“Asian Deans’ Forum 2024 – The Rising Stars Women in Engineering Workshop” Brought Together Young Women Engineers to Advance Academic Leadership

The Asian Deans’ Forum is a gathering of engineering heads of member universities to share experiences and approaches to the development of engineering knowledge. Front row from left: Prof. Hong K. Lo (HKUST), Prof. Chiang Mao-Hsiung (NTU), Prof. Kouhei Tsumoto (UTokyo), Prof. Teo Kie Leong (NUS), Prof. Julien Epps (UNSW Sydney), Prof. Wontae Hwang (SNU) and Prof. Wu Huaqiang (THU). [Download Photo]

Fifty-six early career female researchers and PhD students in different engineering disciplines from over 20 universities worldwide participated in the Asian Deans’ Forum 2024 – The Rising Stars Women in Engineering Workshop, which was held at the National University of Singapore on November 17-19, 2024.

The workshop was co-organized by the engineering schools of seven top universities: The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), National University of Singapore (NUS), The University of Tokyo (UTokyo), National Taiwan University (NTU), Tsinghua University (THU), Seoul National University (SNU) and The University of New South Wales (UNSW Sydney).

Launched in 2018, the workshop has come to its fifth edition this year. It brings together young women researchers and engineers who are interested in exploring and advancing academic careers in Asia, and facilitates scientific and career-oriented discussions relevant to the development of women academic leaders in Asia. The three-day program includes plenary and keynote lectures, panel discussions and mentoring sessions.

At the Asian Deans’ Forum, HKUST Dean of Engineering Prof. Hong K. LO shared the latest developments of the University and the School of Engineering (SENG) in entrepreneurship, industry engagement, and knowledge transfer.

Prof. SU Hui, Chair Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, participated in the workshop as a keynote speaker and panel speaker. Under the theme “Women Driving Breakthroughs in Research”, Prof. Su delivered a presentation titled “Passion, Perseverance, and People”. She shared her remarkable research career as a climate and remote sensing expert, which has taken her from her hometown Chengdu to NASA and now to HKUST.

Assistant Professors ZHAN Ruohan (Industrial Engineering and Decision Analytics) and Bonnie ZHU Danqing (Chemical and Biological Engineering) served as mentors, offering participants valuable tips and insights on succeeding in academia as junior faculty members.

Five postdoctoral researchers and PhD candidates/graduates from SENG joined as participants, where they engaged in panel discussions, mentoring sessions, elevator pitches and poster presentation, fostering meaningful connections with established women engineers in academia.

The 2025 workshop will be hosted by National Taiwan University in Taipei.