Profiles of FS recipients

Prof. Lee is Professor, Associate Dean, and Director of the Institute for Research in Innovative Technology and Sustainability at the School of Science and Technology, Hong Kong Metropolitan University. Since 2019, he has also served as Director of the Jockey Club STEAM Resource Sharing Scheme. A biochemist specialising in DNA and molecular analysis, proteomics, and microbiology, Prof. Lee has built an exceptional research portfolio, securing over HK$50 million in competitive funding as a Principal Investigator. His projects include five Research Grants Council Faculty Development Scheme grants (2018–2024) and two Institutional Development Scheme projects (2017/2019). He has published over 50 SCI-indexed papers. Prof. Lee’s research focuses on algal blooms, toxin mechanisms, protein biomarkers, marine bacteria–algae interactions, and coastal wetland microorganisms. He leads a team of PhD and MPhil students, postdoctoral fellows, and research staff, and has supervised 37 members to date. With 16 years of teaching experience, Prof. Lee has consistently earned strong student evaluations and has introduced innovative pedagogical approaches, including flipped labs and technology-enhanced teaching. He has secured HK$93 million in seven educational grants to support curriculum development and learning innovation. His commitment to community engagement includes developing biotechnology modules for local secondary schools, delivering teacher-training programmes for the Education Bureau, and organising citizen-science initiatives that have benefited thousands of students and members of the public.

Prof. Li is an Associate Professor in the Department of Physics, and Associate Dean (Research and Postgraduate Education) in the College of Science at the City University of Hong Kong. He completed his MPhil in Applied Physics at PolyU in 2011. Prof. Li is known for his discovery of superconductivity in infinite-layer nickelates, a development that has attracted significant attention in condensed matter physics. His findings, published in 2019 in the journal Nature, demonstrated how a soft-chemistry approach enabled the synthesis of infinite-layer thin-film nickelates, opening what is now called the “nickel age of superconductivity”. This work has reshaped the field and ignited global interest in high-temperature superconductors, with far-reaching implications for energy transmission, quantum computing, and magnetic levitation technologies. He has published over 60 papers in high-impact journals, including Science and Physical Review Letters, and has secured more than HK$20 million in research funding to advance studies in quantum materials. As Associate Dean, Prof. Li also plays an active role in mentoring early-career researchers, fostering intellectual curiosity and collaboration within the College of Science.