HKUST is a world class university not just in academics but also in international aspects. Doing a PhD at HKUST, you not only encounter different academic disciplines but also kind and supportive faculty and staff members. As well as academic qualities, HKUST also fosters entrepreneurship with different courses and competitions to transfer what has been learned and developed into practice.

“Doing RPg studies in HKUST has opened the door for me to do scientific research.” As a PhD student, Joyce is becoming ever better equipped to engage in research studies in this ever-changing scientific world. In addition to gaining hands-on experience through conducting daily laboratory work, she is learning to communicate more effectively by making regular presentations. By attending divisional and IAS seminars, she keeps up with the latest trends in the life science, exchanges ideas with scientists from around the world and develops critical thinking skills.

For recent PhD life science graduate Menglong Zeng, the past 12 months have seen the fulfilment of the hopes and dreams he had when in 2011, he joined the Zhang Lab@HKUST, led by world-renowned structural biologist Prof Mingjie Zhang. Menglong became the lead author of breakthrough research published in Cell, a top scientific journal. He and his family celebrated his graduation at the University’s breathtaking coastal campus in Hong Kong. Not keen to leave the place he has called home for the past five years – or the girlfriend he found at HKUST – the high flyer also secured a post-doctoral fellowship to continue his ground-breaking studies at the University...

HKUST is a very modern university with knowledgeable professors and abundant library resources. It offers students various opportunities for self-development. I hope to use what I learn here to make more and more progress in my research in the future.

On first sight, Noah Fanqi Yuan may look like any postgraduate student of physics who talks seriously about his research studies. Before long however, wit and humor pervade the conversation to show the wisdom, breadth and depth of a well-rounded young intellectual. Behind his average height, slightly chubby build and occasional hilarity is a holistic personality reminiscent of classical philosophers: from his specialization in superconductivity to being the lead actor in experiential drama, from history and literature to foreign languages, Noah never fails to give surprises...

An invisibility cloak might sound like something from Star Trek or Harry Potter, but scientists say they may soon be able to turn fiction into fact. Dr Yun Lai, a physics professor at Nanjing University in Nanjing, China, has been conducting frontier research in cloaking and metamaterials since his PhD studies at HKUST on blocking sound waves. Research into the unique materials, which demonstrates how light could be bent around objects to render the objects invisible, has become a hot topic since its initial discovery in 2006…

Even though I joined the University, first and foremost to do research, the courses and workshops offered have helped me become a well-rounded scientist. The HK PhD Fellowship has relieved my financial worries and provided funds for me to travel to conferences, summer schools and workshops. In addition, it has given me a network of students working in an array of fields very different from my own.

HKUST gathers people of different disciplines together on a cozy and beautiful campus and strongly encourages collaboration among them. Within Hong Kong, the community of universities provides an exciting academic environment with many opportunities. In part because of this and also because of the diversity of cultures, people and landscapes, Hong Kong is a fantastic place to live and work in.

HKUST is a very nice place to do research and pursue postgraduate studies. The campus has got a great sea view and beautiful scenery. And I am so lucky to be one of the awardees of the Asian Future Leaders Scholarship Program (AFLSP) which aims to support young people from Asia to pursue academic excellence and develop cross-cultural sensitivity. I have met many new friends from all over Asia through the AFLSP. It’s interesting to learn more about the Sino-Japanese culture as well. Also, I am thrilled to become a HK PhD Fellowship Awardee here.