Eight Academics and Affiliated Scholars from HKU Science Named as 2023 Clarivate Highly Cited Researchers

Learn more about our highly cited researchers: 

Academics of Faculty of Science

Professor Hongjie DAI

Chair Professor, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science

Professor Dai’s group has been a leader in the area of nanoscience, nanotechnology and nanomedicine. His work is highly interdisciplinary, bridging chemistry, physics, materials and biomedical sciences.

Professor Sir Fraser STODDART

Chair Professor, Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science

Professor Stoddart brings with him a wealth of experience and expertise in the fields of chemistry, materials science and molecular nanotechnology. Professor Stoddart's ground-breaking research has earned him numerous accolades and awards, including the prestigious 2007 King Faisal International Prize in Science. In 2016, he was jointly awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, along with Bernard L. Feringa and Jean-Pierre Sauvage, for his fundamental investigations on the design and synthesis of molecular machines.

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Professor Wang YAO

Chair Professor, Department of Physics, Faculty of Science

As a global research leader on condensed matter physics, quantum physics and optics, Professor Yao is currently focusing on two-dimensional materials and their heterostructures. He has played a decisive role in creating an important new research direction – valley optoelectronics in 2D materials, which aims to exploit valley, a quantum degree of freedom of electron, in future optoelectronic devices.

Professor Shuang ZHANG

Interim Head and Chair Professor, Department of Physics, Faculty of Science

Chair Professor, Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, Faculty of Engineering

Professor Zhang’s research focuses on metamaterials and nanophotonics, specifically, on how to design artificial photonic structures to manipulate the propagation of light in a way that goes beyond what can be done with traditional optics.

Professor Guochun ZHAO

Chair Professor, Department of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Science

Professor Zhao's research focuses on Metamorphic Petrology, Precambrian Geology and Supercontinents. His research achievements included discoveries of two 1.95-1.85 billion years old continental collisional belts in North China, recognition of global-scale 2.0-1.8 Ga collisional events leading to the assembly of a supercontinent and a new reconstruction of East Asian continental blocks in supercontinent Pangea.

Affiliated Academics

Professor Xiang ZHANG

President and Vice-Chancellor, HKU

Chair Professor in both Faculty of Engineering and Faculty of Science

Professor Zhang’s research focuses on materials physics, metamaterials and nano-photonics.

Professor Peng GONG

Vice-President and Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Academic Development), HKU

Chair Professor in both Faculty of Social Sciences and Faculty of Science

Professor Gong's major research interests include urbanisation and health, mapping and monitoring of global environmental change, and modelling of environmentally related infectious diseases. 

Professor Xiaobo YIN

Associate Vice-President, HKU

Professor in both Faculty of Engineering and Faculty of Science

Professor Yin’s research focuses on both fundamental and applied research on a broad range of topics, ranging from nano-optics and optical metamaterials, acoustics and photoacoustics, imaging and spectroscopies, materials and manufacturing technology for energy and sustainability.

For the full list of 2023 Highly Cited Researchers and executive summary, please refer to Clarivate's press release.