News & Stories
2025

News
HKUST Scientists Achieve Breakthrough in Light Manipulation Using Gyromagnetic Zero-Index Metamaterials
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST)-led research team has adopted gyromagnetic double-zero-index metamaterials (GDZIMs) - a new optical extreme-parameter material – and developed a groundbreaking method to control light using GDZIMs. This discovery could revolutionize fields like optical communications, biomedical imaging, and nanotechnology, enabling advances in integrated photonic chips, high-fidelity optical communication, and quantum light sources.
Published in Nature, the study was co-led by Prof. CHAN Che-Ting, Interim Director of the HKUST Jockey Club Institute for Advanced Study and Chair Professor in the Department of Physics, and Dr. ZHANG Ruoyang, Visiting Scholar in the Department of Physics at HKUST.

News
HKUST Engineering School Introduces Human-Like Driving Technology for Autonomous Vehicles
Self-driving cars will soon be able to “think” like human drivers under complex traffic environments, thanks to a groundbreaking cognitive encoding framework built by a multidisciplinary research team from the School of Engineering at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST). This innovation significantly enhances the safety of autonomous vehicles (AVs), reducing overall traffic risk by 26.3% and cutting potential harm to high-risk road users such as pedestrians and cyclists by an impressive 51.7%. Even the AVs themselves benefited, with their risk levels lowered by 8.3%, paving the way for a new framework to advance the automation of vehicle safety.

News
Revolutionizing Breast Cancer Diagnosis: HKUST Launches Large AI Model “MOME” for Testing in Over Ten Hospitals
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) announced today that its School of Engineering researchers have developed Mixture of Modality Experts (MOME), a groundbreaking large artificial intelligence (AI) model for non-invasive breast cancer diagnosis. Trained on the China’s largest multiparametric MRI (mpMRI) breast cancer dataset, MOME achieves expert-level accuracy in classifying tumor malignancy, comparable to that of radiologists with five+years of experience. This innovative solution is now undergoing extensive clinical validation across more than ten hospitals and partner institutions, including Shenzhen People’s Hospital, the Guangzhou First Municipal People's Hospital, and Yunnan Cancer Center, to validate its effectiveness and ensure real-world applicability.
Harnesses China’s largest mpMRI Dataset
![Caption: A schematic of the catalytic enantioselective type II [5 + 2] cycloaddition method.](/sites/default/files/styles/hkust_new_thumbnail_350_250/public/news/10829/0604%20CHEM_0.png?itok=UuvUIYWw)
News
HKUST Chemists Innovate in the Synthesis of Chiral Bridged Polycyclic Compounds
A Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) research team led by Prof. SUN Jianwei and Prof. LIN Zhenyang from the Department of Chemistry has developed a catalytic enantioselective type II [5 + 2] cycloaddition method to address the challenges of synthesizing chiral bridged polycyclic structures, particularly those with a bridged seven-membered subunit. This innovative approach utilizes 3-oxidopyrylium ylides to create the desired complex shapes, paving the way for more applications in the rapid synthesis and diversification of other valuable complex molecules, including important natural products and drug molecules.
Chiral bridged polycyclic structures, particularly those bearing a bridged seven-membered subunit, represent a complex and intriguing molecular architecture found in many natural and biologically significant compounds. However, synthesizing these structures has posed substantial challenges for chemists.

News
HKUST Discovers Novel Elastic Alloy Achieving 20x Temperature Change and 90% Carnot Efficiency in Solid-State Heat Pumping
Researchers at the School of Engineering of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) have developed a novel elastic alloy called Ti₇₈Nb₂₂, which achieves remarkable efficiency for solid-state heat pumping and exhibits a reversible temperature change (ΔT) ability that is 20 times greater than that of conventional metals when stretched or compressed, offering a promising green alternative to traditional vapor-compression heating and cooling technologies.

News
Unveiling Boracycles: HKUST Chemists Develop a New Approach to Synthesizing Strained Boracycles
Boracycles are important functional scaffolds, finding increasing applications in catalysis, synthesis, materials science, and pharmaceuticals. However, current studies predominantly focus on three-, five-, and six-membered boracycles, leaving four-membered boracycles largely unexplored. A research team led by Prof. QUAN Yangjian and Prof. LIN Zhenyang from the Department of Chemistry at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), in collaboration with Prof. LYU Hairong from The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), has made a breakthrough in developing an efficient synthetic approach to four-membered boracycles. This advancement enables the facile synthesis of other previously inaccessible boracycles, which may lead to valuable applications.

News
HKUST Researchers Develop New Model for Accurate Landslide Prediction
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) announced today that a research team from its School of Engineering has developed a groundbreaking computational model to study the movement of granular materials such as soils, sands and powders. By integrating the dynamic interactions among particles, air and water phases, this state-of-the-art system can accurately predict landslides, improve irrigation and oil extraction systems, and enhance food and drug production processes.

News
HKUST Establishes Von Neumann Institute to Spearhead AI Innovation
Echoing the HKSAR Government’s strategy to develop artificial intelligence (AI) as a core industry, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) today announced the establishment of the Von Neumann Institute (VNI). This pioneering research institute is dedicated to fostering interdisciplinary collaboration by integrating embodied intelligence, generative AI, and advanced supercomputing to drive new quality productive forces in the evolving era of AI.