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The 1st PolyU Graduate School Outstanding Research Postgraduate Alumni Award Presentation Ceremony

This year marks the 85th anniversary of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU). The Graduate School organised the first PolyU Graduate School Outstanding Research Postgraduate Alumni Award to recognise the distinctive achievements and impactful contributions of our research postgraduate alumni to professions, research and entrepreneurship. After a rigorous selection process, five awardees were honored at the presentation ceremony on 29 November 2022. Four of them were awarded the Outstanding Research Postgraduate Alumni Award while one was awarded the Outstanding Research Postgraduate Early Career Alumni Award (graduating from PolyU within ten years). The biographies of award recipients are listed here. Outstanding Research Postgraduate Alumni Award • Ir Dr Ho Wai-ming Goman • Professor Lin Zhouchen • Mr Luo Weidong Chris • Ir Professor Zheng Yongping Outstanding Research Postgraduate Early Career Alumni Award • Dr Li Siyang Liam The ceremony was kick-started by Professor Christopher Chao, Vice President (Research and Innovation), with his warm welcome and introduction of the latest development and focus of the University’s research postgraduate education to over a hundred participants including PolyU senior management, staff, students, alumni, and guests. Supervisors of the awardees were invited to witness the joyous moment and take the opportunity to reunite. The President, Professor Jin-Guang Teng, presented the trophy to Dr Ho, Mr Luo and Professor Zheng on stage. Awardees shared their valuable insights when studying at PolyU and expressed immense gratitude to their alma mater, supervisors, families and supporters. Professor Lin and Dr Li shared on Zoom and pre-recorded a video separately to express their thankfulness. In the closing speech, President Teng offered his sincere congratulations to all awardees who are experts and innovators in high-impact fields including building design, artificial intelligence, application development, biomedical engineering, and high-precision manufacturing, seeing them as a testament to the University’s motto, “To learn and to apply, for the benefit of mankind”. Capitalising on their research strengths and visions, research postgraduate alumni are filled with confidence to manifest their research aspirations, engage in the PolyU alumni community, and contribute to societal development. Congratulations to the 2022 Outstanding Research Postgraduate Alumni Award recipients!

Signing Ceremony with Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences

On 28 November 2022, a signing ceremony was held online and offline between PolyU and Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (SIAT). The signing items were the Collaborative PhD Training Programme and the MoU on the Establishment of a Collaborative Postdoctoral Training Programme. The collaborative agreements were signed by Professor Christopher Chao, Vice President (Research and Innovation), Professor Jiannong Cao, Dean of Graduate School, and Professor Wei Zhao, Deputy Director of the Preparatory Office and Chair of the Academic Council of SIAT. In the opening speeches, Professor Christopher Chao and Mr Chuangzhi Wu, Vice President of SIAT, both expressed expectations for a more frequent and closer collaboration in research and resource sharing between Shenzhen and Hong Kong. The agreement embarked on a new postdoctoral training model between Mainland China and Hong Kong to maximise higher education resources to nurture young talents. Learn more about our Collaborative PhD Training Programmes here.

PolyU Admission Talks for Joint PhD Programmes Leading to Dual Awards

The Graduate School (GS) held two online admission talks for Joint PhD Programmes Leading to Dual Awards on 24 and 25 November 2022 in Mandarin and English respectively, for students from the Mainland and overseas partner universities. Over 500 participants joined the admission talks, most of them were ongoing and new PhD students from our partner institutions, while some were from other universities. The talks were hosted by Professor Jiannong Cao and Professor Louise Cummings, Dean and Associate Dean of GS, and Ms Autumn Lin, Administrator of the Joint PhD Programmes. They covered background information including application procedures, entrance and graduation requirements, as well as unique features and benefits of the Joint PhD Programmes. The Joint PhD Programmes offer guidance by faculty members from both universities, research facilities and resources of two institutions. After completing the Joint PhD Programmes, students will obtain a PhD degree conferred by PolyU and a PhD degree conferred by Partner Institution. The Joint PhD Programmes accept applications all year round. If you are interested, please visit here for more information.

Research Postgraduate Student Orientation 2022

The Graduate School (GS) held a physical orientation on 13 October 2022 to provide essential information to new research postgraduate students with greetings. Around 230 students and staff attended the event. Topics covered learning development and opportunities, research study milestones and other university support. As highlighted, an outstanding research alumnus was invited as a guest speaker. An insightful opening speech was delivered by the President, Professor Jin-Guang Teng. Attendees were excited to learn his personal story of joining the University in 1994, PolyU’s history, continuous improvements in world rankings, the latest research focus, as well as major societal contributions. Following this, Professor Christopher Chao, the Vice President (Research and Innovation), advised students to shape their paths towards bright futures by utilising the support of seasoned supervisors and advanced research facilities. Dr Goman Ho, PolyU’s first PhD graduate in the Department of Civil and Structural Engineering, and the first Chinese structural engineer awarded the Arup Fellow worldwide, encouraged students to seek personal growth in research studies and exceed their limits. Professor Jiannong Cao, the Dean of GS, and Professor Louise Cummings, the Associate Dean of GS, later guided students through developmental opportunities and study milestones. Dr Linda Lin from the English Language Centre was invited to explain the available courses provided by the centre. More, Mr Newman Cheung from the Student Affairs Office talked about psychological wellness, along with counselling services and emergency support. The orientation ended after an overview of the Joint PhD and Collaborative PhD Training Programmes by Professor Cummings, for global outlook development. Not only did the event enable a better understanding of research studies, but also inspired new students.

Shanghai-Hong Kong University Alliance (SHUA) Online Admission Talk 2023

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) was invited to the Shanghai-Hong Kong University Alliance (SHUA) Online Admission Talk 2023 on 8 Oct 2022 as a member school. The talk has received collaborative support from a total of 14 higher education institutions in Shanghai and Hong Kong. The live broadcast event attracted more than 34,000 participants in one-and-a-half-day. Introducing PolyU in various aspects to provide an all-round application guide, participants learnt about the University’s top-100 world rankings, conducive environment for research studies, attractive admission scholarships, star faculty members and diverse student population, global learning and development opportunities, and the convenient location of the University. Research postgraduate programmes and application timelines were also explained in detail. In the Q&A session, participants gained a lot from the practical suggestions from the Dean of Graduate School, Prof. Jiannong Cao. 𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐕𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐨: https://bit.ly/3ED7kg4

PolyU PhD Thesis Award 2022

The Graduate School is delighted to announce the result of the PolyU PhD Thesis Award 2022. The awardees have demonstrated distinctive research achievements through their graduating thesis. Congratulations to the award recipients and the honour symbolises the recognition of their endeavours to advance knowledge with applications.  

Online Research Postgraduate Admission Talk with Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral (ESPOL)

The Graduate School (GS) was invited to participate in the online research postgraduate admission talk hosted by the Escuela Superior Politécnica del Litoral (ESPOL) in Ecuador on 21 September 2022. The Associate Dean of GS, Professor Louise Cummings, kicked off the session by giving a comprehensive introduction to PolyU’s Research Postgraduate (RPg) studies with attractive admission scholarships, global learning opportunities, and postdoctoral and entrepreneurial development and support. Professor Cummings also unfolded the competitiveness of PolyU in multiple dimensions by being the world’s top 100 universities*, excelling in research under a conducive learning environment of advanced research facilities, and having world-renowned professors as supervisors and a diverse student population. Students from ESPOL showed great interest in our RPg programmes and responded enthusiastically during the Q&A session in the end. PolyU’s RPg programmes provide all-year-round admissions and international students from around the globe are welcomed. Grab this opportunity to join PolyU in Hong Kong, ranked 12th in the best student cities in the world^. * QS World University Rankings 2023 and THE World University Rankings 2022 ^ QS Best Student Cities 2023

PolyU Research Postgraduate Info Session 2022

The Graduate School (GS) organised the RPg Info Session via Zoom on 9 September 2022 to provide all prospective students with a thorough understanding of PhD and MPhil studies at PolyU. With overwhelming registrations, GS held two consecutive sessions that catered to more than 1,700 participants. The President, Professor Jin-Guang Teng, and Vice President (Research and Innovation), Professor Christopher Chao, warmly welcomed our prospective research students and illustrated the vision and recent development of the University. The Dean of GS, Professor Jiannong Cao, then delivered an introduction to research studies at PolyU as well as an overview of the Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme (HKPFS), followed by Professor Qingyan Chen, Director of PolyU Academy for Interdisciplinary Research (PAIR), who showcased the research excellence and focuses of PAIR. We also invited current students to share the application tips, first-hand experience and overseas learning opportunities with the participants. Professor Louise Cummings, Associate Dean of GS, wrapped up the first half of the Info Session with an enlightening Q&A session. During the second half of the Info Session, representatives of different Faculties and Schools presented in a parallel session in which participants could choose to attend different breakout rooms freely according to their area of interest. The video recording of the Info Session is now available here. The application deadline for Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme is 1 December 2022. Do not miss the opportunity and join us now!

Graduate School Departmental Retreat 2022

The Graduate School (GS) organised a departmental retreat on 9 August 2022, with over 20 staff members joining the event. Despite the stormy weather, the meeting room was in a warm and harmonious atmosphere. Professor Jiannong Cao, Dean of GS, kicked off the day by delivering an opening speech and welcomed Professor Louise Cummings, who would be the Associate Dean of GS starting from 1 September 2022. Dr Kelly Chan, the School Secretary, went on to illustrate the concept of “Operation by Function”, followed by group presentations on reviewing current functional processes and tasks involved.  In the afternoon session, Professor Cao led the discussion on strategic planning. Colleagues worked in groups to identify key results of different focus areas and actions to be implemented to achieve the objectives. Professor Cao wrapped up the day by reiterating the goal and mission of GS. The retreat was a fruitful experience and laid the foundation for the strategic directions of the School in the year ahead.

Research Student Gathering

The first research student gathering organised by the Graduate School (GS) was held on 29 July 2022, serving as a platform for peer communication among research students from diverse backgrounds to share their research interests and challenges. On that day, Professor Jiannong Cao, Dean of GS, kicked off the session, with GS colleagues introducing their roles and the support available to students in their study lifecycle. Participants also mingled to get acquainted with each other in a relaxing atmosphere on the top floor of the newly-renovated library. Receiving positive feedback from the participants, GS will continue to facilitate students’ learning journeys through different initiatives and activities.