University in Hong Kong recruits 100 overseas, mainland Chinese academics in 2-year drive

One new recruit at University of Science and Technology points to Hong Kong’s fairer gender opportunities and more generous government funding for research

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HKUST started a recruitment campaign two years ago. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

Published: 11:52pm, 12 Nov 2024Updated: 7:08pm, 13 Nov 2024

A university in Hong Kong has revealed that it has recruited nearly 100 overseas and mainland Chinese scholars since launching a talent acquisition drive two years ago.

The University of Science and Technology (HKUST) said on Tuesday that the recruitment would boost its efforts in teaching, research and innovation across different strategic areas.

One of the new joiners said she was attracted by Hong Kong’s fairer gender opportunities and more generous government funding for research, while another cautioned that the city had to maintain its global connectivity considering the potential negative effects of Donald Trump’s presidency on US-China scientific collaboration.

HKUST arranged for seven of the new recruits to meet the press on Tuesday. They were from the mainland, the US, France and South Korea, specialising in fields ranging from biomedical science and artificial intelligence to meteorology.

Among them was Professor Alicia Kyoungjin An, who joined the department of chemical and biological engineering in August.

The South Korean, who specialises in membrane technologies and wastewater treatment, previously taught at the University of Tokyo. She first came to Hong Kong to develop a government desalination plant in Tseung Kwan O, before joining City University as an assistant professor.