Research Highlights and Projects
Explore 230 research highlights, honours and awards from the Department archive.
231 projects
The 2026 China Symposium on Molecular Clouds and Star Formation – Best Talk Award (Mr. LI Xiyuan, Mr. QUAN Feiyu)
United College Dr. and Mrs. Joseph W. N. Cheung Research Excellence Award 2026 (Prof. WANG Qisi)
PLANCKS2026 Hong Kong Preliminary - Winner (Miss HE Qirui, Miss LI Yiwei, Mr. HUA Yongxin, Mr. LI Sze Tung)
Fellow, American Physical Society (2025) (Prof. LIU Renbao)
RGC Junior Research Fellow Scheme 2026-27 (Dr. WU Ze)
RGC Overseas Research Scholars Scheme 2026/27 (Prof. LI Huabai)
CUHK Capstone Project Presentation Competition 2026 - Third Runner‑up Award and the Audience Choice Award (Mr. LAW Chun Man Alvin)
Physics Department Teaching Award 2025 (Dr. LEUNG Po Kin and Prof. WANG Qisi)
General Education Outstanding Teaching Award 2025 (Prof. YAN Yangqian)
Faculty Exemplary Teaching Award 2025 (Dr. YIP Long Sang)
2025 OCPA Achievement in Asia Award (Prof. GU Zhengcheng)
Croucher Fellowship for Doctoral Study 2025/26 (Mr. CHEUNG Ling)
Croucher Fellowship for Postdoctoral Research Fellowship 2025/26 (Mr. CHEUNG Ho Yeuk and Mr. NG Ho Yin)
CUHK PhD International Mobility for Partnerships and Collaborations Award 2025-2026 (Mr. Kailib DONEY and Ms. Laura URONEN)
Young Scientist Award at the 34th International Conference on Discrete Simulations of Fluid Dynamics (Dr. Matteo LULLI)
The 11th Hong Kong University Student Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition - Third Prize (Mathematics and Physics/Mechanics and Control Systems) (Mr. WU Jianhao)
CUHK Young Research Award 2024 (Prof. XUE Haoran)
CUHK Postgraduate Research Output Award 2024 (Mr. GAO Xinyuan)
CUHK Outstanding Research Impact Award 2024-25 (Prof. LI Quan)
CUHK Research Excellence Award 2024-25 (Prof. LU Xinhui)
CUHK Vice-Chancellor Exemplary Teaching Award 2024 (Dr. TONG Shiu Sing)
The 50th International Exhibition of Inventions Geneva (IEIG 2025) - Silver Medal (Prof. LU Xinhui)
Chung Chi College General Education Outstanding Teaching Award 2024-25 (Dr. Kenny Long Sang Yip)
Faculty Exemplary Teaching Award 2024 (Dr. TONG Shiu Sing)
Vice-Chancellor's Scholarships for Excellence 2023-24 (Mr. LEE Ming Hin)
Prof. Ming Chung Chu's team used a novel method to measure the expansion rate of the Universe.
National Natural Science Foundation Distinguished Young Scholars 2024 (WU Yilin, YAN Renbin)
Croucher Fellowship for Postdoctoral Research Fellowship 2024/25 (Mr. LI Ka Yue Alvin)
Fellow, American Physical Society (2024) (Prof. WANG Dajun)
2024 Joint Annual Conference of Physical Societies in Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area - Best Poster Award (Mr. CHAN Lik Chun)
RGC Research Fellow 2024/25 (Prof. LU Xinhui)
International Symposium on Cosmology and Particle Astrophysics (CosPA) 2024 - Best Presentation of the Year (Mr. WU Jianhao)
2023年度北京市科學技術一等獎 (Prof. ZHU Junyi)
The 2023 High Energy and Particle Physics Prize of the European Physical Society (Prof. CHU Ming Chung as a member of the Daya Bay Collaboration)
International Conference on Strongly Correlated Electron Systems 2023 - Best Poster Award (Dr. ZHANG Wei)
第十六屆冷原子物理青年學者學術討論會 - 優秀報告 (Ms. CHEN Guanghua)
第十六屆冷原子物理青年學者學術討論會 - 優秀海報 (Mr. HUANG Zerong)
Hong Kong Electronics Project Competition 2024 (Tertiary Education Category) - Champion (Mr. YEUNG Pak Gei)
The 49th International Exhibition of Inventions Geneva - Silver Medal (Dr. XU Zhuo, Dr. ZHU Changliang, Prof. XU Lei)
The 49th International Exhibition of Inventions Geneva - Gold Medal (Prof. ONG Hock Chun Daniel, Dr. LIU Chao, Mr. CHAN Tak Hong)
The 49th International Exhibition of Inventions Geneva - Gold Medal (Prof. LI Quan, Dr. HU Xitao)
Physics Department Teaching Award 2023 (Prof. FLORES CASTILLO Luis Roberto and LU Xinhui)
CUHK Faculty Exemplary Teaching Award 2023 (Prof. LU Xinhui)
Prof. Yilin Wu's team discovers new mechanism for spontaneous large-scale pattern formation in living matter.
Outstanding Fellow of Faculty of Science, CUHK (2023) (Prof. WANG Jianfang)
Choh-Ming Li Professor of Physics, CUHK (2023) (Prof. LIU Renbao)
Tencent's Xplorer Prize 2023 (Prof. WU Yilin)
HSBC Hong Kong Scholarship 2022/23 (Mr. LAI Lok Kan)
RGC Research Fellow 2023/24 (Prof. GU Zhengcheng)
Innovation and Technology Scholarship Award 2023 (Mr. LAI Lok Kan)
CUHK Young Scholars Dissertation Award 2004 (Mr. CHEN Tian Wen)
Hong Kong Young Scientist Award 2006 (Mr. SUN Chao)
"Excellent Paper" in MRS International Materials Research Conference 2008 (Ms. LIANG Yao)
The Hong Kong ICT Awards 2008 - Best Innovation & Research Gold Award (College & Undergraduates) (Mr. Denis Yin Fan HUEN)
Mathematical Contest in Modeling 2010 - Meritorious Winner (Mr. He Zhuli, Mr. Liu Binyang, Advisor: Prof. CHU Ming Chung)
Best Student Presentation Award in the 14th Annual Conference of the Physical Society of Hong Kong (Mr. HONG Wei)
2010年全國量子光學大會研究生優秀論文獎一等獎 (Mr. WANG Dawei)
The EPL Presentation Awards 2012 in Dynamics Days Asia Pacific 7 (Mr. LEUNG Chung Yin, Joey)
Best Student Poster Award at Annual Conference of the Physical Society of Hong Kong 2012 (Mr. WANG Fudong)
Best Student Poster Award at Annual Conference of The Physical Society of Hong Kong 2013 (Mr. ZHANG Jiajun)
Best Student Poster Award at Annual Conference of The Physical Society of Hong Kong 2013 (Mr. CHANG Shuai)
13th Challenge Cup - First Award
CUHK Young Scholars Thesis Awards 2014 (Mr. HUANG Shidi)
Innovation and Technology Scholarship (Miss LUK Sui Man)
FameLab Hong Kong 2014 - 2nd runner-up (Miss LUK Sui Man)
HKIE Materials Division: Best Paper on Materials 2014 (Mr. YIP Hang Kuen)
HKSAR Government Reaching Out Award 2014/15 (Mr. LEE Kim Miau)
FameLab Hong Kong 2015 - 2nd runner-up
The 5th International Automated Negotiating Agents Competition 2015 - 5th place (Nash Product) (Mr. NG Chi Wing)
Best presenter, Annual Meeting of the Hong Kong Astrophysical Society 2015 (Mr. ZHANG Jiajun)
Best presenter, Annual Meeting of the Hong Kong Astrophysical Society 2015 (Mr. YUEN Ka Ho)
Best Poster Presentation at 'Next Generation Materials for Energy Chemistry' of Faraday Discussion 176 (Mr. HE Jian)
2nd Prize, Best Student Poster Awards at Annual Conference of the Physical Society of Hong Kong 2016 (Ms HU Yajian)
2nd Prize, Best Student Poster "Sparklers" at Annual Conference of the Physical Society of Hong Kong 2016 (Ms HU Yajian)
Best Academic Exchange Prize, Young Scholars Conference on Cold Atom Physics 2016 (Mr. GUO Mingyang)
Best presenter, "2016年兩岸三地知名高校 物理學科博士生學術創新論壇" (Mr. YUEN Ka Ho)
Fulbright-Lee Hysan Hong Kong Research Scholar Award 2016-2017 (Mr. YUEN Ka Ho)
Hong Kong Young Scientist Award 2016 in Physical/Mathematical Sciences (Mr. HUANG Shidi)
The 2016 University Physics Competition - Silver Medal (Mr. LO Chim Yui and Mr. WONG Kwan Yue)
Innovation and Technology Scholarship Award 2017 (Mr. CHAN Pok Fung)
Innovation and Technology Scholarship Award 2018 (Mr. LAM Chun Yin)
Poster Award for Magnetic Nanomaterials for Applications at The 14th International Conference on Nanostructured Materials (NANO2018) (Mr. LI Nannan)
Poster Award for Nanomaterials for Photonics and Optoelectronics at The 14th International Conference on Nanostructured Materials (NANO2018) (Mr. LAI Yunhe)
Best Poster Award at J-Physics 2018: International Workshop on New Materials and Crystal Growth (Ms. HU Yajian)
Best Presentation Award at The Croucher Summer Course on Neutron Scattering (Mr. CHEUNG Yiu Wing)
Croucher Foundation Fellowships 2018
Croucher Foundation Fellowships 2018
Postgraduate Research Output Award 2017 (Mr. LIU Song)
Poster Award at The 12th Youth Scholar Workshop on Cold Atoms (2018) (Mr. GUO Zhichao)
Croucher Scholarships for Doctoral Study (2018)
2018 Young Scientist Awards (Physical/Mathematical Science) (Mr. LO Hau Yung)
Innovation and Technology Scholarship 2019 (Mr. YEUNG Chun Yat)
First Place in the Science as Art Competition in the 2019 MRS Spring Meeting (Ms. ZHANG Han)
Best Poster Paper Award at the 9th International Multidisciplinary Conference on Optofluidics (Mr. LI Nannan)
Hong Kong Scholarship for Excellence Scheme 2019-20 (Mr. Adrian CHUNG)
Best Poster Presentation in 2019 Joint Annual Conference of Physical Societies in Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (Mr. HO Kin On)
Champion, Most Popular Speaker in CUHK Physics Student Conference 2019 (Mr. HO Kin On)
CUHK Young Scholars Thesis Award 2018 (Mr. CHONG Kai Leong)
Postgraduate Research Output Award 2019 (Dr. Otto Akseli HANNUKSELA)
Innovation and Technology Scholarship 2020 (Mr. KWOK Yat Long)
CUHK Young Scholars Thesis Award 2020 (Dr. QIN Minchao)
The Innovation and Technology Scholarship 2021
Hong Kong, China - Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Scholarship (Ms. Alena BOYKO)
Endeavour Merit Award 2020/21 (Ms. Alena BOYKO)
HKSAR Government Scholarship Fund - Talent Development Scholarship (Innovation, Science and Technology) 2020-21 (Mr. WONG Wai Kin)
Second runner-up with Waterpolo Team (2021-2022), USFHK Men's Water Polo Championship (Mr. CHEUNG Chung Hang)
Hong Kong, China - Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Scholarship 2021/22 (Mr. CAI Zhijun)
HKSAR Government Scholarship Fund - Talent Development Scholarship 2021/22 (Mr. CAI Zhijun)
2022 Joseph Needham PhD Fellowship
The Innovation and Technology Scholarship 2022
Alexandre Yersin Excellence Scholarship (2022-2023), Consulate General of France in Hong Kong & Macau (Mr. CHEUNG Chung Hang)
Croucher Fellowship for Postdoctoral Research 2022
Croucher Scholarship for Doctoral Study 2022
CUHK Vice-Chancellor's Exemplary Teaching Award 2000 (Prof. CHU Ming Chung)
CUHK Vice-Chancellor's Exemplary Teaching Award 2004 (Prof. Kenneth YOUNG)
CUHK Vice-Chancellor's Exemplary Teaching Award 2006 (Prof. HUI Pak Ming)
CUHK Vice-Chancellor's Exemplary Teaching Award 2007 (Dr. WONG Wing Hung)
CUHK Vice-Chancellor's Exemplary Teaching Award 2018 (Prof. HUI Pak Ming)
CUHK Faculty Exemplary Teaching Award 2000, 2007, 2008 (Prof. CHU Ming Chung)
CUHK Faculty Exemplary Teaching Award 2001, 2002, 2006, 2009, 2018 (Prof. HUI Pak Ming)
CUHK Faculty Exemplary Teaching Award 2014 (Prof. Emily S.C. CHING)
CUHK Faculty Exemplary Teaching Award 2015 (Dr. TONG Shiu Sing)
CUHK Faculty Exemplary Teaching Award 2016 (Dr. LEUNG Po Kin)
CUHK Faculty Exemplary Teaching Award 2017 (Dr. Alvin H. T. LEUNG)
CUHK Faculty Exemplary Teaching Award 2019 (Prof. GOH Swee Kuan)
CUHK Faculty Exemplary Teaching Award 2020 (Dr. LEUNG Po Kin)
CUHK Exemplary Teaching Award in General Education 2015 (Dr. TONG Shiu Sing)
CUHK Young Researcher Award 2006-07 (Prof. LI Quan)
CUHK Research Excellence Award 2007-08 (Prof. LI Quan)
CUHK Research Excellence Award 2008-09 (Prof. WANG Jianfang)
CUHK Young Researcher Award 2012-13 (Prof. WANG Jianfang)
CUHK Research Excellence Award 2013-14 (Prof. LIU Ren-Bao)
CUHK Young Researcher Award 2014-15 (Prof. XU Lei)
CUHK Young Researcher Award 2015-16 (Prof. LI Hua-Bai)
CUHK Research Excellence Award 2017-18 (Prof. WANG Jianfang)
CUHK Young Researcher Award 2017-18 (Prof. WU Yilin)
CUHK Research Excellence Award 2019-20 (Prof. XU Lei)
1999 Achievement in Asia Award, Overseas Chinese Physics Association (Prof. Emily S. C. CHING)
China Higher Education Science and Technology Award 2001 (2nd Class) (Prof. XIA Ke-Qing)
Fellow, American Physical Society (2003) (Prof. LIN Hai-Qing)
Fellow, Institute of Physics, UK (2004) (Prof. Emily S. C. CHING)
Fellow, American Physical Society (2005) (Prof. Emily S. C. CHING)
Croucher Senior Research Fellowship 2005-06 (Prof. XIA Ke-Qing)
Croucher Senior Research Fellowship 2007-08
State Natural Science Award 2009 - Second-class Award
Fellow, American Physical Society (2010)
2012-2013年度第三屆黃昆固體物理與半導體物理獎 (Huang Kun Prize) (Prof. LIU Ren-Bao)
2012 Ministry of Education Higher Education Outstanding Scientific Research Output Awards - Second-Class Awards in Natural Sciences
深圳虛擬大學園2013年度國家級科技項目先進個人 (2013) (Prof. LI Quan)
Early Career Award 2012-2013, University Grants Committee (Prof. XU Lei)
Outstanding Referee Award, Research in Astronomy and Astrophysics (2013) (Prof. CHU Ming Chung)
PSHK Lecturer of the Year 2013, Physical Society of Hong Kong (Prof. CHU Ming Chung)
Outstanding Referee, The American Physical Society (2013) (Prof. Emily S. C. CHING)
Outstanding Referee, The American Physical Society (2014) (Prof. LAW Chi Kwong)
Higher Education Outstanding Scientific Research Output Awards 2014, the Ministry of Education
Gruber Foundation Cosmology Prize (2016) (Prof. Tjonnie G. F. LI)
Special Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics (2016) (Prof. Tjonnie G. F. LI)
Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics (2016) (Prof. CHU Ming Chung)
Ministry of Education Higher Education Outstanding Scientific Research Output Awards 2016 - First-Class Awards in Natural Science (Prof. WANG Jianfang)
Early Career Award 2016-2017, University Grants Committee (Prof. GU Zhengcheng)
Early Career Award 2017-2018, University Grants Committee (Prof. Tjonnie LI)
The 31st Laureate of the Khwarizmi International Award (Prof. WANG Jianfang)
Impactful Publication Award, 2014-2017, Princeton Instruments (Prof. WANG Jianfang)
Outstanding Referee, The American Physical Society (2018) (Prof. GU Zhengcheng)
The Croucher Innovation Award 2018
Outstanding Fellow of the Faculty of Science, CUHK (2013, 2018) (Prof. LIU Renbao)
Outstanding Fellow of the Faculty of Science, CUHK (2018) (Prof. WANG Jianfang)
Fellow, American Physical Society (2018) (Prof. CHU Ming Chung)
Highly Cited Researcher 2018 (Prof. WANG Jianfang)
Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (2019) (Prof. WANG Jianfang)
Bronze Medal in the 47th International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva (04.2019) (Prof. WANG Jianfang and Dr. YIP Hang Kuen)
Fellow, Physical Society of Hong Kong (2019) (Prof. CHU Ming Chung)
Croucher Senior Research Fellowship 2020-2021 (11.2019) (Prof. WANG Jianfang)
RGC Research Fellow 2020/21 (Prof. WU Yilin)
Highly Cited Researchers 2020
Startup Allowance for Croucher study awards (Prof. Kenny C. Y. NG)
Physics Department Teaching Award 2020 (Prof. WANG Jianfang)
IOP Publishing China Top Cited Paper Award 2020 (Prof. LIU Renbao)
CUHK Young Researcher Award 2020-21 (Prof. LU Xinhui)
CUHK Research Excellence Award 2020-21 (Prof. WU Yilin)
Fellow, Royal Society of Chemistry (2021) (Prof. LI Quan)
China's Excellent Young Scientists Fund 2021
Academician of Chinese Academy of Sciences 2021 (Prof. XIA Keqing)
Fellow Member of Optica for 2022 (Prof. LIU Renbao)
2022 Willis E. Lamb Award for Laser Science and Quantum Optics
CUHK Physics Department Teaching Award 2021 (Dr. LIN Lap Ming and Prof. Daniel H. C. ONG)
CUHK Faculty Exemplary Teaching Award 2021 (Prof. Emily S. C. CHING)
CUHK Vice-Chancellor's Exemplary Teaching Award 2021 (Prof. Emily S. C. CHING)
Fellow of Institute of Physics (UK), 2021 (Prof. LIU Renbao)
RGC Senior Research Fellow 2022/23 (Prof. LIU Renbao)
CUHK Research Excellence Award 2021-22 (Prof. GU Zhengcheng)
Choh-Ming Li Professor of Physics, CUHK (2022) (Prof. CHU Ming Chung)
Outstanding Fellow of the Faculty of Science, CUHK (2023) (Prof. LIU Renbao)
IOP Publishing China Top Cited Paper Award 2022 (Prof. Otto HANNUKSELA, Prof. Tjonnie LI and Prof. LIU Renbao)
Croucher Senior Research Fellowship 2023-24 (Prof. LI Quan)
2022 New Cornerstone Investigator (by Tencent)
CUHK Science Faculty Postgraduate Research Output Award 2021 (Mr. ZHOU Jingren)
CUHK Science Faculty Young Researcher Award 2021 (Prof. GOH Swee Kuan)
Fellow, American Physical Society (1999) (Prof. Kenneth YOUNG)
Prof. Lei Xu's team takes magic of invisibility cloak and creates a mega device - potential applications span novel cell culture and drug delivery.
Prof. Yilin Wu's team discovers a new surprising form of bacterial teamwork that builds "acterial canals" to transport materials over long distances.
Prof. Otto Hannuksela and Prof. Tjonnie Li have received the China Top Cited Paper Awards by IOP Publishing for the paper "Search for Gravitational Lensing Signatures in LIGO-Virgo Binary Black Hole Events" that is among the most influential articles from China.
A Hong Kong team led by Prof. Ming Chung Chu contributed to the Daya Bay reactor neutrino experiment producing the most precise neutrino measurement ever.
Event Horizon Telescope (Dr. Po Kin Leung and Mr. Tin Lok Chan (Physics/Yr 4) are in the collaboration) reveals the first image of the black hole at the Milky Way's heart.
Prof. Renbin YAN's team releases largest-ever collection of 3D maps of nearby galaxies and the largest-ever stellar spectral library.
Prof. Lei Xu's group discovers a novel method to adjust the elasticity of material for achieving smart elastic metamaterials.
Prof. Yilin Wu's group discovers new route to active matter self-organisation provides new directions on fabricating self-driven devices and microbial physiology
An international team of scientists including a physics student discovers the "Heaviest Black Hole Collision" might be a Boson star merger
Our research team develops "Universal Ink" for direct laser writing of high-performance electronics
LIGO and Virgo detect gravitational waves produced by the most massive black hole collision ever observed
The quantum chromodynamics (QCD) phase transition in core-collapse supernovae has been examined for the first time
Our research teams develop novel quantum sensing techniques measuring pressure-driven superconductivity with nano-diamonds
New pattern-forming paradigm found by Prof. Lei Xu's group shedding new lights on structure formation, self-assembly and packing
An international team led by Prof. Tjonnie Li probes the existence of ultralight Bosons with a single gravitational wave measurement
A research team led by Prof. Ming Chung Chu participates in "God Particle" experiment recognised by UGC as Area of Excellence Further Development on Fundamental Physics in Hong Kong and Mainland China
Prof. Jianfang Wang's group develops low-cost and high-precision nano chips for Raman spectroscopy
First detection of gravitational waves produced by colliding neutron stars, solving a 50-year old mystery of the origin of gamma-ray bursts
Prof. Hua-Bai Li's group and Prof. Xiaodan Fan's group (Statistics Department) reveal link between magnetic fields and birth rate of stars
Prof. Yilin Wu's group discovers hidden order in bacterial collective motion
Prof. Tjonnie Li participated in the gravitational wave discovery, opening up a new window on the Universe
Most precise measurement of reactor antineutrino spectrum reveals intriguing surprise
Prof. Hua-Bai Li's group unveils mystery of massive star formation
Prof. Renbao Liu's group made a key breakthrough in ultrahigh-speed optical communication research
Delivering drugs in a revolutionary new way
New results from Daya Bay: Tracking the disappearance of ghostlike neutrinos
Discovery of a new type of neutrino transformation
Prof. Daniel Ong's group makes significant boost to LED efficiency
Our research team led by Prof. Quan Li and Prof. Xudong Xiao makes strides in renewable energy development with high-efficiency thin film solar cell
Breakthrough in quantum science and technology
Groundbreaking quantum research - A great leap in supercomputer development
Groundbreaking discovery in semiconducting nanowires advances nanotechnology
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