Research Highlights

The Wofoo Joseph Lee Consulting and Counselling Psychology Research Centre at Lingnan University and the Interdisciplinary Research Center for Applied Psychology at Shandong Normal University signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at Lingnan on 8 October 2026. The two centres also co-organised a psychology seminar on impulsive decision-making and the influence of artificial intelligence (AI) on moral decisions.

The Short-legged Horned Toad (Boulenophrys brachykolos), listed as endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, is the only known small frog species in Hong Kong belonging to the genus Boulenophrys of the family Megophryidae. A study led by the Division of Science at Lingnan University has found that the Lantau Island population of the Short-legged Horned Toad shows clear genetic divergence from other local populations, along with several notable differences in the mating calls of males. The research team suggests that the Lantau population represents an early stage of speciation. Geographical isolation of Lantau Island from other landmasses likely contributed to these unique evolutionary traits. The team recommends treating the Lantau population as a separate conservation unit in future.

A new framework developed by SUTD researchers could improve how robots, autonomous systems and augmented reality tools recognise objects and navigate complex real-world environments.

The University Grants Committee (UGC) of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region presented the 2026 UGC Teaching Award to Prof Helen Geng Hongyan, Assistant Professor of Teaching of the Division of Science at Lingnan University. She received the award in the General Faculty Members category. The award recognises her student-centred, innovative teaching approach, which breaks through traditional boundaries between the arts and sciences, incorporates artificial intelligence (AI) and Service-Learning in science education, stimulates students’ interest in interdisciplinary learning, and demonstrates excellence in teaching.

The Lingnan University Institute for Advanced Study (LUIAS) held a ceremony on campus yesterday, 23 September, to confer the title of Senior Lingnan Scholar on Prof Meng Bingchun, a renowned scholar in media and communications, and Professor in the Department of Media and Communications at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), in recognition of her important academic contributions in the fields of media studies, communication governance, and digital culture. Her distinguished lecture, titled “The politics and poetics of AI: From great power competition to imaginaries of good life”, offered an in-depth analysis of the divergent artificial intelligence (AI) policies and development models of China and the US, explaining that this competition is not only a rivalry over “hard power” in data and computing capabilities, but also a contest between the two sides’ visions of good life.

IterFlow uses camera images and vehicle motion data during training to help 4D radar estimate how objects move, reducing reliance on costly LiDAR supervision.

Why are individual investors, commonly known as “retail investors”, prone to losing money in the stock market? A Lingnan University joint study of more than 4,600 Chinese and US stocks finds that investors are less likely to buy stocks blindly when they understand the difference between a company’s “reported earnings” and its “actual cash flows”. The research team used social media to explain the difference between the two, and to teach investors how to analyse relevant company data. The results show that for companies whose earnings contain a larger accrual component, the buying behaviour of retail investors who received the relevant education declined significantly. Investment losses arising from stock prices rising and then falling after an earnings announcement were also reduced.

Lingnan University recently hosted the Research and Knowledge Transfer Excellence Awards Presentation Ceremony 2026. At the “Excellence Beyond Achievement Where Technology Meets Humanity” ceremony, 53 Lingnan scholars were presented with the Outstanding Researcher Award, the Early Career Researcher Award, and the Research & Knowledge Transfer Fund Award for their exceptional contributions to academic research and knowledge transfer that advance societal development. The University’s overall innovation and technology performance reached new heights in the 2025/26 academic year, with the number of granted patents for research projects increasing sixfold year-on-year to set a new record.

As Hong Kong’s population ages at one of the fastest rates in the world, the demand for family eldercare increases daily. To understand the responsibilities and roles assumed by grandchildren in caring for their grandparents, the Asia-Pacific Institute of Ageing Studies (APIAS) at Lingnan University conducted an in-depth interview study, which shows that having been looked after by grandparents in childhood is a major reason why grandchildren are willing to take on these same responsibilities for their own grandparents; another key motivation is the desire to alleviate their parents’ burden. However, the study highlights a common dilemma faced by grandchildren acting as carers: a lack of nursing knowledge and skills. Also, as more families employ foreign domestic helpers for childcare, this shift in caregiving models may weaken the traditional role of grandparents, which could in turn affect the long-term intergenerational eldercare support network.

Carved into the laterite plateaus of India's Konkan coast, these prehistoric rock engravings depict human figures, animals, and abstract motifs dating to the Mesolithic and Neolithic periods. Among the Indian subcontinent's rare examples of geoglyphs, they offer insight into prehistoric communities, ritual practices, and the region's ecological history.

Kidney disease can remain hidden until it becomes life-threatening: up to half of cases may go undiagnosed, despite simple blood and urine tests that can detect it early. This stark message is laid out in a landmark series of research papers by a team of global experts, including scientists from Duke-NUS.

An engineered enzyme selectively targets palmitic acid, a common C16 fatty acid, offering a possible route to higher-value food and pharmaceutical lipids.

A ruined stone temple in the Neelum Valley of Pakistan, Sharada Peeth has long been revered as one of the Shakti Pithas and has been an important pilgrimage site, particularly for Kashmiri Pandits. Its distinctive Kashmiri stone temple architecture, historical accounts, and religious traditions reflect the site's continued significance in the cultural history of Kashmir.

Smart polymers and natural rubber research point to greener materials through durability, repairability and lifecycle design.

With global warming and extreme weather intensifying, can animals raise their thermal tolerance to cope with a continuously warming environment? A joint research project run by the Division of Science at Lingnan University and an international research team carried out practical testing on tropical intertidal snails that live under the scorching sun. The team simulated the real-world conditions of coastal rocks heating up under intense sunlight in the Hong Kong SAR and Singapore, and discovered that the maximum temperature of some rocks has approached the upper physiological thermal limit of these intertidal snails. Since this can cause cardiac arrest and an inability to maintain normal physiological functions, it means that their thermal tolerance may not be able to increase indefinitely as the environment continues to warm, and extreme heat in the future may increase their risk of mortality. The research findings have been published in internationally renowned academic journal The Biological Bulletin.

A review maps how modern diagnostics and reversible materials can help museums protect silk, leather, paper and wood with less damage.

The Chinese bahaba (Bahaba taipingensis), a marine fish species endemic to the Chinese coast and known as the “Panda of the Sea”, is a critically endangered species and one of the few marine fish listed as a first-class protected wild animal in China. Collaborative research led by the Division of Science at Lingnan University has now developed a cost-effective environmental DNA (eDNA) monitoring qPCR approach specifically designed for the Chinese bahaba. Using the new technology, the research has detected traces of the species in western Hong Kong SAR waters, marking the first scientific discovery of the fish in the city in over a decade. The researcher highlights that the technology enables experts to monitor the species non-invasively and to evaluate conservation outcomes without capturing or disturbing rare marine animals, thus providing important scientific evidence to assist in marine conservation planning in China.

A plant enzyme recovered collagen from lambskin trimmings at higher yield than acid or pepsin extraction while preserving its structure.

As generative artificial intelligence (AI) becomes increasingly widely used in translation, questions have been raised over whether it could eventually replace professional interpreters. A joint study led by Lingnan University found that while AI can improve translation efficiency, it is still less capable than professional interpreters of adapting language to context and preserving rhetorical and communicative effects. The researchers conclude that human judgement and oversight remain essential, particularly in politically, diplomatically, and culturally sensitive settings. These findings have been published in Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, a Nature Portfolio journal.

Silk-reinforced bicycle tyres outperformed nylon controls and showed lower impacts in a gate-to-gate life cycle assessment.

A preliminary mouse study suggests that mimecan helps regulate how tendons gain strength and stiffness during maturation.

Two papers by researchers and policy practitioners provide evidence-based suggestions so that Japan’s health system can continue to flourish, even as its population rapidly ages.

Researchers at SUTD show that AI can reliably identify behavioural cues in parent–child interactions, but interpreting what they mean remains a task for human experts.

Prof Song Yongduan, Dean of the School of Data Science and Henry Y. W. Fong Chair Professor of Industrial Data Science at Lingnan University, attended the induction ceremony for International Members of the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE) in Beijing on 9 July, where he officially received his member plaque. The professor is one of five scientists with Hong Kong affiliations among the recently elected International Members of the CAE.

Used across the Indian subcontinent from the sixteenth century onward, the zafar takiya is distinguished by its characteristic crutch-shaped hilt, designed to serve as a hand- or arm-rest while seated or standing. Taking varied forms such as swords, daggers, and staffs, it reflects courtly customs, skilled craftsmanship, and the ascetic practices of Sufi dervishes.

Located 1,000 meters underground in Japan, the Super-Kamiokande observatory strains to detect the faintest of signals amongst all sorts of noise: ghost-like neutrino particles. A recent analysis of 5,000 days of data provides an exciting, world-first indication of a flux of neutrinos called Diffuse Supernova Neutrino Background (DSNB) – emitted by supernovae over cosmic history.

Seen in funerary architecture, homes, and religious buildings across regions spanning modern-day India and Pakistan, pinjrakari involves transforming wood into intricate latticed screens that filter light, allow ventilation, and create privacy. Drawing from Central Asian and broader Islamicate design traditions, the craft evolved through architectural exchange, regional patronage, and highly skilled woodworking practices across South Asia.

Their study reveals that ageing muscles lose protective signals that help suppress tumour development, but exercise can restore this vital function.

Pomacea canaliculata, commonly known as the apple snail, a pest commonly found in Hong Kong’s wetlands and farmlands, feeds on aquatic plants and deposits its eggs on terrestrial plants or stone bunds. It is listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as one of the “100 of the World's Worst Invasive Alien Species”. The Division of Science of Lingnan University and its collaborative research team analysed the genomes of the Pomacea canaliculata and its close relatives, and discovered that despite being aquatic animals, they possess the trait of terrestrial reproduction, and their egg masses also exhibit desiccation resistance, UV screening, and predator deterrence. This capability may originate from an infection by a virus during the Jurassic period, where their ancestors integrated the viral gene to evolve in their own genome, and scholars point out that this could not only provide foundational insight into how land invasion occurred, but also suggest potential avenues for developing inhibitors to eradicate the snail pest from the root. These research findings were recently published in the top international academic journal Advanced Science.