News & Stories

Membrane proteins are crucial for numerous biological processes and serve as important drug targets. For decades, scientists have relied on detergents to extract membrane proteins from cell membranes for structural studies. While detergent-based approaches have significantly advanced our understanding of membrane protein structures, they present certain limitations, such as resource-intensive detergent screening and the absence of native membrane lipids, which can hinder investigations into lipid-mediated regulation. To address these challenges, a research team led by Prof. DANG Shangyu from the Division of Life Science at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) has developed a novel vesicle-based method that preserves the native lipid environment of membrane proteins, which can advance structural and functional studies.

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), the Education Bureau (EDB), and the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Technology and Engineering Center for Space Utilization (CAS-TECSU) jointly organized the Hong Kong Secondary Student Space Station Popular Science Payload and Science Experiment Design Challenge. An award ceremony was held at HKUST on September 21 to commend the outstanding student teams for their excellent designs and recognize their achievements in space science.

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) and Sino Group today announced the official launch of the finals for the 15th HKUST-SINO One Million Dollar Entrepreneurship Competition. This milestone anniversary features a record-breaking 348 teams from Hong Kong and 22 other countries and regions across five continents, including Australia, the United States, South Africa, the United Kingdom, Japan, India and Kazakhstan, showcasing the competition’s commitment to nurturing the next generation of innovative talents and promote collaboration and idea exchanges between local and international entrepreneurs.

Prof. Charles NG Wang-Wai, Vice-President for Institutional Advancement and Chair Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, has received three distinguished awards: the Telford Gold Medal from the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) in London, the Donald Stanley Award from the Canadian Society for Civil Engineering, and the Scott Sloan Best Paper Award from Computers and Geotechnics. These accolades celebrate Prof. Ng's exceptional contributions in debris flow mechanics, sustainable waste management, and slope stability. 

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) selected eight cutting-edge projects for the latest round of Sustainable Smart Campus as a Living Lab program for testing on campus. Covering a wide range of sustainability challenges on campus, the projects address energy efficiency, renewable energy optimization, water management, wellness, ecosystem enhancement, and predictive maintenance strategies, providing students and faculty with hands-on experience with prototypes before real-world implementation.

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) today announced the launch of “Aivilization”, the largest-scale AI multi-agent social simulation sandbox to date. This innovative platform studies how human interaction with AI can shape a virtual society, where ‘AI inhabitants’ can organically develop their own governance structures, economies and cultural norms.   As AI becomes increasingly integrated into our daily lives, understanding the dynamics of communication between humans and artificial intelligence has become a crucial area of study. Previous simulation models like Project Sid1 and Stanford Smallville2 have explored similar themes, with community sizes of around 1,000 and dozens of AI agents respectively, to observe the evolution of AI civilizations.

In a world where artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming industries, its potential to ignite human creativity is quietly revolutionizing storytelling—even in filmmaking. Leading this charge is Professor RAO Anyi, an assistant professor in the newly established Division of Arts and Machine Creativity at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST).  Prof. Rao, named to the 2025 Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia list, is pioneering AI’s role in democratizing storytelling. He develops AI tools that empower filmmakers to generate content and control complex elements or special effects like scene lighting. With a mission to merge the realms of filmmaking, art, and AI, he aims to nurture a tech-savvy generation of storytellers. 

The buzz surrounding drones and eVTOL vehicles signals an exciting future—faster deliveries, rapid medical aid, and efficient public services just over our heads. But as these technologies take flight, they face two critical challenges: noise pollution and public safety. Drone and eVTOL operation in low altitude airspace produce noise and face flight safety challenges in micro-weather and building wind environment. Professor ZHANG Xin, Swire Professor of Aerospace Engineering, and Professor ZHOU Peng at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) are leading efforts to overcome these issues. Combining cutting-edge research in aerospace engineering with practical solutions, their team is striving to ensure drones and eVOTL  vehicles can integrate harmoniously into urban life.