The RGC Senior Research Fellows are Professor Sun Lei, Professor of the Department of Biomedical Engineering (left) and Professor Tan Kay-chen, Head of the Department of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (centre). Professor Zhao Jiong, Professor of the Department of Applied Physics (right), has been named as RGC Research Fellow.Zoom In

Three PolyU scholars have been awarded fellowships under the Research Grants Council’s (RGC) Senior Research Fellow Scheme (SRFS) and Research Fellow Scheme (RFS) for 2025/26. This recognition highlights PolyU’s commitment to advancing impactful research and innovations that make a positive impact on society.

 

The awardees include Professor Sun Lei from the Department of Biomedical Engineering, and Professor Tan Kay-chen, Head of the Department of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence, both named RGC Senior Research Fellows, along with Professor Zhao Jiong from the Department of Applied Physics, who has been awarded the RGC Research Fellow title.

 

The SRFS and RFS schemes provide substantial funding to support outstanding researchers in Hong Kong’s universities, fostering innovation and contributing to the advancement of knowledge across various fields. Each SRFS project receives approximately HK$8.2 million, while RFS projects receive HK$5.5 million over a period of 60 months.

 

Commending their outstanding achievements, Professor Christopher Chao, PolyU’s Vice President (Research and Innovation), praised the awardees, stating, “The recognition of our scholars not only reflects PolyU’s pursuit of academic and research excellence but also demonstrates our commitment to fostering researchers’ professional growth. These achievements underscore the University’s significant impact on the global academic and research community, as well as our contributions to Hong Kong’s development as an international hub for post-secondary education.”

 

The awarded scholars and their funded projects are listed below:

 

Senior Research Fellow Scheme

Development of songenetics for non-human primates
Professor Sun Lei
Professor of the Department of Biomedical Engineering

Funding: HK$8.2 million


Objective: The project aims to develop an advanced sonogenetics version for non-human primates, focusing on cellular specificity, spatial accuracy, and penetration capability. This non-invasive ultrasound technique could transform deep brain stimulation by precisely targeting specific brain regions, enhancing the study of neural networks and offering therapeutic applications for neurological and psychiatric disorders.

Towards adaptive pretrained vision-language foundation models for medical image analysis
Professor Tan Kay-chen
Head of the Department of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence

Funding: HK$8.2 million


Objective: The project aims to develop an integrated intelligent system for personalised, human-centric healthcare, featuring visual question answering, radiology report analysis, and computer-aided diagnosis. This initiative seeks to enhance healthcare quality, alleviate pressure on medical resources, and strengthen Hong Kong’s role in AI-driven healthcare innovation.

Research Fellow Scheme

From slidetronics to twistronics: a twisting platform for dissipationless ferroelectricity
Professor Zhao Jiong
Professor of the Department of Applied Physics

Funding: HK$$5.5 million


Objective: The project focuses on Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and 2D materials, enhancing structural characterisation and measurements with in situ TEM, STEM, and 4D-STEM. By integrating these techniques with synthesis and device fabrication, it improves material quality and supports applications. These advanced 2D materials and 2D ferroelectric materials could significantly enhance future electronics and optoelectronics.