News & Stories

Researchers at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) have thrown new light on the mechanism for how vesicles move short distances within specific parts of the cell, an area not understood by scientists. Vesicles are small cellular containers that perform a variety of functions, including helping to move materials, such as proteins, lipids, and other cellular components, that an organism needs to survive and recycle waste materials. Besides using molecular motors for long-distance transport, cells also need to move vesicles short distances within specific parts of the cell. But the exact mechanisms for this short-distance transport remain a topic of research among scientists.

A research team led by the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) has discovered how carboxysomes, carbon-fixing structures found in some bacteria and algae, work. The breakthrough could help scientists redesign and repurpose the structures to enable plants to convert sunlight into more energy, paving the way for improved photosynthesis efficiency, potentially increasing the global food supply and mitigating global warming.  Carboxysomes are tiny compartments in certain bacteria and algae that encase particular enzymes in a shell made of proteins. They perform carbon fixation, which is the process of converting carbon dioxide from the atmosphere into organic compounds that can be used by the cell for growth and energy. Scientists have been trying to figure out how these compartments put themselves together.

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) hosted Mr. Kerim EVCIN, Consul General of the Republic of Türkiye in Hong Kong on May 6, strengthening ties between the university and Turkey. HKUST Vice President for Institutional Advancement WANG Yang, Director of Undergraduate Recruitment & Admissions Prof. Emily NASON and Head of Global Engagement and Greater China Affairs Ms. Yvonne LI met with Consul General Evcin and his delegation, and shared university’s commitment in upholding the high diversity in students and faculties, as well as converging the brightest minds at HKUST over the years. The delegation then toured HKUST’s state-of-the-art Lee Shau Kee Library, discovering the abundant resources available to students, joined by the Turkish community on campus.

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) and Beijing Tiantan Hospital of the Capital Medical University (Beijing Tiantan Hospital) signed a Strategic Cooperation Agreement today to jointly nurture innovative medical talents with expertise in both research and clinical practice. The partnership aims to promote the integration of frontier technologies and clinical medicine, thereby expediting the translation of basic research findings into clinical applications.

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) signed a landmark agreement with the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia (MoECRT), making HKUST the first university in Hong Kong to nurture outstanding Indonesian undergraduates under the Indonesia Education Scholarship for Degree Program in collaboration with MoECRT. Following the agreement, the first batch of 12 top Indonesian undergraduate (UG) students will join HKUST in the new academic year (2024-25) via a rigorous selection process.  MoECRT will provide them with a full scholarship covering tuition fees, living expenses and other allowances, for the duration of their academic programs. The students will be joining HKUST in September to study UG programs in Science, Engineering, Business, Humanities and Social Science, as well as interdisciplinary fields.

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) warmly welcomed the Consul General of France in Hong Kong and Macau Ms. Christile DRULHE on campus on May 3.  CG Drulhe engaged in meaningful discussions with HKUST President Prof. Nancy IP and key faculty members, on a wide array of initiatives designed to strengthen the ties between France and Hong Kong. Topics of discussion included leadership dialogues with French universities, collaborative academic programs, student mobility, and enriching cultural exchanges.  The visit also featured a guided lab tour at the HKUST Joint Laboratory on Health & Environmental Innovations, led by Director of France-HKUST Innovation Hub Prof. YEUNG King Lun, where CG Drulhe explored HKUST’s latest innovations in environmental health. 

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) warmly welcomed a delegation from the German Research Foundation (DFG), led by Dr. Annette SCHMIDTMANN, Head of the Department of Scientific Affairs, to the campus on April 30. As the central self-governing research funding organization which promotes and provides financial support for research at higher education and public research institutions in Germany, the delegation discussed with HKUST Associate Vice-President for Research and Development (Research) Prof. CHAN Che Ting and the German faculty members Prof. Berthold JÄCK and Prof. Stefan NAGL, as well as Head of Global Engagement and Greater China Affairs Ms. Yvonne LI, about potential collaboration in establishing joint research projects between its German members and HKUST.

A group photo of HKUST Treasurer and Council member Mr. Stephen YIU Kin-Wah (Center), Council members Ms. Edith SHIH (fourth right) and Mr. Ronald THAM Seng-Yum (fourth left), HKUST Vice-President for Research and Development Prof.