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Student Sharing

Student Sharing

Vriko Yu

Vriko Yu

PhD student

The Faculty stresses on the wellbeing and overall development of its fellow students and is making every effort to help them thrive and fulfil their ambitions.

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 Christina Zhao

Miss Christina Zhao

BSc alumna

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Summer Research Fellowship & Visiting Programme@Yale

Young Scientist Scheme (YSS)

Current PhD student at Oxford

‘Four years at HKU were formative and memorable for me. I was given a lot of flexibilities and opportunities.

Academic-wise, I was able to experience research at as early as sophomore year by participating in Summer Research Fellowship (SRF) programme. In my junior year, I went to Yale for a year as a visiting student. During my time there, I worked on an independent research project with explorative nature. I got to meet with the professor every week to discuss various ideas and techniques related to my project. During the summer, we met weekly for group meetings and journal clubs, where we share our project progress as well as interesting papers. Being in such a scientific community also allowed me to have engaging conversations about research with other group members on a daily basis, which helped me develop my own research interest.’

 Louis Yu

Mr Louis Yu

BSc&MRes student

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‘Thanks to many things, I am selected into the Cambridge Track and I am given an offer to St. Catherine’s College in University of Cambridge.

I have intended to take the major of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology at HKU, and the specialty of Genetics at Cambridge.

Why I chose the track?

The Cambridge Track is the only program offered in Hong Kong, that can offer you with 2 degrees from 2 different University in 4 years. This already sounds very attractive to me.

Apart from that, I am personally quite into western culture, having 2 years to study aboard in a World-Class university is the perfect deal for me to fully experience the culture and the community there, broadening my horizon about what’s actually going on outside Hong Kong.

Mostly importantly, it’s about my future. Aside from the peak recognition associated with both University, the mode of teaching and the attitude towards science and research are quite different between HKU and University of Cambridge. Being able to study in both university grants me a chance to compare and evaluate between the two, I believe that this can offer me two very distinct view point towards scientific research, in which it can give me a bigger picture of how science really is, and how people from different part of the world will see scientific research.

What I expect from the track?

Right now I am studying at HKU, I am looking forward to gaining research experience from the Summer Research Fellowship and some other research internship. These experience will be extremely valuable for me when I am doing the Final Year project at Cambridge.

For the Cambridge study, which hasn’t happened yet. I am looking forward to meet all sort of talents there. I am excited to exchange ideas and thoughts with them. You know, University of Cambridge is like a cluster of talents from all over the world. I hope my logical thinking and the way I see science can be well-polished there.

My feeling towards the application process

As the sayings go with, no pains no gains. To be frank, the application process was not easy. You got forms to fill, preliminary tests to take, interviews to attend. But, remember all of these hard work is for the entry ticket to the University of Cambridge. Being able to study at HKU is not easy already, being able to study at both HKU and University of Cambridge is a priceless opportunity.

I did put a lot of effort in the application process. I have to figure out the difficult jargons in the unfamiliar UCAS application; I have to spend time reviewing high school textbooks to prepare for the preliminary tests; I have to spend time doing mock interviews to prepare for the real one. It is hard work, but the payoff is rewarding and priceless.

Most importantly, you are never alone. Your track mates will be there with you, discussing the uncertainties encountered; the faculty of science is very helpful, whenever you encountered a problem, you can always turn to the staff. The staff at Faculty of Science are very kind and helpful, their suggestion and help is always on point to help us out of the plight.

Advice for future cohorts

Be curious and confident! There might be challenges on the way, during the application, but don’t be scared! For a research career, you have to always be curious and confident towards challenges! Don’t be afraid to seek help from your track-mates and the teaching staff.’

 Wallace Hui

Mr Wallace Hui

PhD student

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‘Earth Sciences at HKU cover a wide range of research aspects related to our planet and beyond, any themes from ancient Earth to planetary exploration to tectonic events to atmospheric processes, and we have access to a large array of experimental and computational infrastructures.

For my research, I work with my supervisor Dr Kono Lemke in looking at the solvation of geochemically-relevant species under volcanic and atmospheric conditions. Previously, we studied the solvation of ozone, which as we all know, is one of the most important molecules in the Earth’s atmosphere. Using state-of-the-art computational methods, Dr Lemke and I established that the ozone molecules can form stable complexes with water at low temperatures. We have also found that a previously theorized ring structure of ozone can co-exist with water, and this could guide future experimental endeavors. These findings have been published in the Journal of Chemical Physics.

My research experience at HKU has been smooth due to support from Dr Lemke. Graduate research students here are always encouraged to raise questions and discuss with supervisors. My supervisor and I often discuss exciting topics in science and other aspects, new exciting research ideas often come out from these conversations.

The 24/7 round the clock high performance computing facilities by IT service department here forms the backbone of my theoretical-based research. The support team is always helpful and responsive to help resolve any IT-related issues within my research.

HKU supports students doing graduate scientific research with an abundance of resources, you will be encouraged to carry out cutting-edge research, which would equip you with important problem solving and critical thinking skills; it would be an eye-opening experience for ones with the right minds and endurance.’


Alejandro Cobo Piekenbrock

Mr Alejandro Cobo Piekenbrock

MStat alumnus

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‘The Master of Statistics of the University of Hong Kong enables students to acquire both a solid understanding of statistical theory and extensive knowledge about its state-of-the-art applications. Thanks to the variety of the courses offered in this programme, I could learn more about new areas in statistics, data analytics and risk management. What I liked most during my MStat studies was their friendly professors and staff who taught me very valuable lessons about statistics and life. Overall, the MStat programme is a truly enriching experience which will help students get one step closer to their career goals.’

Aneesh Jatar

Mr Aneesh Jatar

PhD student

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‘As a child, mathematics was like an anxietyinducing chore to me. At some point in my early teens, I realised much of my phobia I had for the subject was actually attributed by my incomprehension of it – I did not understand why and what I was doing when facing homework problems. In this sense, the dread was inevitable.

Somehow, rote learning and the lack of understanding how these mathematics formulae work prevented me from tweaking them to solve equations in the necessary way. 

So I took it upon myself to probe on my shaky foundation in all ways I could, essentially asking ‘why’ repeatedly like a five-year-old child until I got to the bottom of it. Likely, after a very long time, and with the aid of the Internet and some old textbooks, things began to click for me in a way they never had before.

Thanks to an excellent Mathematics teacher I had in high school, my peers and I were exposed to nonstandard ways of approaching problems under his tutelage which inspired me to look beyond ‘school Mathematics’ and think about the possibility of pursuing ‘doing Mathematics’ as my career.

Being encouraged by him, I enrolled on a university course opened to high school students. The style of thinking the course promoted was exciting. Although it had a huge learning curve and left me with more questions than answers, I was pretty much obsessed with trying to answer them from then on. This led me to continue learning Mathematics at university and eventually led me to the path of postgraduate study.

I have just embarked on my first year of PhD study, and the experience of working with my research group has been very rewarding and encouraging so far. My supervisor Professor Tuen Wai NG has provided me with ample support both personally and professionally, and the questions being prompted by him and my group during presentations and discussion are invaluable to me, as they serve to point out errors in my thinking, as well as deepen my understanding of my studies. Most importantly, outside of academic matters, my family has been incredibly supportive of me.

I think it is too early to say about my future career pathway. Still, I am excited at the prospect of continuing to conduct research in mathematics and teaching the subject in some form, whether that be through staying in academia or otherwise.’

Angela Lam

Miss Angela Lam

BSc&LLB student

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‘This programme is the first of its kind provided to students in Hong Kong. I was really excited when I found this programme and was really interested in its interdisciplinary courses. For Science, this programme offers me with chances to explore more about Chemistry, equivalent to a Bachelor of Science Student. For law, I could also apply for the Postgraduate Certificate in Laws (PCLL) upon completion of this programme, equivalent to a Bachelor of Laws student.’

Anyang Ding

Dr Anyang Ding

PhD alumnus

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‘When I was a freshman, I became fascinated by the beauty of rocks and minerals, which led me to choose geology as my undergraduate major. As I explored deeper and deeper into the world of these essential building blocks of our planet, I found that geology is not merely a subject about understanding rocks but of studying the evolution of our 4.5 billion-year-old Earth. I therefore became more open-minded in different research fields and questions, and got interested in the interplay between early life and the environment. To satisfy my thirst for learning and exploring the unknown, I decided to go on to graduate study and dive into the world of geosciences.

It is very challenging to verify or validate the scientific findings in the area of Earth Sciences, as the geological record has been altered or does not even exist anymore. The best we can do is to provide as much evidence and support as possible to back up our interpretation of the observation.

Recently, I have published a paper in Communications Earth & Environment with my supervisor Dr Yiliang LI and our collaborator on solar cycles on the early Earth. To argue the presence of solar cycles and their influence on climate was probably 2,470 million years ago, we reviewed previous studies on the dynamos of main-sequence stars, solar-activity-climate interaction, and microbial ecophysiology in ferruginous water bodies. Dr Li guided me through the whole process, from data analysis to manuscript proofing. He is always there to listen, help, and offer guidance. We have had numerous inspiring conversations – it is he who gave me the confidence to explore any topics that interested me.

As a graduand in the Class of 2023, I am fully aware of the highly competitive job market in the academia. To cope with this, the ability to carry out interdisciplinary research projects is a major calling card. Therefore, I am currently doing research on both environmental elemental cycling (by running simulation) and microbial activity (by lab work), and I also equipped myself by learning versatile research techniques, including computer simulation and microbial culturing, hoping that enhancing interdisciplinary research skills may benefit my future research path.

At this point, I have been trying my best to address small questions, as I believe this will eventually help the scientific community solve the big questions collectively.’

Bovern Suchart Arromrak

Dr Bovern Suchart Arromrak

PhD alumnus

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‘My research aims to understand how simple organisms like bacteria are able to survive in some of the most challenging environments, such as those with nutrient limitations or high salinity; and how these will then affect their interactions with other bacterial species or even large organisms such as oysters – the key is to be flexible!      

Among the many advantages that you could have for enrolling into HKU Science’s PhD programme, the most attractive one for me is that HKU offers us with plenty of academic and personal development opportunities, such as scholarships and funding for research, international-level seminars and dialogues, and even chances to go abroad to expand our research skills, knowledge and global networks.

Apart from that, you get to learn from the some of the best minds in the world here in HKU! The academics here (including my supervisor) are always encouraging and motivating their postgraduate students to strive to the top. They are truly supportive. For example recently, our lecturers have started a journal club for postgraduate students, where we get to sit together at a round table as equals, to discuss on scientific papers about its findings, concepts and thoughts. This not only trains us to speak more confidently in front of the masters, but also, guides us to develop a critical thinking mindset for research.

A combination of all the above elevates my game to the next level and moves me towards becoming a better scientist.’