HKUST scientists are listed as the World’s Most Influential Scientific Minds

Three distinguished professors from the University attended a luncheon on October 15 to receive awards as the top scientists in the globe by Thomson Reuters for their outstanding research achievements.

The trio included in the list of the World’s Most Influential Scientific Minds 2014 are Prof Benzhong Tang, - Stephen Kam-chuen Cheong Professor of Science, Chair Professor of Chemistry and a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences; Prof Tianshou Zhao, Chair Professor of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering at HKUST, Director of the HKUST Energy Institute, and a Senior Fellow of the HKUST Institute for Advanced Study; and Dr Jacky W Y Lam from theDepartment of Chemistry.

They earned inclusion in the honorable list of about 3,200 scientists by writing the greatest number of highly cited papers, ranking among the top one percent for their subject fields and with their papers published between 2002 and 2012.  According to Thomson Reuters, the work of the scientists ranked has "consistently been judged by peers to be of particular significance and utility."

Prof Tang has researched on new Aggregation-Induced Emission (AIE) phenomena, processes and theories over the years, exploring AIE’s high-technological applications in chemosensors, bioprobes and optoelectronic devices.  Prof Zhao is renowned for his expertise in energy engineering and has made influential contributions in the areas of fuel cells, flow batteries, multi-scale multiphase heat and mass transport with electrochemical reactions, and computational-modeling.  Dr Lam, a research assistant professor of chemistry, carried out his work on novel polymers with linear and hyperbranched structures and advanced functional properties with Prof Tang.

The honor given to the HKUST scientists is a perfect illustration and recognition of the University’s vision and mission to produce high quality academic research and to create knowledge with global impact.  Our University is not only passively transmitting knowledge but actively creating new knowledge, in Science and Technology as well as in Business Management.

About The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) (www.ust.hk) is a world-class research university that focuses on science, technology and business as well as humanities and social science.  HKUST offers an international campus, and a holistic and interdisciplinary pedagogy to nurture well-rounded graduates with global vision, a strong entrepreneurial spirit and innovative thinking.  HKUST attained the highest proportion of internationally excellent research work in the Research Assessment Exercise 2014 of Hong Kong’s University Grants Committee, and is ranked as the world’s best young university in Times Higher Education’s Young University Rankings 2019.  Its graduates were ranked 16th worldwide and top in Greater China in Global University Employability Survey 2018.

What to read next