By integrating genomic, phenotypic, and metabolomic data through deep-learning, Professor Thiyagarajan’s team will selectively breed climate-resilient oyster strains and develop sustainable eco-pond fattening strategies to deliver economically viable solutions that safeguard the livelihoods of local growers and ensure the future of premium oyster production in the region.   The RIF, established by the University Grants Committee (UGC), aims to encourage local academics to deliver research with significant benefits to the wider community and foster collaborative projects beyond academia, involving government departments and industry partners.   Awarded Project Details: Department/ School Project Title Project Coordinator RGC  Fund Approved Project Period School of Biological Sciences / SWIMS Saving Hong Kong Oysters from Environmental Disaster to Sustain the Livelihoods of Growers 應對氣候變化：促進香港養蠔業的可持續與革新 Professor Thiyagarajan VENGATESEN  HK$4,165,000  3 Years     For more details about the funding results, please click here.  

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HKU Physicist Awarded Collaborative Research Fund (CRF) Grant to Advance Quantum Science

In the recent announcement of the Research Grants Council (RGC) 2025/26 funding exercise, Professor Yi YANG, Belinda Hung Outstanding Young Professor and Assistant Professor in the Department of Physics, has been awarded a Collaborative Research Equipment Grant (CREG) of HK$4.7 million under the Collaborative Research Fund (CRF) to develop a novel electron microscope for pioneering quantum research. By utilising low-energy electrons and ultrafast laser pulses, Professor Yang's project aims to observe subtle quantum effects at the nanometre scale that are typically obscured in conventional instruments. This breakthrough facility will integrate high-resolution imaging with precise timing to support the development of next-generation quantum devices and photonic components, further strengthening Hong Kong's position as a regional hub for quantum technology and instrumentation.   Established by the University Grants Committee (UGC), the CRF encourages multi-investigator and cross-disciplinary collaboration across institutions. The CREG specifically supports the acquisition of major research facilities to facilitate high-impact collaborative research that would otherwise be difficult to achieve for an individual university. By leveraging support from equipment suppliers and providing a platform for group users, this grant ensures that cutting-edge infrastructure serves the wider scientific community in Hong Kong.   Awarded Project Details: Department/ School Project Title Project Coordinator RGC  Fund Approved Project Period Collaborative Research Project Grant (CRPG) Physics An angle-resolved ultrafast cathodoluminescent microscope for interdisciplinary studies of quantum optics and quantum materials 用於量子光學與量子材料交叉研究的角分辨超快陰極發光電子顯微鏡 Professor Yi YANG HK$4,700,000  3 Years   For more details about the funding results, please click here.  

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Scientists Awarded NSFC/RGC Joint Funding 2025/26 for Three Research Initiatives

Three distinguished scientists from the Faculty of Science have been awarded funding for their research projects under the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) and the Research Grants Council (RGC) Joint Research Schemes for 2025/26. This year, a total of 13 academics from HKU have been honoured with this prestigious funding, with three of the successful initiatives originating from the Faculty of Science. These projects span the disciplines of Chemistry, Biological Sciences, and Physics, reflecting the Faculty's diverse research strengths and its commitment to tackling fundamental scientific questions through cross-border collaboration.   The three awarded Principal Investigators (PIs) and their projects are:    Project:  Developing Copper Catalytic Materials for Asymmetric Radical Couplings Professor Jian HE, Department of Chemistry Professor Jian He received his BS degree in chemistry from Zhejiang University in 2011 and PhD degree from The Scripps Research Institute in 2017. He subsequently undertook postdoctoral training at the California Institute of Technology before joining the Department of Chemistry at The University of Hong Kong in 2019. His research interests are at the interface of organic chemistry, inorganic chemistry, and materials science, with a particular emphasis on the development of heterogeneous transition-metal catalysis.  In recent years, Professor He and his team have established strengths in the design and synthesis of novel framework- and nanocluster-based catalysts for the advancement of sustainable organic synthesis and energy conversion. The team has extensively studied the catalytic properties of transition-metal species embedded in framework supports and positioned on nanocluster surfaces to facilitate key elementary steps in electron-transfer- and energy-transfer-mediated processes. The group’s newly developed heterogeneous catalysts not only offer superior reactivity and recyclability to their homogeneous counterparts, but also enable hitherto unavailable reaction types, paving the way for practical applications in large-scale and diversified chemical production.   Professor He has published his independent work in high-profile international journals, including Nature Catalysis, Nature Communications, Journal of the American Chemical Society, Angewandte Chemie, ACS Central Science, JACS Au, Chemical Engineering Journal, Small, etc. He is the recipient of the prestigious Croucher Innovation Award (Croucher Foundation, 2021), the National Excellent Young Scientists Fund (NSFC, 2024), Asian Core Program Lectureship Awards, and HKU Outstanding Young Researcher Award.    Project:  Precision Mass Measurements of Neutron-Rich Heavy Nuclei on the r-Process Nucleosynthesis Path at HIAF Facility Professor Jenny Hiu Ching LEE, Department of Physics Professor Jenny Lee is an accomplished nuclear physics experimentalist dedicated to exploring the novel structures of extremely exotic nuclei. Leveraging the capabilities of two of the world’s most advanced radioactive isotope beam facilities—HIAF in China and RIKEN in Japan—her research group has discovered new nuclear magic numbers, revealing the underlying nature of alpha clustering and nucleon correlations, and performing highprecision mass measurements vital to understanding nucleosynthesis.  In parallel with these scientific advances, Professor Lee’s team has made strides in experimental instrumentation. They have successfully developed a largecoverage silicon detection array integrated with frontend ASIC readout electronics, constructed a stateoftheart multireflection timeofflight spectrometer (MRTOF), and carried out a major upgrade of the DALI2 gammaray detection array, attaining worldleading resolution and efficiency. Collectively, these innovations have ushered in a new highprecision era in nuclear structure and mass spectroscopy, enabling deeper insights into the fundamental properties of atomic nuclei.      Project:  The Influence of Different Mycorrhizal Types on Forest Ecosystem Structure and Function: A Multi-Scale Study from Molecules to Ecosystems Professor Jin WU, School of Biological Sciences Professor Jin Wu is a broadly trained ecologist whose expertise spans ecosystem ecology, biodiversity and conservation, climate change, and sustainability science. He is committed to advancing understanding in these fields through multidisciplinary approaches—including field research, remote sensing, and ecosystem modeling—across scales ranging from individual organisms to entire ecosystems and regions.  By 2025, Professor Wu has published 154 scientific papers amassing 9,156 citations on Google Scholar and attaining an Hindex of 51. His research portfolio include includes a Science cover story as first author and 12 co‑authored papers in prestigious journals such as Nature, Nature Geoscience, Nature Plants, Nature Ecology & Evolution, Nature Climate Change, Nature Communications, Science Advances, and PNAS.   Professor Wu currently serves as Assistant Reviews Editor for Global Change Biology and Associate Editor for Remote Sensing in Ecology and Conservation. Since 2024, he has been listed among the world’s top 2% scientists by Stanford University and was the recipient of the NSFC Excellent Young Scientist Award in 2019.    About the NSFC/RGC Joint Research Scheme The NSFC/RGC Joint Research Scheme aims to promote collaboration between researchers in Hong Kong and the Mainland on the basis of complementing each other's strengths. It supports research projects across a broad range of disciplines that are of interest to both the RGC and the NSFC.

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HKU Laboratory for Space Research Hosts the 7th China–Chile Bilateral Conference for Astronomy

The 7th China–Chile Bilateral Conference for Astronomy was successfully held in Hong Kong from 5 to 9 January 2026, marking the first time the biennial meeting was held in the city.  Jointly organised by the National Astronomical Observatories of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Chinese Academy of Sciences South America Center for Astronomy, the Chilean Astronomical Society, and the Laboratory for Space Research at The University of Hong Kong, the conference brought together astronomers and researchers from China and Chile to share recent advances across a wide range of astronomical fields. The largest attendance to date among this China–Chile bilateral conference, with over 120 delegates, reflects the growing strength, importance and depth of collaboration between the two astronomy research communities.  Professor Jay SIEGEL, DVC (T&L) of HKU, opened the meeting and reflected on this bilateral treaty-based partnership and the signal it sends about the robust health of the biennial gathering and the importance to our city for hosting such prestigious science events. Professor Quentin PARKER, director of LSR and the host, commented that the success of this meeting bodes well for the even more significant Asia Pacific Regional meeting of the International Astronomical Union that will also be held in HK SAR from May 4 - 8, 2026, but in the HK Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wanchai and again hosted by HKU and the LSR. Over five days of scientific sessions and networking activities, participants exchanged new research findings, discussed ongoing joint projects, and explored opportunities for future cooperation, further strengthening the long-standing partnership between China and Chile in astronomy.  

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Science Teachers Recognised with HKU Excellence Awards 2025

Congratulations to our academics on receiving the University's research and teaching excellence awards under the HKU Excellence Award Scheme 2025. The list of award recipients is as follows:    Early Career Teaching Award Dr Kin Sum Leung Assistant Lecturer, School of Biological Sciences   Outstanding Researcher Award Professor Jianyao TANG Associate Head (Research) and Professor, Department of Chemistry   Outstanding Young Researcher Awards    Professor Haibo JIANG Associate Professor, Department of Chemistry           Research Output Prize Professor Ryan McKenzie Associate Professor, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences Details of the awarded journal paper: “A climate threshold for ocean deoxygenation during the Early Cretaceous", Nature, 633, 582-586 by Bauer, Kohen W.*, McKenzie, Ryan*, Cheung, Chris T.L.*, Gambacorta, Gabriele, Bottini, Cinzia, Nordsvan, Adam R.*, Erba, Elisabetta, Crowe, Sean A.   Congratulations to all the recipients on their well-deserved achievements!   The Outstanding Researcher Awards scheme aims to recognise, honour and reward exceptional work in research by staff of the University. The scheme includes the Distinguished Research Achievement Award (DRAA), Outstanding Researcher Award (ORA), Outstanding Young Researcher Award (OYRA), Outstanding Research Student Supervisor Award (ORSSA), and Research Output Prize (ROP). The DRAA, ORA, and OYRA are awards that recognise individuals for their outstanding research accomplishments. The ORSSA is to recognise exemplary and effective supervisory guidance and support to their research postgraduate students. The ROP is a Faculty-based award to honour the best research output from each Faculty.   The Teaching Excellence Award Scheme aims to recognise, reward and promote excellence in teaching at the University. Under the Scheme, there are four categories of awards, viz. University Distinguished Teaching Award, Outstanding Teaching Award (OTA), Early Career Teaching Award (ECTA) and Teaching Innovation Award (TIA). In addition to individual awards, both OTA and TIA offer team awards to recognise and encourage collaborative efforts and achievements in enhancing teaching and learning. Faculties should encourage their teachers with outstanding contributions to teaching and learning to apply for these awards.

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