Three School of Engineering faculty members were honored in the Ministry of Education’s 2019 Higher Education Outstanding Scientific Research Output Awards (Science and Technology). These significant national awards recognize leading contributions to scientific discovery and technological innovation carried out in tertiary institutions across China.

The awardees and their winning projects are:

Natural Science Award (Second Class)
Prof. Irene LO, Chair Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering
- Fundamentals of Heavy Metal Pollution Control Using Iron-based Magnetic Materials

Led by Prof. Lo, the project is joined by HKUST PhD graduates GUAN Xiaohong and DONG Haoran as well as a collaborator in Tongji University. Prof. Lo has been studying the fundamentals of heavy metal pollution control using iron-based magnetic materials for the past two decades, and has recently turned the technical know-how into a pilot-scale application. Dr. Guan and Dr. Dong are now on the faculty of Tongji University and Hunan University respectively.

Natural Science Award (First Class)
Prof. ZHANG Limin, Chair Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering
- Rain-induced Colluvium Landslides: Mechanism and Risk Control

The project is carried out together with Prof. Zhang’s past PhD students (ZHANG Lulu, LI Xu, ZHANG Shuai, ZHAO Hongfen, ZHU Hong) and a former postdoctoral fellow CHEN Qun. Led by Lulu, the team looked into the mechanisms of rain-induced failure of colluvium soil slopes and developed risk mitigation measures for such slopes. Team members are now working in different universities, including Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Beijing Jiaotong University, Zhejiang University, Sun Yat-sen University, and Sichuan University.

Scientific and Technological Progress Award (Second Class)
Prof. Christopher LEUNG, Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering
- Optimizing Design of High Ductility Cementitious Composites and Its Application in Improving Infrastructural Performance

The project is led by Prof. PAN Jinlong of Southeast University, who received his PhD from HKUST in 2005 under Prof. Leung’s supervision. In addition to Southeast University and HKUST, the project also involves Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing Hydraulic Research Institute, and some industry partners. The team developed cost-effective high ductility cementitious composites and design guidelines for their applications in (i) high performance structural components for earthquake resistance, (ii) pre-fabricated structural components and their in-situ joints, and (iii) structural repair and strengthening.

Related link:

• HKUST WeChat news (May 3, 2023): 頒發國家自然科學獎及教育部自然科學獎予港科大教授