Three Lingnan University scholars named Highly Cited Researchers 2025

Three distinguished scholars from Lingnan University have been named Highly Cited Researchers 2025 in the annual list compiled by leading global analytics company in academia and research Clarivate. The list is of exceptional researchers who have demonstrated significant and wide-ranging influence in their respective fields through the publication of multiple highly cited papers reflecting their substantial contributions to advancing innovation and addressing global challenges.
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Lingnan University

From left: Prof Song Yongduan, Prof Xin Yao, and Prof Sam Kwong Tak-wu

Lingnan University

The three Lingnan scholars honoured this year are: Prof Xin Yao, Vice-President (Research and Innovation) and Tong Tin Sun Chair Professor of Machine Learning; 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; andProf Song Yongduan, the newly appointed Dean of the School of Data Science and Chair Professor of the Division of Industrial Data Science at Lingnan University.

 

Prof S. Joe Qin, President and Wai Kee Kau Chair Professor of Data Science, expressed his delight at their achievements, noting that the number of Lingnan scholars on this prestigious list has continued its upward trajectory in recent years, reaching a record high this year. He said this milestone is a great tribute to the University’s growing research excellence and competitiveness.

 

Commending the three professors for their ground-breaking research in artificial intelligence (AI), automation, and intelligent robotics, Prof Qin added “Lingnan University will continue to strengthen its world-class research and academic teams, pursue excellence, and conduct cutting-edge and innovative research into practical applications that benefit society.”

 

The Highly Cited Researchers list is published annually, and the 2025 list features 6,868 scholars from 1,300 institutions across 61 countries and regions. Researchers on the list have had papers in the top 1 per cent worldwide by citations over the past decade within their respective fields, demonstrating their exceptional and far-reaching impact in academia.

 

Below are the profiles of the three Lingnan scholars:

 

Prof Xin Yao

Prof Yao specialises in AI, machine learning, evolutionary computation, and intelligent optimisation. He was named a Highly Cited Researcher in 2016, 2020, and consecutively from 2022 to 2024, and has been one of Stanford University’s World’s Top 2% Scientists since 2021. In AI and Image Processing, Prof Yao comes fourth in China overall and first in the Hong Kong SAR for career-long research impact. According to Google Scholar, Prof Yao’s research studies have been cited over 85,300 times by other scholars, with an H-index of 133.

 

Prof Sam Kwong Tak-wu

Prof Kwong has conducted extensive research in evolutionary computation, AI-driven solutions, and image and video processing, covering areas such as Computer Science, Engineering, Telecommunications, Automation, and Control Systems. He was recognised as a Highly Cited Researcher from 2022 to 2024, and has been one of Stanford University’s World’s Top 2% Scientists since 2021. Prof Kwong’s research project, the AI-based Fencing Training and Assessment System, received both a Gold Medal and a special award - Prize of the International Federation of Inventors’ Association (IFIA) - at the Silicon Valley International Invention Festival (SVIIF) this year.

 

Prof Song Yongduan

Prof Song’s research focuses on bio-inspired adaptive and learning systems, as well as neural network-driven automation and robotic systems. He is the Editor-in-Chief of IEEE Transactions on Neural Networks and Learning Systems. A Highly Cited Researcher from 2023 to 2025, Prof Song has been one of Stanford University’s World’s Top 2% Scientists since 2023.