Shepherding the spread of science
The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) for the Advancement of Science in Developing Countries is a unique body that plays a vital role: it promotes scientific excellence in developing countries. It was set up in 1983 by a group of scientists to promote scientific capacity and excellence for sustainable development in developing countries. So being elected a Fellow of TWAS is a profound honour, only granted to the people at the forefront of advancing science in the developing world.
Recently joining those distinguished ranks is CUHK’s Professor Kwan Mei-po, Head of Chung Chi College, Choh-Ming Li Professor of Geography and Resource Management, and Director of the Institute of Space and Earth Information Science. Her achievement is a singular one – she’s the only new Fellow from Hong Kong in 2025.
It’s well-deserved recognition for a career that has seen Professor Kwan use the study of geography as a tool to solve real-world health, transport, environmental and social problems, taking a science-driven approach. She has been ranked fifth globally in geography in Stanford University’s list of the World’s Top 2% Scientists for two consecutive years, while the Global Scholar Database’s Lifetime Academic Impact List placed her top within China in 2023. Recently, Professor Kwan was also elected as a Member of the Hong Kong Academy of Sciences.
Global impact confirmed
Inclusion in the annual Highly Cited Researchers list is among the highlights of any scientific career. It’s an honour only accorded to a select few: researchers need to show that they’re among the leaders in their fields, with multiple papers among the 1% with the most citations in their fields over the past decade across the Web of Science Core Collection – the global citation database provided by leading global analytics company Clarivate, which produces the Highly Cited Researchers list.
It’s quite an achievement, then, for a university to have 17 of its scholars on the list, as CUHK has for the recently published 2025 edition. Equally impressively, they come from a broad spectrum of academic disciplines: eight have been rewarded for their work across fields, seven for Clinical Medicine and one each for Engineering and Mathematics.
Innovative inventions recognised internationally
Translating cutting-edge research into tangible solutions that improve human lives has always been a core pursuit of CUHK. Recently, the University’s innovative achievements shone on two major international invention platforms, seamlessly bridging academic influence with practical innovation.
CUHK projects won six awards at the 77th International Trade Fair “Ideas – Inventions – New Products”.
The winning entries – two Golds, three Silvers and a Bronze – were the work of the Faculties of Medicine, Engineering and Science. Taking home the highest honours were “Automatic retinal image analysis – depression and schizophrenia risks assessment”, from a team led by Professor Benny Zee Chung-ying of the Centre for Clinical Research and Biostatistics; and “Bionic artificial muscle for robotic systems: XoMuscle and XoBrace”, led by Professor Raymond Tong Kai-yu of the Department of Biomedical Engineering.
They won out among the more than 800 inventions from 37 countries and regions. Founded in 1948, iENA has been the stage on which numerous inventions with seismic ramifications have been unveiled – company in which CUHK’s winning projects are comfortably at home.
Innovation earns top honours in Hong Kong
Beyond international recognition, the local innovation ecosystem has also accorded CUHK high praise. At the 5th Asia Exhibition of Innovations and Inventions Hong Kong (AEII), CUHK emerged as one of the biggest winners with ten awards, five each for the Faculty of Medicine and the Faculty of Engineering. The University’s bumper haul of Gold Medals is the largest among all higher educational institutions.
The star performer was “Advanced sports care: first-gen ECM biotechnologies”, a project focusing on tendon repair and led by Professor Michelle Wang Dan of the School of Biomedical Sciences, which received a Gold Medal with Congratulations of the Jury. CUHK’s inventions also notched up seven Gold Medals, a Silver and a Bronze.
Taken together – from Professor Kwan Mei-po’s honour in an international scientific organisation, to the global impact of 17 highly cited scholars, and the dual recognition of the University’s innovative strength at international and local invention exhibitions – CUHK is carving a distinct mark on the global academic and innovation landscape with its profound research foundation, interdisciplinary collaborative ecosystem, and steadfast commitment to translational impact.