Polar power

CUHK has emerged as a global leader in polar science. The leadership role just got a major boost, thanks to the recent signing of a framework agreement with the Polar Research Institute of China (PRIC). This historic partnership marks a key milestone: for the first time, Hong Kong scientists are taking part in national academic polar research. Four of the six Hong Kong scientists on China’s 41st Antarctic Expedition are from CUHK, highlighting the University’s growing influence in this vital area of study.

Additionally, the establishment of the Hong Kong Polar Science Innovation Centre at CUHK will strengthen the University’s role as a polar science hub. It will serve as a platform to connect Hong Kong with the mainland and the global community in the fields of polar science and technological innovation.

Four CUHK scientists taking part in the 41st Antarctic expedition include (upper row middle) Professor Alex Chow Tat-shing, Chairman of the Department of Earth and Environmental Science, (upper row right) Professor Martin Tsui Tsz-ki, Associate Professor, School of Life Sciences and Department of Earth and Environmental Science, and (upper row left) Professor Michael Pittman, Assistant Professor, School of Life Sciences. Another scientist is Professor Liu Lin, Associate Professor from CUHK’s Department of Earth and Environmental Science.

CUHK’s polar expertise extends to areas such as remote sensing, marine and climate research, energy and environmental protection. The agreement means that it will be able to unlock more resources, working alongside PRIC in areas like academic exchange, talent cultivation, collaborative research, resource sharing and commercialisation of research findings.

Emperor of economics

When it comes to academic heavy hitters, they don’t come much more distinguished than CUHK’s line-up of Distinguished Professors-at-Large. The latest mega name to join their ranks is one of the world’s most eminent economists, 2000 Nobel laureate James J. Heckman. He took on the role at CUHK in January 2024 for three years, as well as the equivalent role at The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen for three years from July 2024.

Nobel laureate in economics Professor James J. Heckman joins CUHK and CUHK-Shenzhen as Distinguished Professor-at-Large.

In addition to the Nobel, his contribution has earned him numerous accolades, including the Frisch Medal; the Dan David Prize, awarded for historical scholarship; and the Friendship Award, China’s highest international honour.

He joins the three fellow academic giants who also hold the title of CUHK Distinguished Professor-at-Large/Visiting Professor-at-Large: Professor Yang Chen-ning, the first Chinese Nobel Laureate; Professor Andrew Yao Chi-chih, the first Chinese Turing Award winner; and Professor Yau Shing-tung, the first Chinese Fields Medallist.

The ideas factory

CUHK specialises in making science come to life. It’s particularly gratifying when our dedication to creating innovative new products is recognised by a world-leading authority – as happened recently, when CUHK researchers snared a bumper haul of 11 awards at the Silicon Valley International Inventions Festival (SVIIF) 2024.

Researchers from CUHK have won 11 awards at the Silicon Valley International Inventions Festival 2024.

And not just any old awards: five were Gold Medals and three were Silver Medals, while the inventions also won three special prizes. SIM01, a formula that can alleviate the symptoms of COVID, took home the Prize of the International Federation of Inventors’ Associations (IFIA); while XoMuscle, a bionic artificial muscle used in rehabilitation, scooped both the Prize of the United Inventors Association of America (UIA) and the Prize of the China Association of Inventions (CAI). The other gold winners were Hope4Care, an augmented reality training platform, again for rehabilitation; ProEGCG, a drug that can relieve menstrual discomfort and prevent endometriosis; and an injectable hydrogel that can treat tendinopathy.

As these projects and others show, CUHK is abuzz with bright ideas. Three of them were incubated in the InnoHK research centres, while the University has helped three others come to life by supporting their startups.

CUHK rising

At CUHK, we know just how important and just how high-quality the research we do is. But don’t take our word for it: the rest of the world has very much caught on too. The latest case in point: the University’s recent highest ever ranking of 44th in the 2025 Times Higher Education World University Rankings – out of more than 2,000 academic institutions around the world.

That’s nine spots up from last year, and it’s also the University’s ninth consecutive year in the top 100. But the quality of our research was given even higher marks, with CUHK coming in at a mightily impressive 13th globally. In fact, we notched up perfect scores in six of the 17 performance indicators used to assess the rankings: institutional income, research productivity, research income, research excellence, patents and international staff.