Young researchers at the University of Hong Kong have achieved excellent results in the inaugural round of the 2021 Excellent Young Scientists Fund (Hong Kong and Macau).

Seven young scientists have been awarded the prominent fund under the National Natural Science Foundation of China, an organisation directly affiliated to the State Council for the management of the National Natural Science Fund.

The Excellent Young Scientists Fund is granted annually to support young scientists (male below 38 and female below 40 years old) with achievements in basic research to conduct research in areas of their own choice.

The fund was offered exclusively for the first time this year to Hong Kong and Macau for applications by eight designated universities. It is highly competitive, only 25 projects are funded for Hong Kong and Macau. HKU is funded the highest number of projects. Each project will receive a funding of RMB1.3 million (HKD1.5 million) for a maximum period of three years, in the form of cross-border remittance to directly support researchers’ work in Hong Kong.

HKU award winning young scientists and their projects:
Dr Chu Hin
Assistant Professor in Microbiology, LKS Faculty of Medicine
Project Title: Coronaviruses

Dr Jenny Lee Hiu Ching
Associate Professor in Physics, Faculty of Science
Project Title: Radioactive Isotope Physics

Dr Dai Lixin
Assistant Professor in Physics, Faculty of Science
Project Title: Astrophysics & Astronomy

Dr Liu Junzhi
Assistant Professor in Chemistry, Faculty of Science
Project Title: Atomically Precise Synthesis of Non-benzenoid Nanographenes

Dr Zheng Chaogu
Assistant Professor in Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science
Project Title: Developmental Neurobiology

Dr Louise Amy Ashton
Assistant Professor in Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science
Project Title: Understanding insect responses to environmental change in rainforest

Dr Huang Zhiyi
Associate Professor in Computer Science, Faculty of Engineering
Project Title: Optimization Under Uncertainty