Steven Ying PhD Research Award Presentation Ceremony 2025
With a generous donation by Foundation for Amazing Potentials, HKUST Energy Institute is pleased to launch the “Steven Ying PhD Research Award 應琦泓先生博士生傑出研究獎” (the “Award”) in 2025. The Award aims to recognize and reward PhD students who have demonstrated outstanding research performance and achievements in the areas of sustainability, environmental studies, energy technology, green technology or related disciplines. Each Awardee will receive a one-off cash prize of HK$50,000. A total of two Awardees were chosen from 23 applicants across the campus in this round by a selection committee.
The Award Presentation Ceremony was successfully held on 6 June 2026. Mr. Steven YING, Director of the Foundation for Amazing Potentials and Prof. Minhua SHAO, Director of HKUST Energy Institute, Cheong Ying Chan Professor of Energy Engineering and Environment, and Head and Chair Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering, presented the cheques to acknowledge the two winners for their exceptional research performance:
- Mr. ZHAO Chen, year-3 PhD, from the Department of Ocean Science
- Ms. LIU Guimei, year-4 PhD, from the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering
At the Ceremony, on behalf of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) and Energy Institute (EI), Prof Shao expressed deepest gratitude to Mr. Ying and Foundation for Amazing Potentials for a donation to establish the Steven Ying PhD Research Award. Prof. Shao said, “HKUST has committed to sustainability research and aims to become a net-zero campus. This Award not only to recognize students’ outstanding sustainability-related research, but also to encourage students to participate more on international exchange activities, such as conference and research exchange program.”
Mr. Steven Ying shared with the audience by evoking the three key dimensions of observation and analysis in Chinese philosophy – 天時 (timing), 地利 location/place, and 人和 (talent/people). He pointed out that HKUST and EI are unity placed on top of fast changing world. AI is the main driver of transforming technologies nowadays. HKUST and EI should grasp the opportunities and own advantages to foster the green energy technology development. Mr. Ying further encouraged students to polish their talent and to exert themselves well to make the world change.
The awardees Mr. Zhao Chen and Liu Guimei demonstrated their research work and thanked Mr. Steven Ying, the Energy Institute and their supervisors Prof. Ding HE, Assistant Professor of Ocean Science and Prof. Minhua Shao, Head and Chair Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering, for supporting their research journey.
Congratulations to Mr. Zhao Chen and Miss Liu Guimei!
