Research Highlights

On November 17th, Lingnan University’s Teaching and Learning Centre (TLC) and The University of Sydney’s Educational Innovation (EI) Team co-hosted a pivotal seminar titled “The Transformation of Global Higher Education Learning Pedagogies: Harnessing the Innovation and Technology Revolution”. With an attendance of approximately 300 participants, both in person and online, the event highlighted the urgency to rethink and revolutionise educational practices to adapt to the AI era.

The use of drones in search and rescue, patrolling, and environmental monitoring has become increasingly common. However, their performance is still constrained by complex environmental factors such as harsh weather conditions, and Prof Sam Kwong Tak-wu, a leading scholar in artificial intelligence (AI), Associate Vice-President (Strategic Research), Dean of the School of Graduate Studies and J.K. Lee Chair Professor of Computational Intelligence at Lingnan University in Hong Kong, and his research team have conducted a pioneering project titled “Key Technologies for Intelligent Enhancement and Content Understanding in Constrained Environments”.

The regulatory directions of Agentic AI systems and Open-Source AI have become hot topics globally. In light of this, Lingnan University and the University of Bologna in Italy co-hosted the 2nd International Workshop on Technologies for AI Governance (TAIG) from 25 to 26 October, as part of the 28th European Conference on Artificial Intelligence (ECAI 2025). The workshop brought together numerous world-leading experts, academics, and policymakers, aiming to enhance governance in areas such as AI risk assessment, accountability tracking, and safety assurance, and to foster cross-regional exchange on AI governance between Asia and Europe. The two-day event attracted over 150 academics and students.

In 2022, Bangladeshi architecture firm Sthapotik designed a mausoleum for the influential 20th-century Uwaisi pir (saint), Shah Muhammad Mohshin Khan. Located in Manikganj, approximately 54 kilometres from Dhaka, this building stands out as a most unconventional interpretation of the traditional dargah, or Sufi tomb.

Traffic accidents and last-minute service requests often disrupt logistics efficiency. Dr Tong Hao, Postdoctoral Fellow of the Division of Artificial Intelligence of the School of Data Science at Lingnan University, has developed an Intelligent Vehicle Routing Optimisation System capable of dynamically simulating traffic conditions and task variations to show the most efficient routes for vehicle fleets when faced with sudden congestion or additional deliveries, so as to maximise operational efficiency. His dissertation Advancing optimization and evaluation for dynamic capacitated arc routing problems is the only research project worldwide to receive the 2026 IEEE Computational Intelligence Society Outstanding PhD Dissertation Award.

Chimeric, half-human, half-animal figures of stone guard the doorways of many historic and contemporary temples across the world. Read more about these powerful entities and how they were crucial to the evolution of Hindu and Buddhist practices in southern India.

Leading scholar in artificial intelligence (AI) Prof Sam Kwong Tak-wu, Associate Vice-President (Strategic Research), Dean of the School of Graduate Studies and J.K. Lee Chair Professor of Computational Intelligence at Lingnan University, has been honoured with the 2026 IEEE Transactions on Evolutionary Computation Outstanding Paper Award for his co-authored paper Learning-Aided Evolution for Optimization. It is the sole paper to receive this award this year, underscoring its importance in the fields of evolutionary computation and AI.

Lingnan University held its Research and Knowledge Transfer Excellence Awards Presentation Ceremony 2025 yesterday, 17 September, honouring 55 faculty members for their outstanding contributions to academic research and knowledge transfer, advancing community well-being and societal progress during the past academic year. The awards included the Outstanding Researcher Award, the Early Career Researcher Award, and the Research & Knowledge Transfer Fund Award, recognising faculty members for their innovative scholarship and impactful initiatives that elevate Lingnan’s global research presence.

Lithium batteries are widely used in electric vehicles and electronic products, but concerns are growing about their environmental impact during mining and disposal. Scholars from Lingnan University’s School of Interdisciplinary Studies and their collaborators have published a pioneering study online in top-tier, peer-reviewed, scientific journal Advanced Energy Materials. The study introduces a novel “anode-free sodium battery” that, by tuning the salt concentration in the electrolyte, reduces the risks of short circuits and shortened lifespan during fast charging. Laboratory tests have demonstrated that this new type of battery can be charged within minutes while maintaining safety and stability.

Timely information on a company's production activities is crucial for investors and policymakers, yet it remains scarce as financial reports and other broader economic indicators like the Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) are only released periodically. This information lag makes it difficult to assess a company's operational health in real time. To address this challenge, Prof Zhao Xiaofeng, Associate Professor of the Department of Finance and Associate Director of Hong Kong Institute of Business Studies at Lingnan University, in collaboration with researchers from the Huazhong University of Science and Technology and The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, has developed a new economic indicator, which uses thermal infrared radiation data to monitor the production and operation of enterprises in real time, and accurately predicts changes in their future profitability in terms of sales growth. The findings were recently featured in the prestigious international finance journal “Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis”, and received support from the General Research Fund (GRF) of the Hong Kong Research Grants Council (RGC) amounting to about HKD$400,000.

In the East Indian Ocean, the indigenous inhabitants of Nicobar carved fearsome figurines called hantakoi to fight off malevolent spirits. These totemic scare-devils, represented in both human and zoomorphic form, reveal the ways in which the people of Nicobar engaged with other dwellers of the Indian Ocean world.

Migrant domestic helpers (MDHs) account for approximately one-tenth of Hong Kong’s labour force. For a deeper understanding of public perceptions, Lingnan University’s Department of English recently released a survey report examining the social recognition and respect shown towards MDHs in Hong Kong, revealing that nearly half of respondents have had no direct contact with MDHs. Almost 20 per cent (18.7%) have a negative impression of MDHs, and the majority of respondents think social media is the medium that shows the least respect towards them. To improve public understanding and awareness, Lingnan scholars have written bilingual (Chinese and English) “Guidelines for Writing about Migrant Domestic Helpers on Social Media”, which can be accessed free online. These guidelines aim to reduce bias and stereotypes associated with MDHs.

Recipient Professor Enrico Petretto from Duke-NUS is spearheading groundbreaking research to develop new drugs for lung disease and uncover new therapeutic targets for kidney disease.

From a seed-inspired design to a 26-minute flight time on a single rotor, a new monocopter developed by SUTD researchers marks a 10-year journey towards redefining how efficient small flying robots can be.

Curate the Curious, an annual exhibition curated by 36 students of the Master of Arts in Curating and Art History (MACAH) at Lingnan University, will be held from 1-10 August. Introducing a new-generation curatorial perspective, the exhibition presents the hidden stories behind more than 50 paintings, sculptures, videos, and new media art by over 30 well-known artists from Mainland China and Hong Kong. The six curiosity-driven themes are designed to inspire audiences to embark on their own journey of artistic discovery and dialogue. Admission is free.

An early 19th-century miniature painting depicts a late-night tryst between two lovers, under the storm clouds of twilight skies. Created in western India’s Mewar court atelier, by the master painter Chokha, this image reveals layers of meaning.

Lingnan University has delivered its best-ever performance in the latest 2025/26 funding exercise carried out by the Research Grants Council (RGC), covering the General Research Fund (GRF), Early Career Scheme (ECS), and Humanities and Social Sciences Prestigious Fellowship Scheme (HSSPFS). Forty-nine Lingnan research projects have been supported, a 26 per cent increase from last year’s 39 projects, and the total subsidy has risen by 22 per cent to nearly HKD$30 million, an unprecedented achievement in both the number of grants awarded and total funding.

Lingnan University’s Science Unit recently published Hong Kong’s first-ever scientific Hong Kong Newt Roadkill Survey Programme. Their findings show that over 1,400 Hong Kong newts were killed by vehicles in two months, accounting for more than 90 per cent of total wildlife carcasses found. The severity of the threat posed to this local species is aggravated after heavy rainfall, and the research team is calling on the government to introduce conservation measures urgently, including eco-friendly road construction, traffic control, and raising public awareness about wildlife conservation.

In 1938, archaeologists discovered an ivory statuette of a goddess in the ruins of the Roman city of Pompeii, which was buried under ash for thousands of years after the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 CE. Who was this goddess — Lakshmi, the Hindu deity of wealth and prosperity or Venus, the Roman goddess of beauty — and why was she in Pompeii?

With youth mental health commanding increasing attention in recent years, the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao University Psychological Counselling Alliance, composed of the Wofoo Joseph Lee Consulting and Counselling Psychology Research Centre in the Department of Psychology at Lingnan University and 16 higher education institutions in the Greater Bay Area (GBA), held a conference at the Lingnan@West Kowloon learning hub today, 16 June. The universities in the Alliance agreed to integrate Lingnan University’s Wellness Ambassador Programme (WAP) training modules into their peer counselling programmes in order to support students’ psychological development and improve mental health on campuses and in communities.

Moved by how Hiroshima’s memorials transformed unspeakable loss into a global call for peace, a Hiroshima University historian turns his gaze to Southeast Asia—unpacking what stories their war monuments enshrine, what they leave out, and what that means for peace and justice, as the world marks the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombing this year.

The story of Hanuman and Suvannamaccha, a mermaid, is beloved by generations in Southeast Asia who are familiar with the epic Ramayana, known locally as Ramakien. This tale is, however, altogether absent from the canonical Hindu Ramayana — a testament to the spread, influence, and adaptation of Hinduism and its mythologies in the ancient Indian Ocean world.

Prof Richard M. Walker, Head and Chair Professor of the Department of Government and International Affairs and Director of Lingnan University Institute for Advanced Study (LUIAS), has received the prestigious 2025 H. George Frederickson Award for Career Contributions to Public Management Research from the Public Management Research Association (PMRA) in recognition of his valuable contributions to intellectual development in the field. The award is presented annually to only one scholar worldwide, and Prof Walker will receive the honour officially at the Public Management Research Conference (PMRC) in Seoul, South Korea, in late June.

To promote the use of big data and artificial intelligence (AI) for innovation and marketing, the Department of Marketing and International Business at Lingnan University hosted the Hong Kong Quant Marketing Conference 2025 at the Hong Kong Gold Coast Hotel today, 14 May. “Data-Driven Quant Marketing Insights for Business Impact” shares fresh research findings within the industry, and examines how quantitative approaches can solve real-world marketing challenges in healthcare, e-commerce, legal policy, and digital experimentation. The conference was attended by over 180 scholars, industry leaders, and postgraduate students from Hong Kong, the Greater Bay Area, and international institutions.

With the rapid development of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and increasing environmental challenges, global catastrophic risks have gone beyond traditional natural disasters to raise controversial ethical issues. In view of this, the Hong Kong Catastrophic Risk Centre (HKCRC) of Lingnan University has introduced a new, free, online bilingual self-learning course on Ethics and Global Catastrophic Risks, taught by international authorities in philosophy and ethics. Designed to help people understand and cope with the complex landscape of global disaster risks through eight modules, the new programme, launched in late February this year, incorporates in-depth, real-life examples in AI, the environment, and the sciences, and has already attracted more than 8,000 participants from Mainland China, Hong Kong SAR, South Asia, the US, and Europe. It is now open to the public at no charge.

The world is paying attention to the impact of the trade war on various industries, and Lingnan University recently published a report titled "Data-Driven Job Search: Big Data Series Report on Hong Kong's Employment Market", analysing the employment risks and potential challenges in Hong Kong's labour market. This study used Artificial Intelligence (AI) models to examine more than 140,000 job advertisements in Hong Kong, suggesting that over 40 per cent of job vacancies are in traditional service sectors such as import-export, wholesale and retail, which are vulnerable to external environmental factors. While the strong trend of gig work in the retail industry accounts for approximately 20 per cent of positions, there is little demand for advanced technologies like AI, with less than two per cent of vacancies requiring such skills. The research team proposes that the government should assist workers in traditional service industries with their transitions, and provide targeted cross-industry skills training to improve employment competitiveness in the context of the present trade war economy.

Often depicted as a celestial being traversing the sky in a horse-drawn chariot, Surya is the sun god in Hinduism. Once a prominent Vedic figure, today his importance has declined. Discover the many mythologies of this solar deity, whose worship can be traced to the second century BCE.

The research jointly conducted by Prof S. Joe Qin, President and Wai Kee Kau Chair Professor of Data Science at Lingnan University in Hong Kong, and the research team from Northeastern University, has been awarded the Second Prize of Liaoning Provincial Science and Technology Award. The research project, titled “Low-quality heterogeneous big data-driven monitoring theory and methods for complex dynamic systems”, represents a breakthrough in the field of AI-driven automation. This research systematically addresses data monitoring challenges in complex dynamic systems, particularly in industrial systems and automation technologies. It provides crucial technical support for the future development of industrial intelligence.

Using cutting-edge spatial and genetic tools, Singapore scientists have uncovered two gastric cancer tumour subgroups, characterising their unique cellular states, immune responses and interactions with their surroundings.

In 1864, Prussian photographer John Edward Sache arrived in Calcutta and set up a studio in partnership with WF Westfield. From albumen prints of cityscapes to controversial photographs of Indians, Sache’s career embodied British imperial attitudes to colonised landscapes and peoples.