Two Teams from Civil and Environmental Engineering Department Won HKIE International Outstanding Paper Award for Young Engineers/Researchers 2026

Dr. Lung Cheuk-Wai (left), Civil Engineering PhD graduate of HKUST and first author of one of the winning papers, received the HKIE International Outstanding Paper Award for Young Engineers/Researchers for his work conducted during his studies at HKUST. The award was presented by Ir Prof. Frank Chan (right), HKIE President for Session 2026/2027, at the HKIE Annual Presidential Address and Dinner on September 11, 2026. [Download Photo]

The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CIVL) at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) claimed two out of the three accolades in the HKIE International Outstanding Paper Award for Young Engineers/Researchers 2026.

As one of the most prestigious awards given by The Hong Kong Institution of Engineers (HKIE), the HKIE International Outstanding Paper Award for Young Engineers/Researchers encourages young engineers and researchers aged 35 or below worldwide to develop innovations and technologies, publish their achievements, as well as to promote the engineering profession among the younger generation. A total of three awards were given in 2026, of which two were presented to members of the CIVL Department at HKUST. They are:

Paper title: Pioneering Up-Scaling of Photoelectrochemical System for Low-Carbon Saline Sewage Treatment Coupled with Green Hydrogen Production
Authors: Dr. LUNG Cheuk-Wai (2025 HKUST Civil Engineering PhD graduate), Jeff M. P. NG (Engineer at the Drainage Services Department of the HKSAR Government) and Ir Prof. Irene M. C. LO (Chair Professor of the CIVL Department at HKUST)

Paper title: FloodVLM-ST: A Unified Spatiotemporal Vision-Language Framework for Real-Time Urban Flood Severity Assessment
Authors: Dr. Peter WONG Kok-Yiu (postdoctoral researcher of the CIVL Department at HKUST), Dr. Alexander ZHOU Shanjing (postdoctoral researcher of the CIVL Department at HKUST and Founder of iWonder Holdings Limited), Prof. Jack CHENG (Associate Head and Professor of the CIVL Department at HKUST), Dr. DU Yawei (postdoctoral researcher of the CIVL Department at HKUST), Dr. CHE Weitao (Assistant Professor of Practice in the Urban Governance and Design Thrust at HKUST Guangzhou) and Dr. LIANG Zhenyu (postdoctoral researcher of the CIVL Department at HKUST)

The Award Presentation Ceremony was held on September 11, 2026, during the HKIE Annual Presidential Address and Dinner. The two teams received the award from Ir Prof. Frank CHAN, HKIE President for Session 2026/2027. They are invited to present their awarded paper in a Public Lecture on December 17, 2026, to share their research findings and accomplishments. In recognition of the achievement, the awarded papers will be published in the Award Issue of the HKIE Transactions in December 2026.

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