RECRUITING THE BEST PEOPLE

Eight emerging and outstanding Hong Kong athletes have been admitted to HKU this year through the Top Athletes Direct Admission Scheme.

SCHOLARS

HKU’s generous Presidential Professorships and Outstanding Young Professorships schemes, both launched in the past couple of years, aim to attract high calibre academics from around the world. Together with government funding, these schemes helped us recruit 91 new academic staff, including a Nobel Laureate, in 2023. To attract outstanding postdoctoral fellows, we launched the Presidential Research Assistant Professor Scheme in April 2023. We also offer Presidential PhD Scholarships for promising research postgraduate (RPG) students, which were awarded to 143 high-potential RPG students from around the world in 2023.

Alongside these newer programmes, existing programmes have recently been sharpened to attract and reward talent. The Endowed Professorships Scheme now provides significant funding for both incoming and current top scholars for research and academic activities. The Visiting Professors Scheme now allows top visiting scholars flexibility in the time they spend at HKU. The University also recognises high achievement through the annual HKU Excellence Awards.

STUDENTS

83 top scorers from all six continents were admitted to HKU in 2023. This included 27 local very high scorers who earned top marks in the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE), International Baccalaureate, and GCE A-level examinations respectively. We also value diversity in admissions and admitted nearly 100 local students through the School Nominations Direct Admission Scheme, eight top athletes with exceptional sports achievements through the Top Athletes Direct Admission Scheme, another 19 outstanding athletes through the Sports Scholarship Scheme, and 87 local non Chinese-speaking students, the most of any university in Hong Kong.

Internationally, students were recruited from more than 40 countries and regions, such as Azerbaijan, Bolivia, Chile, Ethiopia, Peru, Poland, Venezuela and Zimbabwe. More non-local students will be admitted in future in line with the Hong Kong Government’s recent announcement that 40% of first-year students can come from outside the city. This dovetails well with HKU’s goal of being a global hub for higher education.

83

TOP SCORERS
FROM AROUND THE WORLD

800+

NON-LOCAL STUDENTS FROM

40+

COUNTRIES AND REGIONS
ADMITTED IN 2023
 
 

NOBEL LAUREATE SIR FRASER STODDART

Professor Sir Fraser Stoddart was a joint winner of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2016 for his contribution to the design and synthesis of artificial molecular machines. To achieve this goal, he first of all played a major role in the invention of a new chemical bond – namely, the mechanical bond – which has changed the way chemists think about chemical bonding. His expertise includes not only chemistry, but also materials science and molecular nanotechnology. He joined HKU in September 2023 from Northwestern University, where he was a Board of Trustees Professor of Chemistry.

“The attraction of Hong Kong and HKU is the unique attitude of the young researchers at the graduate and postdoctoral levels. I get immense pleasure out of supervising and mentoring young Chinese students in science and chemistry. They are passionate, enthusiastic, committed – and they are kind and generous, they look after me as though I was their father. HKU, on the whole, is moving in the right direction and the time is right for coming here. I think the future is going to be an amazing one for HKU.”

LEGAL SCHOLAR JOHN MURPHY

Professor John Murphy joined the Faculty of Law from the UK, where he established himself as a renowned expert in the law of torts. He has published in many leading Commonwealth law journals and advised both the UK Law Commission and Parliament on difficult matters of tort law. After three decades in the UK, he decided he wanted a new challenge – hence his decision to come to HKU.

“I am immensely impressed with the way my Faculty is run and with the helpful and friendly colleagues I have acquired. I am trying to accomplish three main things: (a) to play a part making sure the Law Faculty at HKU comes top of the heap in the forthcoming Research Assessment Exercise; (b) to help mentor early and middle career colleagues, especially those working in fields of law that I know well; and (c) to help augment and fortify the reputation that HKU has in the area of private law.”

ECONOMIST BALAZS SZENTES

Professor Balazs Szentes, Chair of Economics in the HKU Business School, is an expert in microeconomics and game theory who has held academic positions at the University of Chicago, University College London and the London School of Economics, where he was Professor for 13 years before coming to HKU. He is attracted both by the city of Hong Kong and the Business School.

“The HKU Business School has a great group of economists. From an intellectual viewpoint, it is a very stimulating place. My first impressions have been great – my colleagues are friendly and helpful and my family has received a lot of support from the University in our transition. While I am here, I plan to contribute to building a world-class academic environment in our Faculty.”

HOMEGROWN TALENT LYDIA CHEUNG WAI TING

Dr Lydia Cheung Wai Ting, Associate Professor in the School of Biomedical Sciences, received a BSc and PhD from HKU before undertaking postdoctoral training in cancer genomics research in the US. She returned to her alma mater in 2016. Dr Cheung’s research, showing gene mutations in key cancer pathways that represent new molecular targets for precision cancer medicine, has attracted local, national and international recognition. In March 2023 she was awarded an Outstanding Young Researcher Award at the HKU Excellence Awards Presentation Ceremony.

“I had my first research experience when I was a final-year undergraduate student at HKU. Since then, I have developed a strong passion for cancer research. My research asks fundamental questions of how gene mutations favour cancer development and how to target these mutations effectively with cancer drugs. The research findings help untangle the complexity of cancer and my team and I strive to make significant contributions to the field.”

TOP SCORER

Icy Ku Ping Sum is one of only four students across Hong Kong this year to achieve the top score of 5** in seven subjects in the HKDSE. She has enrolled in the MBBS, attracted by the Enrichment Year programme and, especially, the new Distinguished Medical Scholar track, which provides outstanding students with intensive research training in their Enrichment Year with a view towards pursuing PhD studies after they complete their MBBS.

“I have always aspired to work as a doctor to save lives in Hong Kong. I hope to learn more about medical science and how to be a skilful and trustworthy doctor. I’m also looking forward to university life and expanding my social circle through the different societies and committee roles offered at HKU.”

SCHOOL NOMINEE

Isaac Sze Chun Hei is a computer science and robotics enthusiast, who undertook self-directed studies in Python and AI technologies and has been admitted to the Bachelor of Arts and Sciences in Applied Artificial Intelligence via the School Nominations Direct Admission Scheme.

“Some of the key reasons why I have chosen to come to HKU are its good reputation and rich resources, its career support services that can help me have better prospects in the future, and the way it encourages technological innovations through the Innovation Wing and student interest groups. I also like that my programme has a wide variety of subjects and electives in different fields, such as mathematics, statistics, computer science, robotics and smart city electives. Furthermore, there is some content in philosophy which can allow me to learn about the ethical limits of AI and how to use this technology in future. Few AI programmes in other universities provide this kind of content and essential knowledge.”

SPORTS STAR

Kyle Tsang Long Him was admitted to the Bachelor of Dental Surgery under the Sports Scholarship Scheme. He is a member of the Hong Kong basketball team and competed in the 2023 East Asian Youth Games in Mongolia. Alongside his sporting career, he achieved good results in the HKDSE and wants to develop both his academic and sporting abilities.

“I chose HKU because it has the reputation of being the best university in Hong Kong and it is the only one that offers Dentistry, which is ranked top three in the world. The experienced professors and variety of facilities provide a comfortable learning environment for me as a student athlete. I hope to meet more friends and professors who can assist me in my learning journey, and also lead the HKU basketball team to achieve the best results ever.”

INTERNATIONAL ACHIEVER

Lucy Magashi ranked second in Tanzania’s national exam and has come to HKU because of its high international standing and a desire to learn more about Asian culture. She has enrolled as a Bachelor of Engineering in Biomedical Engineering student with a full scholarship, a programme that speaks to her interest in engineering as well as her interest in medicine, which was deepened after her brother passed away from illness at a young age. She also founded the Loving Care Foundation to raise funds and help local hospitals in her country.

“Biomedical engineering seems a right fit for me because of my love for both engineering and medicine and my motivation to help combat future medical crises in my country. At HKU I hope to be challenged to go outside my comfort zone so that I can grow into an individual who can succeed in any environment.”

BUILDING NEW SPACES

HKU has embarked on a major building programme to develop new state-of-the-art facilities that will accommodate cutting-edge research and learning activities, as well as quality living space for staff and students. Five sites are being developed or redeveloped, holding altogether nearly 20 buildings. More projects are on the horizon, with the Global Innovation Centre in Pokfulam awaiting the Town Planning Board’s consideration. The new projects support our mission to push boundaries and provide a stimulating environment for our world-class scholars and students.

POKFIELD CAMPUS

5 buildings; hosts the HKU Business School, new academic and residential complexes and a world-class sports facility
 
 

MEDICAL CAMPUS EXPANSION

Town Planning Board approval was obtained in February 2023 to build a major new academic building next to 3 Sassoon Road. Other projects are underway along Sassoon Road to enhance clinical training amenities and provide cutting-edge research facilities.