China

Lingnan University announces the renaming of its Department of Translation to the Department of Language Industry and Technology (LIT) starting in the 2027/28 academic year. Related undergraduate and taught postgraduate programmes will adopt new names in the same academic year, reflecting the Department’s strategic development direction in the digital era.

Humanitarian innovation and invention projects developed by the United Nations University Hub on Humanitarian Innovation and Technology at Lingnan University (UNU Hub at Lingnan University) have won five awards at the 2026 edition of the European Product Design Award (EPDA). “Incuvia - Modular Foldable Baby Incubator” received three, including the “Design for Humanity” Special Award, which selects only 10 winners a year, and the “Top Design” Special Award in the Industrial / Healthcare: Medical Products Category, the highest honour in the category. “PureAura - Portable Mini Energy-saving Air Purifier” also received two awards. Lingnan University is the only one of the Hong Kong SAR’s eight UGC-funded universities selected as one of the 10 main winners of the year, bringing honour to the Hong Kong SAR.

A newly discovered Jurassic bird from China appears to have lived a land-based, flightless lifestyle, suggesting that the earliest birds had a greater diversity of lifestyles than previously recognized

Lingnan University has announced the admission of 14 outstanding students to its inaugural Samuel C.C. Ting Elite Class (CCT Class). Selected from high-achieving undergraduates awarded University Entrance Scholarships, the students come from eight countries and regions, namely the Hong Kong SAR, the Chinese Mainland, Ethiopia, Kyrgyzstan, Nepal, the Philippines, Russia, and the UK. They will receive four-year full-tuition scholarships, a guaranteed hostel place with fees covered for four years, dedicated one-to-one mentorship, artificial intelligence (AI) training provided by leading multinationals, precedence in frontier research projects, opportunities to meet Nobel laureates and leading scholars, and priority for admission to postgraduate programmes.

The Hong Kong Council of Social Service estimates that the number of carers across the territory reaches as high as 1.12 million. Some employed people are forced to juggle the demands of work alongside caring for parents, spouses, or children, taking on the arduous role of “compound carers”. The Asia-Pacific Institute of Ageing Studies (APIAS) at Lingnan University conducted in-depth interviews with over 40 multiple carers who care for at least two family members, one of whom has a disability or a chronic illness. The study found that these working compound carers face heavy pressure in balancing professional and family duties. Nearly half of those interviewed keep their caregiving responsibilities hidden at work for fear of being branded “troublesome employees”. Consequently, several had to give up promotions or switch to part-time work due to caregiving demands. Researchers note that current support networks remain fragmented, leaving compound carers to search for, evaluate, and arrange various services entirely on their own — adding substantial friction to an already overwhelming load. The research team recommends introducing dedicated Case Managers who will integrate healthcare, rehabilitation, and social welfare services.

Lingnan University has officially opened applications for its undergraduate programmes for the 2027/28 academic year. Starting from today, both Chinese Mainland Gaokao candidates and students holding international qualifications may submit their applications through the University's online system.

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.

Lingnan University has achieved remarkable results in the 2026 edition of the World’s Top 2% Scientists list published by Stanford University. The 54 Lingnan scholars named represent an increase of about 25 per cent over last year’s 43. Among them, 21 are ranked in the world's top 100, and six are ranked first either in China or the Hong Kong SAR in their respective disciplines, underscoring international recognition of Lingnan’s academic influence as it transforms into a research-oriented liberal arts university comprehensive in arts and sciences in the digital era.

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.

Lingnan University held a flag-raising ceremony to celebrate the 77th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China on the University campus today, 1 October, starting at 10:30 am. Honoured guests included the Hon Andrew Yao Cho-fai, Council Chairman of Lingnan University; Dr Patrick Wong Chi-kwong, Chairman of the Court; Ms Carrie Leung Ka-lai, Treasurer of the Council; Mr Sammy Leung Chung-sing, Council Member; Prof William Shum Wai-lam, Council Member; Mr David Kwok Sek-chi, Member of the Court; Prof S. Joe Qin, President and Wai Kee Kau Chair Professor of Data Science; Prof Raymond Chan Hon-fu, Vice-President (Academics) cum Provost and Lam Man Tsan Chair Professor of Scientific Computing; Prof Xin Yao, Vice-President (Research and Innovation) and Tong Tin Sun Chair Professor of Machine Learning; and Mr Ernest Chan Chi-man, Vice-President (Administration), and Lingnan senior management, staff, and students.

Lingnan University has achieved outstanding results in the newly released Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings 2027. Among 2,297 institutions across 118 countries and regions, Lingnan made a remarkable leap from the 301–350 band to 257th, climbing nearly 100 places to show the highest improvement among the Hong Kong SAR’s eight UGC-funded universities. This demonstrates widespread international recognition of the University’s excellence in quality education, industry-academic-research collaboration, internationalisation, and the nurturing of research-oriented liberal arts talent in the digital era.

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.

Lingnan University and the Civil Service Bureau of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government jointly organised the first Government Career Fair on the Lingnan campus today (29 September), with 20 exhibition booths, bringing together over 15 government bureaux and departments — including the Digital Policy Office, the Education Bureau, disciplined services and the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, totalling over 30 civil service grades. Recruitment activities were held alongside career talks, on-site interviews, and written examinations, helping students gain a deeper understanding of the career development opportunities available across different government grades.

New research identifies coastal regions at heightened risk of non-native marine species, including the eastern United States, Gulf of Mexico, coastlines bordering the North Sea, southeastern China and northern Australia.

New research investigated self-stigma among university students. They found that, over time, students with higher levels of mindfulness had lower self-stigma and fewer depressive symptoms.

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.

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.

Prof S. Joe Qin, President and Wai Kee Kau Chair Professor of Data Science at Lingnan University, welcomes the release of Hong Kong’s First Five-Year Plan and the 2026 Policy Address delivered by Chief Executive of the Hong Kong SAR Government, Mr John Lee, and responds as follows:

Lingnan University has achieved outstanding results in the newly released 2026 ShanghaiRanking's Global Ranking of Academic Subjects (GRAS), with eight subjects on the list, nearly three times as many as last year. Five subjects, including Computer Science and Engineering, and Electrical and Electronic Engineering, made the list for the first time, and Artificial Intelligence, which made its debut on the list last year, saw a significant leap in its ranking, breaking into the global top 100 for the first time in the 76th to 100th band. This achievement underscores Lingnan’s dedication to advancing interdisciplinary research in artificial intelligence and data science, and demonstrates widespread recognition from the international academic community.

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.

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, was recently elected to the Class of 2026 Fellows of the Academy of Science of the Royal Society of Canada (RSC) in recognition of his outstanding academic achievements and remarkable contributions in the field of science. Fellowship of the RSC is one of the highest honours Canada bestows upon scholars and scientists. This year, 105 people worldwide were elected as new Fellows, and Prof Kwong is one of the three scholars in Hong Kong SAR to receive this prestigious recognition. He will attend the induction ceremony in Ottawa in November.

Two new papers published in Nature offer new insights into how this group of ancient humans looked, evolved, and behaved.

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.

Prof Jean-Michel Morel, Chair Professor of the Division of Industrial Data Science at Lingnan University, has been elected a Foreign Member of the Luxembourg Academy of Sciences and Arts (LASA). The honour recognises his pioneering research extending from mathematical foundations to image analysis and industrial data science, and demonstrating the profound contribution of fundamental mathematics to artificial intelligence (AI), computer vision, and image analysis, aligning with LASA's mission to foster interdisciplinary exchange.

Lingnan University hosted the “Empower Your Future: Lingnan Postgraduate Orientation 2026” on campus today, 27 August, welcoming about 3,200 new taught postgraduate/doctoral degree and MPhil/PhD programme students for the 2026/27 academic year. To meet the growing demand for professionals in artificial intelligence (AI), data analytics, and smart manufacturing in the digital era, Lingnan has introduced three new taught postgraduate programmes, bringing the number of offerings to a record high of 50. In addition, the University held its first-ever “Welcome Gathering for Research Postgraduate Students” to help new students adapt more quickly to Lingnan’s academic research environment.

New study of James Webb Space Telescope images suggests that little red dots are not simply single points of light but likely exist within compact star-forming galaxies.

Lingnan University held its 2026/27 academic year New Student Orientation (NSO) and Official Welcome for undergraduate students at its Tuen Mun campus today (24 August).

Lingnan University announced the establishment of the innovation and entrepreneurship platform “LU Xcelerator (LUX)” and held its Opening Ceremony today, 21 August. LUX focuses on “AI + X” and the application of agentic AI in different industries, leveraging the unique strength of Lingnan University in data science and interdisciplinary studies. Benefitting from Lingnan’s location near the Northern Metropolis, LUX will spearhead an innovative mode of collaboration between “Government, Industry, Academia, Research, and Investment” in the Greater Bay Area. This new platform will assist our students and researchers in translating innovative research into market-ready applications with tangible commercial and social value.

Prof S. Joe Qin, President and Wai Kee Kau Chair Professor of Data Science of Lingnan University, and Lingnan Fellow of the Lingnan University Institute for Advanced Study (LUIAS) and internationally renowned chemical engineering scholar Prof Ignacio E. Grossmann attended the 22nd IEEE International Conference on Automation Science and Engineering (IEEE CASE 2026) in Shenyang, Liaoning Province. The conference, themed “Smart Industry”, brought together leading scholars and industry experts from around the world in the fields of automation and robotics. During the conference session, President Prof S. Joe Qin introduces Prof Grossmann’s academic background and distinguished achievements. Prof Grossmann delivered a plenary speech today (18 August), entitled “Challenges in the Application of Mathematical Programming Approaches to Industrial Enterprise-wide Optimisation”, sharing the challenges of applying mathematical programming approaches to enterprise-wide optimisation, as well as the applications of related research in industrial production planning, supply chains and enterprise decision-making.

A spokesperson for Lingnan University welcomed the results of the 2026 ShanghaiRanking's Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU). Lingnan rose significantly from the 901st to 1,000th band globally last year to the 601st to 700th band this year, representing an advancement of 300 places and the biggest rise among Hong Kong SAR’s eight UGC-funded universities. The university has also risen to joint 6th place within this group. The encouraging improvement is consistent with Lingnan’s upward trend in other international university rankings in recent months, reflecting the phased results of the University’s continued strategic transformation in recent years and recognition from the international academic community.