News & Stories

A tech company to shore up the country’s semiconductor capabilities and performance standards.

A research team at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) has developed a new electrode design that is set to enable the rechargeability of alkaline zinc batteries, one of the most common types of non-rechargeable batteries used in our daily lives, shedding light on a wider application of rechargeable batteries. Batteries are ever important in the age of smart cities and global digitalization. Yet, a majority of batteries in the market are not rechargeable, or called primary batteries. They are disposed after a single use, an unsustainable practice that poses a serious threat to the environment.

Structural biologists at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) together with researchers at the AIDS Institute, The University of Hong Kong (HKU), Department of Microbiology, School of Clinical Medicine, the LKS Faculty of Medicine of The University of Hong Kong (HKUMed) and the State Key Laboratory of Emerging Infectious Diseases, HKU have demonstrated that ZCB11, a broadly neutralising antibody derived from a local mRNA-vaccinee against the spreading Omicron variants of SARS-CoV-2, displays potent antiviral activities against all variants of concern (VOCs), including the dominantly spreading Omicron BA.1, BA1.1 and BA.2. Critically, either prophylactic or therapeutic ZCB11 administration protects lung infection against Omicron viral challenge in golden Syrian hamsters.

Researchers at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) have developed a new hydrogen fuel cell which is not only the world’s most durable1 to date, but is also more cost-effective, paving way for a wider application of green energy in the pursuit of a carbon neutral world. Hydrogen fuel cell is a promising clean energy option as it generates power by converting hydrogen and oxygen into electricity, with zero emission of carbon dioxide, particulate matters and other air pollutants that may cause smog and other health problems.  Despite its environmental benefits and years of development, hydrogen fuel cell was still not widely commercialized.  That is because its power generation depends heavily on an electrocatalyst - which is largely made up of the expensive and rare metal platinum. 

Behind every great innovation lies a design sensibility, something that might be imperceptible to users but is in fact a vital element of design thinking that yields human-centered innovative solutions. HKUST’s Division of Integrative Systems and Design (ISD) has a lofty goal of nurturing a new generation of innovators via project-based learning, enabling them to chart an empathic course to meet people’s needs through the use of technology. Innovation driven by struggles Founded by ISD student Iain LAM, Sallux Education is an education center that uses technology to help academically challenged students in primary and secondary schools. It is an endeavor born out of Iain's own struggles with dyslexia and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) as a child.

A research team led by Prof. GAN Jianping, director of the Center for Ocean Research Hong Kong and Macau (CORE) at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), carried out field observations and conducted numerical simulations in the South China Sea (SCS) recently and revealed the never-before-seen characteristics of the three-dimensional ocean motion in the SCS through geophysical fluid dynamic theory. The complex ocean circulation system controls the energy conversion and water mass transport in the SCS, subsequently affects the biogeochemical processes, carbon budget, marine ecological environment health, regional climate change, and the sustainable economic and social development in surrounding countries and regions, which accounts for about 22% of the world's population.

A research team from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) has demonstrated for the first time in-vivo imaging of fine neuronal structures in mouse cortex through the intact skull at an unprecedented depth of 750 µm below pia, making high-resolution microscopy in cortex near non-invasive and measurably facilitating the study of the living brain. The direct and non-invasive visualization of neurons, glia, and microvasculature in the brain in vivo is critical for enhancing our understanding of how the brain functions.  Over recent decades, great effort has been focused on developing novel techniques for in vivo imaging of the intact brain. However, none of the prevalent technologies, including ultrasound imaging (sonography), positron emission tomography (PET), and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), provides sufficient spatial resolution to visualize biological structures at the subcellular level. 

HKUST researchers offer an easy-to-implement alternative to measuring vaccine effectiveness in the absence of adequate public health data