HKUST Prof. Charles NG Named Rankine Lecturer

Prof. Charles NG Wang-Wai, Vice-President for Institutional Advancement, CLP Holdings Professor of Sustainability, and Chair Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), has been named the 65th Rankine Lecturer by the British Geotechnical Association (BGA). Widely regarded as one of the most prestigious honors in geotechnical engineering, the Rankine Lecture represents a pinnacle of recognition in the field. Prof. Ng is the first Chinese scholar to be selected since the lecture’s inception in 1961, and the first Asian scholar to receive this honor since Prof. Kenji ISHIHARA of Japan delivered the lecture in 1993. Previously, he also served as the first Chinese president of the International Society for Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering in the society’s 90-year history. These two distinctions underscore the outstanding contributions and growing influence of Chinese scholars in the global geotechnical engineering community.

Established in 1961 and named in honor of soil mechanics pioneer William John Macquorn Rankine, the Rankine Lecture is among the most prestigious lectureships in the global geotechnical community. Held annually in London each March, the lecture features internationally renowned authorities whose original contributions and academic leadership have had profound and lasting impacts in the field.

Prof. Ng expressed his heartfelt gratitude to the BGA, stating, "This honor is not only a recognition of my personal achievements and those of my research team, but also a reflection of the growing presence and contributions of Asian scholars within the international geotechnical engineering community. I am deeply grateful to the BGA for their recognition. I hope my journey may inspire young researchers—while the scientific path can be long, curiosity, perseverance, and dedication will enable Hong Kong's research talent to shine on the global stage. I will continue to foster interdisciplinary collaboration to help address the emerging challenges posed by climate change and urban development."

Prof. Ng is an internationally acclaimed expert in soil mechanics and geotechnical engineering. His research spans unsaturated soil mechanics, eco-geotechnics, and the mitigation of debris flows and landslides. His groundbreaking contributions include the development of state-dependent theory and applications in unsaturated soil mechanics, upon which he subsequently pioneered the field of eco‑geotechnics, as well as the development of related experimental instruments and equipment. These innovations have been widely adopted in engineering projects worldwide. According to Stanford University’s 2025 list of the World's Top 2% Scientists, Prof. Ng ranks second globally in career-long scientific impact within the subfields of geological and geomatics engineering and civil engineering, making him the youngest scholar among the top two.

Prof. Ng’s academic contributions include approximately 450 SCI-indexed journal papers, over 280 conference papers, and 37,000 citations (h-index = 103), as well as four academic monographs authored as first author. He has delivered over 100 keynote and academic presentations across six continents. Prof. Ng has also mentored and supervised more than 90 doctoral students and over 60 master’s students from 23 countries to successful degree completion.

Since assuming the role of Vice-President for Institutional Advancement last August, Prof. Ng has continued to advance major research initiatives while supporting HKUST's development efforts. In December, his team received approval from the Ministry of Science and Technology to establish the State Key Laboratory of Climate Resilience for Coastal Cities (SKLCRCC), the University’s third state key laboratory. The laboratory aims to enhance infrastructure resilience in Hong Kong, the Chinese Mainland and coastal cities worldwide. Its core missions include strengthening climate-risk early-warning systems and emergency response capabilities and promoting sustainable development to address challenges posed by climate change.

Between 2017 and 2022, Prof. Ng served as President of the International Society for Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering, becoming the Society’s first Chinese president in over 90 years. He has also received numerous prestigious international and national awards, including the 2025 Telford Gold Medal (the highest honor of the Institution of Civil Engineers); the 2022 Varnes Medal from UNESCO’s International Consortium on Landslides; the 2022 Ho Leung Ho Lee Foundation Prize for Scientific and Technological Progress; the State Council of the People's Republic of China's 2020 National Natural Science Award (2nd class) and 2015 State Scientific and Technological Progress Award (2nd class). He was elected a Fellow of the Hong Kong Academy of Engineering in 2008 and a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering in 2020.

The 65th Rankine Lecture will be held in London on March 24, 2027, with a live global broadcast. The lecture attracts engineers, researchers, and academics from around the world, and is widely regarded as a premier platform for advancing scholarly discourse and showcasing cutting-edge developments in geotechnical engineering.