News & Stories

The China Manned Space Agency today announced the crew of the Shenzhou-23 mission, which includes Dr. LAI Ka-Ying, a payload specialist from the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR). Dr. Lai will embark on a mission aboard the Tiangong Space Station. The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) extends its warmest congratulations and expresses profound pride and excitement at this historic moment. 

The world’s first lightweight, high‑resolution, high‑precision synergistic observatory for carbon dioxide (CO₂) and methane (CH₄) emission point sources – named “MUSICO”, Multi‑Spectral Imaging Carbon Observatory, led by The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST)　– was successfully launched aboard the Tianzhou‑10 cargo spacecraft on May 11 and has arrived at China’s Tiangong Space Station. This is not only Hong Kong’s first scientific payload deployed on the national space station, but also a historic breakthrough for the city in the development of high‑end aerospace instruments. The project fully demonstrates Hong Kong’s strong capability to build national‑level cutting-edge scientific payloads, to participate in long‑term space station missions, and to play a key role in addressing global climate change while serving the nation’s strategic “carbon peak and carbon neutrality” goals.

Prof. LU Mengqian, now Associate Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, told the unique story of a little girl in Qingdao with tremendous physical and intellectual potentials.

A research team at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) has developed an innovative urban food waste management framework by analyzing food waste data from 29 large cities worldwide, including Hong Kong, Beijing, and New York. The study shows that in cities with higher food waste moisture loads, such as Hong Kong, grinding food waste and diverting it into the sewage system is more effective than relying solely on landfilling. This approach can reduce overall greenhouse gas emissions by about 47% and lower total waste-management costs by about 11%. The research provides a new, quantitative basis for shaping food waste management strategies in cities around the globe.

In a critical advance for climate resilience, researchers from The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) have developed an AI model that can predict dangerous convective storms—including Black Rainstorms, thunderstorms and extreme heavy rainfall like those that have hit Hong Kong—up to four hours before they strike. This world-first technology, developed in collaboration with national meteorological institutions and powered by satellite data and advanced deep diffusion technology, improves forecast accuracy by over 15% at the 48‑kilometer spatial scale compared with existing systems. This breakthrough strengthens the overall accuracy of the national weather forecasting system and promises to transform early warning systems for vulnerable communities across Asia.

A research team led by The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) scholars has discovered a significant slowdown in Arctic sea ice melting since 2012, with the decrease rate of 11.3% per decade to an insignificant downward trend of only −0.4% per decade. This phenomenon is closely related to a shift in the North Atlantic Oscillation (NAO) pattern, from a negative phase to its positive phase, which traps cold air within the Arctic region. It is projected to peak between 2030 and 2040, after which the Arctic could enter a new phase of accelerated ice melt. Without reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, this may trigger severe climate and environmental crises within decades.

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) has been appointed by the China National Space Administration (CNSA) to lead the international "Hong Kong Operation Robot" project for the Chang'E-8 mission. The project will unite global aerospace scholars and experts to develop a multi-functional lunar surface operation robot. Equipped with a mobile charging station and capable of dexterous operations, the robot is designed to make significant contributions to the nation's lunar exploration missions.

With a warm smile and larger than life personality, it is easy to see how Michael Leung leads the charge at his firm – a world leader in design and manufacturing of cutting-edge technologies, software and services for the professional construction industry. A personality that can put anyone at ease, his own journey from a young student growing up in Hong Kong’s own Kennedy Town to being the first Asian to lead a global company in Australia, he attributes much of his career success to his alma mater, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST).