News & Stories

With the help of HKUST’s exciting satellite remote sensing technology and data advances, School of Engineering faculty are seeking more accurate weather forecasts and greater understanding of climate change to enable more effective planning and decision-making by policymakers, companies and individuals.

A research team led by Prof. Nancy IP, the President and The Morningside Professor of Life Science at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), and the Director of the Hong Kong Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (HKCeND), has identified VCAM1, a cell surface protein found on immune cells of the brain, as a therapeutic target for Alzheimer’s disease (AD), paving the way for developing novel therapeutics to combat this debilitating condition. AD is a devastating neurodegenerative disorder that affects over 50 million people worldwide. A key pathological hallmark of the disease is the accumulation of amyloid-beta (Aβ) plaques in the brain, which leads to progressive decline in cognitive function. Microglia, resident immune cells of the brain, are thought to play a vital role in the clearance of Aβ plaques, a function that is impaired in AD.

In recent years, Hong Kong has experienced a series of extreme weather events. In July 2022, the scorching heat broke 11 records, while in 2023, the city experienced hourly rainfall of 158.1mm, the highest since records began in 1884. An inter-university research team by The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), and the University of Hong Kong (HKU) conducted a study on extreme weather events and their impacts on the built environment in Hong Kong, aiming to assess the trends and effects of extreme weather events under the influence of global climate change. Projected increase of 50% in hot nights and over 40% in extreme rainfall in 2040-2049

Prof. YANG Yansong, Assistant Professor of Electronic and Computer Engineering, has been selected as a recipient of the 2023 IEEE Electron Devices Society (EDS) Early Career Award.

Prof. Ross MURCH, Chair Professor of Electronic and Computer Engineering (ECE), received the prestigious Wireless Communications Technical Committee (WTC) Recognition Award 2023 from the IEEE Communications Society (IEEE ComSoc).

It will take years or decades for the development of artificial intelligence (AI) to reach human-level AI. Robots will not take over the world. “Open source” is the only option. These are among the thought-provoking insights that Turing Prize Winner Prof. Yann LeCun, hailed by the media as one of the “Godfathers of AI,” has shared with AI experts, scholars, industry leaders from around the world and students at a symposium held recently in Hong Kong. Entitled AI NEW HORIZONS 2023: A Symposium with Scientific Leaders, the symposium was jointly hosted by the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) and the Greater Bay Area Association of Academicians (GBAAA). In his keynote speech, Prof. LeCun envisioned objective-driven AI will help predict the future, and Joint Embedding Predictive Architecture (JEPA) model will make a paradigm shift in predictive modeling, that JEPA could bring about a “new Renaissance.”

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) commenced its 31st Congregation today (November 17) with a momentous rendition of the University anthem for the first time.

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) warmly welcome visits of two international institutional partners, The University of Manchester from the United Kingdom & Manchester China Forum and Swissnex from Switzerland in early November. These visits underscore HKUST’s dedication to international cooperation and the exchange of knowledge. Prof. John HOLDEN, Associate Vice-President for Special Projects at the University of Manchester, and Mr. Rhys WHALLEY, Executive Director at Manchester China Forum, met with the HKUST team at the Office of Knowledge Transfer (OKT) on November 14. The HKUST team shared the university's efforts in knowledge transfer through integrating education and research programs and supporting HKUST’s start-ups to make a social impact. The delegation also had the opportunity to visit two start-ups budding from HKUST: PointFit Technology Limited and Allegrow Biotech Limited, gaining insights into their growth and innovation.