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2026
FEB
Professor Jimmy Li has been selected as the recipient of the 2026 Mid-Career Award by the International Society for Aeolian Research (ISAR).(https://www.aeolianresearch.com/) Notably, he is the sole awardee globally selected for this honour for the 2025-2026 cycle. The ISAR Mid-Career Award is a prestigious recognition of significant contributions to the field of aeolian research. Professor Li will formally receive the award and deliver a seminar at the upcoming International Conference on Aeolian Research (ICAR) in Swakopmund, Namibia, this July.
Please join us in extending our warmest congratulations to Professor Jimmy Li on this well-deserved recognition.
2025
NOV
We are delighted to share the wonderful news that four of our esteemed colleagues have been included in the 2025 Clarivate Highly Cited Researchers list. This distinguished honors, bestowed upon only the top 0.1% of researchers globally, underscores their exceptional scholarly achievements and far-reaching influence. They join totally 54 HKU researchers on the list and are the sole representatives from the Faculty of Social Sciences.
Cross-Field
• Professor Kuishuang Feng
• Professor Shunlin Liang
Geosciences
• Professor Peng Gong
• Professor Yuyu Zhou
Their accomplishments bring great honour to our Department and the University, and exemplify our commitment to research excellence and global impact.
Please also join us in warmly welcoming Professor Kuishuang Feng, who will be joining the Department in late December.
Once again, heartfelt congratulations to our esteemed colleagues for this well-deserved recognition.
9 of our esteemed department faculty members, including Professor Wendy Y CHEN, Professor Peng GONG, Professor Bo HUANG, Professor Nicky Y F LAM, Professor Shunlin LIANG, Professor George C S LIN, Professor Becky P Y LOO, Professor Zhenci XU and Professor Yuyu ZHOU, are among the world's top 1% scholars by Clarivate Analytics for 2025.
The full list of HKU Scholars in the Top 1% can be viewed on HKU Scholars Hub.(https://hub.hku.hk/local/top1pc/top1pc.jsp)
Please join us to send our warmest congratulations for their great accomplishment!
10 of our esteemed department faculty members, including Professor Wendy Chen, Professor Peng Gong, Professor Bo Huang, Professor Shunlin Liang, Professor George Lin, Professor Laibao Liu, Professor Becky Loo, Professor Junxi Qian, Professor Zhenci Xu and Professor Yuyu Zhou, are among the latest annual report of the top 2% most-cited scientists in the world published by Stanford University for 2025.
Please join us to send our warmest congratulations for their great accomplishment!
OCT
JC STEM Lab of Quantitative Remote Sensing (https://jcqrs.hku.hk/)recent updates:
Congratulations to Professor Han Ma and colleagues on publishing a research article on Remote Sensing of Environment (Vol. 331, 115048). The title of the article is “The first gap-free 20 m 5-day LAI/FAPAR products over China (2018-2023) from integrated Landsat-8/9 and Sentinel-2 Analysis Ready Data” and it is now available at https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2025.115048.(https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rse.2025.115048) The product is available at www.glass.hku.hk.(http://www.glass.hku.hk/)
Congratulations to Dr. Yufang Zhang and colleagues on publishing a research article on
(Vol. 17, pp. 5181-5207). The title of the article is “A seamless global daily 5 km soil moisture product from 1982 to 2021 using AVHRR satellite data and an attention-based deep learning model” and it is now available at https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-17-5181-2025.(https://doi.org/10.5194/essd-17-5181-2025) The complete product can be freely downloaded from https://glass.hku.hk/archive/SM/AVHRR/,(https://glass.hku.hk/archive/SM/AVHRR/) and the annual average dataset is available at https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14198201.(https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14198201)
SEP
Comprehensive Remote Sensing, 2nd Edition Published Under the Leadership of Prof. Shunlin Liang
We are proud to announce the publication of the second edition of Comprehensive Remote Sensing (Elsevier), a nine-volume Major Reference Work now available on ScienceDirect (https://www.sciencedirect.com/referencework/9780443239496/comprehensive-remote-sensing)(https://www.sciencedirect.com/referencework/9780443239496/comprehensive-remote-sensing). This landmark publication is led by Editor-in-Chief Professor Shunlin Liang, Chair Professor and Head of the Department of Geography, who also served as the editor of Volume 5, “Remote Sensing of Earth’s Energy Budget.” The new edition builds on the success of the first edition released in 2017.
This thoroughly updated edition is curated by 12 distinguished editors and features contributions from over 100 world-leading experts. It provides a comprehensive overview of remote sensing, covering everything from theoretical foundations to state-of-the-art applications. Key features include new insights into satellite missions, sensor technology, data fusion algorithms, deep learning, high-level satellite products, carbon and water cycles, Earth’s energy balance, and applications with significant societal benefits. With well structured chapters, extensive references, and rich visual content, this work serves a diverse and global audience.
Professor Liang expressed his gratitude to the editorial team and contributors for their dedication, stating: “This achievement reflects the collective expertise and commitment of our global team to advancing remote sensing research for societal impact.” The Department is proud to celebrate this milestone and its contribution to global scientific knowledge.
We are pleased to announce that Professor Frank van der Wouden has been awarded the Social Sciences Outstanding Research Output Award 2024-25 in the category of Applied Research.
Professor van der Wouden’s paper, “The impact of geographical distance on learning through collaboration,” co-authored with H. Youn and published in Research Policy, represents a groundbreaking contribution to the social sciences. The study demonstrates that scholars learn approximately 57% more when collaborating in close proximity compared to those working across distances, making it one of the most impactful papers on this topic in recent years.
Please join us in extending our heartfelt congratulations to Professor van der Wouden for this outstanding achievement!
AUG
We are delighted to share that two of our faculty members have been awarded the Excellent Young Scientists Fund by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) for 2025:
• Professor Laibao Liu for his “Climate Change and Carbon Source/Sink” project
• Professor Peng Zhu for his “Responses and Sustainable Yield Enhancement of Crop Systems Under Climate Change” project
The Excellent Young Scientists Fund is a highly competitive annual grant established to support young scientists with strong basic research achievements in conducting innovative research within their fields, aimed at promoting the rapid growth of creative young talents and fostering outstanding scientists on the international frontiers.
Please join us in congratulating Professors Liu and Professor Zhu on their remarkable achievement.
Professor Benjamin Iaquinto Appointed Editor of Tourism Geographies and Editorial Board Member of Social and Cultural Geography
We are pleased to announce that Professor Benjamin Iaquinto has recently been promoted to Editor of Tourism Geographies (https://www.tandfonline.com/journals/rtxg20)(Impact Factor: 4.7), a leading Q1 journal in the field. Professor Iaquinto has also been appointed to the editorial board of Social and Cultural Geography (https://www.tandfonline.com/journals/rscg20)(Impact Factor: 2.3), further recognising his expertise and contributions to the discipline.
These prestigious appointments will further enhance the international profile of our department. Congratulations to Professor Iaquinto on these well-deserved achievements!
JUL
The Department of Geography at the University of Hong Kong is pleased to announce that, thanks to a generous donation from the Hui family, we will be acquiring a new van to support our teaching, research, and fieldwork activities. The Hui family’s longstanding support has made a significant and lasting impact on our department, enriching the educational experiences of our students and empowering our research teams.
The new van, to be named in recognition of the Hui Oi Chow Trust Fund, will greatly enhance our ability to access remote field sites, transport research equipment, and promote meaningful academic exchanges. It will also play a key role in advancing our commitment to sustainability and environmental stewardship.
We extend our deepest gratitude to the Hui family for their unwavering support and trust. Their generosity strengthens our mission and enables us to contribute to sustainable development in Hong Kong and beyond. We look forward to keeping the community updated on the positive outcomes this new resource will bring.
Congratulations to Dr. Yongzhe Chen, a postdoctoral research fellow in Professor Shunlin Liang’s group, on co-authoring two articles published on Science & Nature Communications.
1. Huang, Y., et al. Size, distribution, and vulnerability of the global soil inorganic carbon. Science 384, 233-239 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adi7918
(https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adi7918)This study quantified the global size, distribution, and vulnerability of soil inorganic carbon (SIC). The research revealed that soils store 2,305 ± 636 billion tons of SIC in the top 2 meters, with significant annual losses to inland waters. Under current trends, 23 billion tons of SIC may be lost over 30 years due to nitrogen-driven acidification, emphasizing the need to integrate SIC into climate models for better carbon management.
2. Zhang, W., Chen, Y., Ji, Q. et al. Assessing global drinking water potential from electricity-free solar water evaporation device. Nature Communications 15, 6784 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-51115-0 (https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-51115-0)
This study developed a physics-guided machine learning model to assess the global potential of solar water evaporation (SWE) technology for providing safe drinking water. A 1 m² SWE device can produce 2.5 L/day of clean water, meeting the needs of 95.8% of the unserved population. Scaling this technology could achieve universal access to safe water by 2030 at a significantly reduced cost.
JUN
Professor Ben Gerlofs has been elected as a Fellow of the Explorers Club. Based in New York, the club is internationally renowned for its contributions to field science and exploration. This honor recognizes Professor Gerlofs’ outstanding field research across North America, Latin America, and East Asia.
Please join us in congratulating Professor Gerlofs on this remarkable achievement.
MAY
Vinci Ying Jia Cheung, a PhD candidate supervised by Prof G.C.S. Lin, has been awarded the 2024 HKAUW Kunpeng Postgraduate Scholarship, granted by the Hong Kong Association of University Women (HKAUW).
The HKAUW Kunpeng Postgraduate Scholarship is a prestigious scholarship that recognizes female postgraduate students who conduct high-quality original research that significantly contributes to society and the body of knowledge. This scholarship, awarded through a rigorous selection process, honours candidates who excel academically while demonstrating strong leadership skills, a collaborative spirit, commitment to community service, and notable achievements in their fields.
The HKAUW 2024-2025 Annual Business Meeting and Scholarship Presentation Ceremony took place at the City University of Hong Kong on March 29, 2025. Vinci reflected on the event, stating, “It was an unforgettable experience to connect with so many brilliant and inspiring ladies who are making significant strides in their fields and demonstrating exceptional dedication to their work.”
APR
Professor Laibao Liu has been awarded the prestigious title of "HKU-100 Scholar." This recognition is a testament to his outstanding achievements and contributions to our department and the broader academic community. His research interests include land and climate systems, land-atmosphere interaction, the land carbon cycle, and renewable energy.
Please join us in warmly congratulating Professor Liu on this remarkable achievement. His dedication and expertise continue to inspire us all.
We are thrilled to share that our MSc(GeoDS) student team (Li Junpeng, Qian Jiachun, Wang Fangqi, Xin Mingxuan, and Zhu Muyi) has won the 2025 Esri Young Scholars Award (Hong Kong) group championship for their project “Mapping Despair: Geographic Insights into Suicide in HK”! This groundbreaking research leverages geospatial technology, including the Geographically Weighted Random Forest (GWRF) model and SHAP framework, to analyze suicide risk factors in Hong Kong. By transforming complex data into immersive Story Maps, the team identified high-risk areas (e.g., northeastern New Territories and Kowloon City) and highlighted socioeconomic drivers like income disparity and housing pressures. Their policy recommendations, such as enhancing community mental health support, underscore the power of geospatial science to address societal challenges. This achievement reflects the Department’s commitment to fostering interdisciplinary collaboration and impactful research. Join us in celebrating this exceptional work and the team’s dedication to turning data into hope!
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For more information, please visit https://geog.hku.hk/post/n20250428 (https://geog.hku.hk/post/n20250428)
Mr. Sun has recently been honored with two prestigious awards at the Annual Meeting of the American Association of Geographers (AAG): the Annual Meeting Award from the Applied Geography Specialty Group and the Peter Gould Paper Competition Award from the Health and Medical Geography Specialty Group. The latter is especially notable, as it is widely regarded as the most prestigious student paper award in health geography. It is an extraordinary accomplishment for an undergraduate student to earn this recognition, given that the competition is typically dominated by graduate students from leading institutions in the US and Canada.
The award-winning paper, titled "Geographic Barriers to Vaccine Access: Association of Travel Time with COVID-19 Vaccine Uptake, Intent, and Perceived Availability in Kenya," was conceptualized, executed, and authored by Mr. Sun under the exceptional mentorship of Professor Cao. This remarkable achievement not only showcases Jiashuo’s outstanding academic rigor and talent but also underscores the exemplary guidance and support provided by Professor Cao.
Let us celebrate this success and continue to encourage and support our students and faculty as they contribute to advancing knowledge in their respective fields.
MAR
We are thrilled to announce that HKU Geography ranks #10 in the world, #3 in Asia in #1 in Hong Kong in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2025.(https://www.topuniversities.com/university-subject-rankings/geography) Our improvement in the subject ranking is the collective efforts of all our faculty, students and staff. We will continue to build upon and maintain our reputation of excellence in research and teaching and thrive in this competitive academic landscape.
Professor Wesley Attewell has been awarded the prestigious HKU Early Career Teaching Award 2024 in recognition of his outstanding contributions to students' learning in the past academic year.
Please join us in extending our warmest congratulations to Professor Attewell on this well-deserved accolade!
JAN
Professor Lishan Ran has been awarded both the Collaborative Research Project Grant under the Collaborative Research Fund (CRF) for 2024/25 and the Lasting Impact Fund – Young Scholar Scheme for 2023/24. These prestigious recognitions highlight his exceptional contributions to research and his innovative approach to addressing critical environmental issues. His CRF-funded project, "Carbon Emissions from China’s Inland Waters and Coastal Ecosystems under Global Change," emphasizes the significant impact of his research on our understanding of global environmental change.
Please join us in extending heartfelt congratulations to Professor Ran for these remarkable accomplishments!
We are thrilled to share that our Ph.D. student, Mr. Shuai YUAN (supervised by Prof. Peng GONG), has been awarded the HKU Research Postgraduate Student Innovation Award 2024/25 (up to 10 awards) for his project titled “Revealing the Energy Transition Process in the Greater Bay Area from 2000 to 2020 by Satellite Images and Deep Learning.” This research utilizes advanced satellite imagery and deep learning techniques to construct a comprehensive energy plants dataset and analyze two decades of energy transition in the Greater Bay Area. This award highlights the Department’s dedication to fostering academic excellence, supporting talented students, and driving impactful research. Please join us in congratulating Mr. Shuai YUAN and Prof. Peng GONG on this remarkable accomplishment!
Professor Han MA has been promoted to Associate Professor (Research).
Please join us in congratulating Professor MA for her outstanding accomplishments!
2024
DEC
It is with immense pleasure and pride that we announce Professor Zhenci Xu has been conferred the HKU Outstanding Young Researcher Award (OYRA) for 2023-2024.
Please join us in celebrating Professor Xu's remarkable achievement and wishing him continued success in his academic endeavors!
Congratulations! One Ph.D. student in our department was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China Young Student Basic Research Program (Ph.D. candidate)
Recently, the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) has determined the list of projects funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China for the Young Student Basic Research Program (Ph.D. Candidate) ((國家自然科學基金青年學生基礎研究項目 (博士研究生)) in 2024. One Ph.D. student in our department, Mr. YUAN Shuai, has been successfully approved for this project, with a funding amount of ¥300,000 CNY for each project.
Mr. YUAN Shuai's approved funded project is "High-frequency fine wetland dynamic mapping method based on multi-source remote sensing adaptive fusion and time-series sample auto-labeling". The supervisor is Professor GONG Peng. This project focuses on the large-scale continuous and accurate daily wetland dynamic mapping, making full use of spatiotemporal features of multi-source remote sensing data to address the issues where existing methods fail to capture wetland dynamics and inadequately mine spatiotemporal information, thereby bridging the gaps of wetland dynamic mapping and providing comprehensive support for wetland dynamic understanding and wetland protection.
Mr. YUAN Shuai was admitted to the Department of Geography in Jan, 2024 and majors in urban remote sensing intelligent interpretation and analysis. Urban scenarios are complex and traditional and common AI models have poor performance because of the poor feature extraction ability. Mr. YUAN Shuai focuses on how to effectively utilize the characteristics of urban geographical objects to guide the AI models to conduct large-scale and reliable urban remote sensing image intelligent interpretation. He has successfully published 8 papers in authoritative journals and conferences such as IEEE Transactions on Cybernetics (IF=9.4), IEEE Geoscience and Remote Sensing Magazine (IF=16.2), and NeurIPS (top conference on machine learning).
NOV
Professor Zhenci Xu has been granted with tenure and promotion to the Associate Professor. This achievement is a testament to his outstanding productivity and commitment to academic excellence.
His interdisciplinary research on sustainability science—encompassing sustainability performance assessment, transboundary human-nature interactions, and the food-energy-water-carbon nexus—has not only advanced our understanding in these fields but has also significantly elevated the standing of our department. His impressive publication record, featuring high-impact journals and substantial citations, reflects his influence and recognition in the academic community. Notably, he is ranked among the top 1% of scholars by Clarivate Analytics for 2024 and is listed among the World's Top 2% Scientists 2024 by Stanford University.
Please join us in congratulating Professor Xu for his outstanding accomplishments!
Professor Lishan Ran has been awarded the Lasting Impact Fund - Young Scholar Scheme for 2023/24. This prestigious recognition supports his project, "Aquatic Carbon Cycling and Greenhouse Gas Emission Dynamics in Aquaculture Ponds in the Greater Bay Area."
Please join us in extending heartfelt congratulations to Professor Ran for this remarkable achievement!
4 esteemed researchers from the Department of Geography, including Professor Peng Gong, Professor Bo Huang, Professor Shunlin Liang and Professor Yuyu Zhou, have been recognized as Highly Cited Researchers in 2024 by Clarivate Analytics.For more details, please visit https://www.geog.hku.hk/post/n20241120 (https://www.geog.hku.hk/post/n20241120)
Please join us to send our warmest congratulations for their great accomplishment!
OCT
HKU Geography Alumnus & Chair Professor Emeritus Jim Chi-yung ranked Top World Scientist in Forestry
In the latest annual report of the top 2% most-cited scientists in the world published by Stanford University, Professor Jim Chi-yung ranked first on both career-long (1960-2023) and one-year 2023 listings, out of over 35,000 scholars in the field of "Forestry" , representing the high citation rate and significant impact of his research work.
Professor Jim Chi-yung is a distinguished HKU geography alumnus (BA First Class Honours, Geography and Geology, 1975) and Chair Professor Emeritus, currently serving as Advisor and Chair Professor at the Education University of Hong Kong.
Warmest congratulations to Professor Jim!
SEP
9 of our esteemed department faculty members, including Professor Wendy Y CHEN, Professor Peng GONG, Professor Bo HUANG, Professor Nicky Y F LAM, Professor Shunlin LIANG, Professor George C S LIN, Professor Becky P Y LOO, Professor Zhenci XU and Professor Yuyu ZHOU, are among the world's top 1% scholars by Clarivate Analytics for 2024.
The full list of HKU Scholars in the Top 1% can be viewed on HKU Scholars Hub.(https://hub.hku.hk/local/top1pc/top1pc.jsp)
Please join us to send our warmest congratulations for their great accomplishment!
9 of our esteemed department faculty members, including Professor Wendy Y CHEN, Professor Peng GONG, Professor Bo HUANG, Professor Shunlin LIANG, Professor George C S LIN, Professor Becky P Y LOO, Professor Junxi QIAN, Professor Zhenci XU and Professor Yuyu ZHOU, are among the latest annual report of the top 2% most-cited scientists in the world published by Stanford University.
Please join us to send our warmest congratulations for their great accomplishment!
AUG
We are delighted to share the wonderful news that Professor Zhenci Xu has successfully secured the National Excellent Young Scientist Fund Award (国家优秀青年科学基金项目) with a grant of RMB￥2 million. This prestigious award, announced by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), is a testament to Professor Xu's outstanding research achievements and contributions to the field of geography.
It is worth mentioning that our Department has previously had two recipients of the NSFC Excellent Young Scientists Fund (Hong Kong and Macau) [国家优秀青年科学基金项目(港澳)], namely Professor Lishan Ran and Professor Hongsheng Zhang. Starting from 2024, the Fund (Hong Kong and Macau) has been integrated into the main Excellent Young Scientists Fund, aiming to unify support for young researchers across China.
Please join us in congratulating Professor Xu on this well-deserved recognition. We look forward to his continued success and contributions to our department.
JUL
Professor Steven. H.S. Zhang has been granted with tenure and promotion to the Associate Professor rank as a result of rigorous review and critical international evaluation. Professor Zhang's research and teaching have consistently demonstrated a high level of expertise and commitment, making him a valuable asset to our department. His dedication and hard work have played a key role in advancing our department's mission and vision. Please join us in congratulating Professor Zhang for his outstanding accomplishments!
We are delighted to share the wonderful news of our PhD candidate, Mr. Jeffrey Chang (supervised by Prof. Nicky Lam), winning an award in the inaugural "HKU Impact: Social Media Competition"(https://www.ke.hku.hk/spotlight/smc2024) organized by the Knowledge Exchange Office (KEO) of HKU. Mr. Chang’s video, titled "Incorporating Citizen Science and High-Resolution Regional Climate Models in Urban Heat and Pollution Island Diagnostics," has been awarded First-Runner-up. This project integrates urban extreme heat measurement, Forward-Looking Infrared (FLIR) thermal sensing, and numerical modeling to study urban hotspots in Hong Kong's secondary schools, thus fostering University-Institution-Local School education and the advancement of scientific research. Please join us to extend our heartfelt congratulations to Mr. CHANG Man Hei Jeffrey and Professor Nicky Lam on their remarkable achievement!
JUN
The Department of Geography at HKU is excited to announce the launch of a new website (www.glass.hku.hk)(www.glass.hku.hk) that offers access to the Global LAnd Surface Satellite (GLASS) products. The primary objective of this platform is to simplify the distribution of GLASS products to a diverse range of users while providing a comprehensive summary of the current products.
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Most satellite observations cannot be utilized directly and must be converted into high-level products that measure the biophysical and geophysical characteristics of Earth's environment. The GLASS products consist of about 20 such high-level products that measure essential environmental variables. Led by Prof. Shunlin Liang, Chair Professor and Head of the Department of Geography at HKU, the GLASS products are developed by over a hundred researchers from various universities and research institutes, including Beijing Normal University, University of Hong Kong, Wuhan University, Peking University, and more. The developer of each product is identified on the website.
The GLASS products have several unique features. All products are available for free download from the website. They can be used to tackle a wide range of environmental change and sustainable development issues. We welcome everyone to visit the GLASS products website to explore their potential applications and provide feedback.
MAY
We are delighted to announce that our research postgraduate students, Miss Grace Hiu Ling Yeung (PhD candidate) and Mr. David Ho Cheung Ho (MPhil candidate), under the supervision of Professor Benjamin L. Iaquinto, have achieved remarkable success. Along with their teammate, Miss Ally Hei Lam Ho from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, they participated in this year's 'Kubuqi Award' competition. Their exceptional performance secured them the position of first runner-up, accompanied by a trophy, certificate, HKD 50,000, and a 6-day educational field camp trip to the Kubuqi Desert. We extend our warmest congratulations to Grace, David, and Professor Benjamin L. Iaquinto for their outstanding achievement and representation of our department.
We are excited to announce that our PhD student, Mr. CHANG Man Hei Jeffrey (Supervisor: Professor Nicky Lam), has been awarded the Champion (First Place) in the AAG Climate Speciality Group (CSG) Student Paper Competition with his outstanding paper entitled "Integrating geography-STEM education and numerical modeling into urban microclimate analytics." Notably, Jeffrey is the first non-US postgraduate student to receive this prestigious award since the competition's inception in 1995. This accomplishment highlights the exceptional research conducted at our department and The University of Hong Kong. We extend our heartfelt congratulations to Mr. CHANG Man Hei Jeffrey and Professor Nicky Lam on their remarkable achievement.
We are pleased to announce that Ms. Winnie Wing Yee Lam has been selected as the inaugural recipient of the Social Sciences Outstanding Staff Recognition Award 2024!
More Information > (https://www.geog.hku.hk/post/n20240503)
Please join us in congratulating her success and thanking her invaluable contributions to these well-deserved recognitions!
APR
The University of Hong Kong (HKU) has recently been awarded a remarkable donation of HKD 48.51 million from The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust. This funding will be used to establish a series of five Jockey Club (JC) STEM Labs, supporting the University's strategic goal of nurturing future STEM leaders and promoting interdisciplinary research and collaboration.
A special inauguration ceremony took place on April 10 to express the University’s gratitude and appreciation to the Trust for their generous contribution. The distinguished guests at the event include Professor Peng Gong, Vice-President (Academic Development) of HKU, and Ms Ada Chu, Head of Charities (Talent and Sector Development; Institute of Philanthropy) of The Hong Kong Jockey Club.
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The JC STEM Lab of Quantitative Remote Sensing is one of the five newly established JC STEM Labs and is led by Professor Shunlin Liang from the Department of Geography. This new JC STEM Lab, located on the 8th floor of the Jockey Club Tower, is dedicated to exploring the intricate interactions between land and social systems. It aims to develop advanced methodologies for estimating various variables of the Earth system from satellite data, with the ultimate goal of addressing pressing global environmental and social-economical issues and promoting sustainable development.
In the coming years, the lab's focus will revolve around three core areas. Firstly, it aims to produce advanced inversion methodology and high-level satellite products that contribute to the advancement of the field. Secondly, it will actively engage in research projects that tackle social and environmental challenges, leveraging the power of remote sensing data. Lastly, the lab envisions establishing a social and environmental data center at HKU, serving as a hub for the dissemination of remote sensing data, information, and knowledge.
We are thrilled to announce that our PhD student, Ms. Ling Jing (Supervisor: Professor Hongsheng Zhang), has won 2nd Place in the AAG Remote Sensing Specialty Group's Student Honors Paper Competition. Her outstanding paper, titled "Synergizing Radar and Optical Data for Accurate Urban Impervious Surface Mapping in Cloud-Prone Areas," showcases the high standard of research conducted at our department and The University of Hong Kong. We extend our warmest congratulations to Ms. Ling Jing on her remarkable accomplishment.
We are proud to announce that Professor Shunlin Liang and Professor Yuyu Zhou have been elected as 2023 Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). The prestigious AAAS Fellowship recognizes their outstanding contributions to the fields of Geology and Geography.
To learn more about the 2023 AAAS Fellows, please visit: https://www.aaas.org/page/2023-fellows(https://www.aaas.org/page/2023-fellows)
Congratulations to Prof. Shunlin Liang and Prof. Yuyu Zhou on this well-deserved recognition!
We are thrilled to announce that HKU Geography ranks #14 in the world, #2 in Asia in #1 in Hong Kong in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2024.(https://www.topuniversities.com/university-subject-rankings/geography) Our improvement in the subject ranking is the collective efforts of all our faculty, students and staff. We will continue to build upon and maintain our reputation of excellence in research and teaching and thrive in this competitive academic landscape.
Awardees of Geography Competition from Our UG
CHEN Zhang, our 3rd year Geography and Urban Governance Student, has been honored with the Championship of 2024 ESRI Young Scholars Award in Hong Kong on 12 Apr 2024. Congratulations!
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Four of our Undergraduate Geography students (Chen Zhang (3rd year Geography and Urban Governance Student), Tan Xinyue (4th year Urban Governance Student), Lin Ruiya (4th year Geography Student) and SUN Jiashuo) won the 2nd Runner-up award in the Student Group of the Location Matters! Tech Challenge Competition on 23 Feb 2024. Congratulations!
MAR
Congratulations to Professor Zhenci Xu for publishing as co-corresponding author on Nature Communications. The title of the article is “Intranational synergies and trade-offs reveal common and differentiated priorities of sustainable development goals in China” and it is now available at https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-46491-6(https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-46491-6)
Reference: Xing, Q., Wu, C., Chen, F. et al. Intranational synergies and trade-offs reveal common and differentiated priorities of sustainable development goals in China. Nat Commun 15, 2251 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-46491-6(https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-46491-6)
Professor Hongsheng (Steven) Zhang has been awarded the prestigious Social Sciences Outstanding Teaching Award 2023 by the Faculty of Social Sciences. This esteemed recognition highlights Professor Zhang’s exceptional dedication to teaching, mentorship, and fostering a supportive learning environment for our students.
Please join us in extending our warmest congratulations to Professor Zhang for this outstanding achievement!
FEB
Professor Benjamin Iaquinto has been appointed to the Editorial Board of the journal Mobilities – the leading journal of mobilities research. Mobilities played a leading role in the advancement of mobilities thinking across the social sciences. It is an SSCI-listed journal with an impact factor of 2.8.
Congratulations to Professor Zhenci Xu for publishing as third author author on Nature Sustainability. The title of the article is “Global effects of progress towards Sustainable Development Goals on subjective well-being” and it is now available at https://www.nature.com/articles/s41893-024-01270-5.(https://www.nature.com/articles/s41893-024-01270-5)
Reference: Du, J., Liu, Y., Xu, Z. et al. Global effects of progress towards Sustainable Development Goals on subjective well-being. Nat Sustain (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-024-01270-5(https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-024-01270-5)
JAN
Professor Frank van der Wouden has been awarded the prestigious HKU Early Career Teaching Award in recognition of his outstanding contributions to students' learning in the past academic year.
Please join us in extending our warmest congratulations to Professor van der Wouden on this well-deserved accolade!
Congratulations to Professor Zhenci Xu for publishing as co-corresponding author on Nature Communications. The title of the article is “Global transboundary synergies and trade-offs among Sustainable Development Goals from an integrated sustainability perspective” and it is now available at https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-023-44679-w.(https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-023-44679-w)
Reference: Xiao, H., Bao, S., Ren, J. et al. Global transboundary synergies and trade-offs among Sustainable Development Goals from an integrated sustainability perspective. Nat Commun 15, 500 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-44679-w(https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-44679-w)
Professor Junxi Qian has been conferred the Outstanding Young Researcher Award (OYRA) for 2022-2023. The presentation of the Award will take place at the HKU Excellence Awards Presentation Ceremony on Wednesday, March 6, 2024.
Please join us in celebrating Professor Qian's remarkable achievement!
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