The HKUST School of Engineering continues to be the first choice for PhD studies among all the Engineering Schools and Faculties in local institutions under the Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme 2011/12 offered by the Research Grants Council (RGC).

The RGC announced on 30 March that 125 elite PhD fellows from 19 countries/regions have accepted offers in the second round of the scheme. The School of Engineering at HKUST is honored with 22 Hong Kong PhD Fellowship awardees, equivalent to 44% of the total fellows admitted to all engineering disciplines in Hong Kong. This represents the highest number among the engineering schools of all the participating universities for two consecutive years. The figure also represents more than two-thirds of the 32 students admitted to all schools of HKUST.

The success of the School of Engineering is attributed to the commitment and outstanding research performance of its world-class faculty. The top young minds will further strengthen the research achievements of the School in various engineering fields. Prof Khaled Ben Letaief, HKUST Dean of Engineering, said, “With top-notch faculty teaching, pioneering and state-of-the-art research facilities, I am sure the awardees would achieve their greatest potential here.”

The fellowship scheme was launched by RGC two years ago to attract the best and brightest students from around the world to pursue their PhD studies and research in UGC-funded institutions in Hong Kong. A total of 4,024 applications from 103 countries/regions were received in the 2011/12 round.