PhD Student Received Prestigious Fulbright-RGC Hong Kong Research Scholar Award

PARK Byung Min, a PhD student under Bioengineering program, has garnered a Fulbright-RGC Hong Kong Research Scholar Award 2020/21.

Byung Min works on the research area in protein engineering and soft material engineering. His thesis aims to explore the potential of engineered proteins as bioimaging contrasts through the development of bioacoustic and photoacoustic tools and materials for safe, precise, and specific detection of various cancers. He will pursue his placement as a Fulbright-Lee Hysan Visiting Student Scholar at the California Institute of Technology from January to August 2021. His advisor is Prof. SUN Fei, Chemical and Biological Engineering, and he received his BSc in Biology from HKUST in 2015.

“I am honored and grateful to receive the prestigious ‘Fulbright-Lee Hysan Visiting Student Scholar’ award to further my goals to develop accessible biomedical diagnostic platforms. I hope to live up to the expectations that come with the award. I express my explicit gratitude to my advisor Prof. Sun Fei for his extensive mentorship and everyone who has supported my foray into bioengineering thus far,” said Byung Min.

The Fulbright-RGC Hong Kong Research Scholar Award Program is a collaborative program between the US Consulate General in Hong Kong & Macau (USCG) and the Research Grants Council (RGC) of the Hong Kong government. It supports young Hong Kong scholars to undertake research activities at American universities and research institutes. Eight awardees are selected each year.

Over the past 10 years, seven PhD students from the School of Engineering have been awarded the prestigious honors and had their attachment programs in world-class universities such as Stanford University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Carnegie Mellon University and California Institute of Technology.