Prof. Dan TSANG Elected Vice-President of International Society of Trace Elements in the Environment

Prof. Dan TSANG, Associate Dean of Engineering (Undergraduate Recruitment and Student Development) and Professor of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at HKUST, has been elected Vice-President of the International Society of Trace Elements in the Environment (ISTEE).

The appointment places Prof. Tsang in a leading role in an international scientific community with a history spanning more than half a century. ISTEE brings together the legacies of two of the field’s longest-running international conference series: the International Conference on Heavy Metals in the Environment (ICHMET, inaugurated in Toronto in 1975, and there have been 22 total ICHMET conferences), and the International Conference on the Biogeochemistry of Trace Elements (ICOBTE, launched in Orlando in 1990, and there have been 17 total ICOBTE conferences).

Spanning more than five decades, ICHMET and ICOBTE have served as leading international forums for research on the biogeochemistry, mobility, toxicity and environmental impacts of metals, metalloids, and other trace elements. Their integration under ISTEE since 2024 marks a new chapter for this long-standing global scientific community and provides a unified platform for advancing environmental research, management and sustainability.

Prof. Tsang’s election reflects international recognition of his contributions and leadership in environmental science and engineering. As Vice-President, he will contribute to shaping ISTEE’s scientific direction, strengthening international collaboration and advancing the global trace-element research community. His appointment further enhances HKUST’s international presence and leadership in environmental research.