Artificial Intelligence

Lingnan University has achieved another historic milestone in the newly released Times Higher Education (THE) Sustainability Impact Ratings 2026. Its overall ranking surged from the 101st - 200th band last year to 63rd place globally—breaking into the top 100 for the first time, and coming third of the Hong Kong SAR’s eight UGC-funded universities. Lingnan University has achieved another historic milestone in the newly released Times Higher Education (THE) Sustainability Impact Ratings 2026. Its overall ranking surged from the 101st - 200th band last year to 63rd place globally—breaking into the top 100 for the first time, and coming third of the Hong Kong SAR’s eight UGC-funded universities. Seven Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were classed in the top 100 globally, more than doubling last year’s achievements. “SDG 4: Quality Education” has retained its position as number one worldwide, “SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities” has risen sharply from last year’s 101st - 200th band to 11th globally, “SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth” ranked 27th globally, and “SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals” came 55th globally.

Researchers have developed an AI system that automatically figures out where an inspection photo was taken inside a building by matching it to the building's digital model, with no GPS or manual tagging required. The system achieved under two meters of location error and dramatically outperformed existing AI approaches.

Sweet power nanogenerator, Cosmic fossil, Dopamine and Alzheimer's link, Sustainable 3D printing, Quantum dots for brain diseases, Smart trolley and Bamboo and bone. Read all in the latest Editor's Choice. Plus SciCom Coffee talk: Inside a University Merger.

Lingnan University has achieved a major advancement in the latest Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings 2027, rising 120 places to 581st globally, its biggest jump in recent years. Lingnan recorded an outstanding performance across several key indicators, achieving a full score for International Faculty, ranking 34th worldwide, alongside a highly competitive result for International Students, placing at 76th worldwide. The University also achieved a significant rise of 211 places in Sustainability and climbed 64 places in Academic Reputation.

Discovering new catalysts to power hydrogen production often involves a time-consuming trial-and-error process. Not only that, but materials scientists often have to comb through troves of scientific data and experimental data. Yet these days may be over thanks to a new AI-powered platform that enables researchers to identify new catalysts for methane pyrolysis— a promising technology for producing hydrogen with lower carbon emissions.

The 2nd Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Higher Education Innovation Symposium was successfully held at Shenzhen University from 13 to 14 June 2026. Under the theme "Higher Education Innovation and Greater Bay Area Development", the event was co-organised by the Guangdong Higher Education Society, the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau University Alliance, and the Macao Association for Higher Education Development, and hosted by Shenzhen University. University administrators, experts, and scholars from Guangdong, Hong Kong SAR, and Macau SAR gathered to explore new pathways for innovative development in higher education, implementing key national deployments regarding higher education innovation and Greater Bay Area construction under the 15th Five-Year Plan.

Researchers from The University of Osaka developed a computational imaging method that combines coded-aperture optics with diffusion-model-based artificial intelligence to recover both depth and sharp color images from a single photograph. The approach improves robustness across imaging conditions while reducing reconstruction errors commonly seen in existing methods.

On 19 May 2026, a delegation led by Prof Wei Zhiqiang, President of Qingdao University, visited Lingnan University, and was warmly received by Prof S. Joe Qin, President and Wai Kee Kau Chair Professor of Data Science at Lingnan University, and other University representatives. Prof Qin and Prof Wei signed a university-level Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) witnessed by representatives from both institutions to further coordinate development and reinforce collaboration between higher education institutions in Shandong and the Hong Kong SAR.

The Ateneo-backed Team Philippines ranked third among national AI Olympiad teams, showcasing young Filipino talent worldwide.

Researchers have developed a new way to generate realistic synthetic training data for agricultural robots by recreating tomato cultivation environments in a virtual world. The approach could help overcome one of the biggest barriers in agricultural robotics: the time and labor required to collect and manually label real-world data under challenging greenhouse conditions such as changing lighting, dense foliage, and fruit occlusion.

Scientists from National Taiwan University and St. Paul’s Hospital have demonstrated how AI can leverage routine chest X-rays to detect asymptomatic bone loss, closing critical gaps in screening healthy Asian populations.

Humans have evolved to be able to link intentions to emotions or physical actions. This is why we may approach someone with open arms but flee if someone approaches using threatening body language. While AI can accurately identify emotions, it struggles to derive intention from them. A research group, with the help of performers from Japan and Taiwan, has helped facilitate a means to bridge this gap.

Researchers from The University of Osaka and collaborators proposed the Insect Synergy Circuit (ISC), a new concept for bio-hybrid control that uses AI to interpret internal biological signals from insects. By integrating heartbeat, neural signal features, and body movement data, the team developed a cyborg cockroach system that can estimate environment-associated internal states and guide movement while reducing unnecessary stimulation.

What if some of the most important scientific discoveries are already hidden in data collected years ago? Researchers at Tohoku University are exploring how AI and data-driven science can reveal new insights from past experiments and scientific literature. Their review highlights how old data could help accelerate discoveries in chemistry and materials science.

Researchers at Tohoku University have uncovered a new principle that could help accelerate the development of cheaper and more efficient fuel cells. The team discovered that dual-atom catalysts follow a previously unknown “dual-Sabatier optima” pattern, overturning long-standing assumptions in catalyst science and opening new possibilities for clean energy technologies.

The Hong Kong Direct Subsidy Scheme Schools Council Limited (DSSSC) and Lingnan University officially signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on 19th May 2026. The two parties announced they will work together to provide systematic advancement support for non-local students in Direct Subsidy Scheme schools. This collaboration marks Lingnan as the sixth local university to sign an MoU with the DSSSC, showcasing the DSSSC’s fruitful achievements in driving close cooperation with local tertiary institutions. By establishing strategic admission channels and comprehensive transitional support, both parties aim to actively support and promote the government's "Study in Hong Kong" brand, jointly nurturing outstanding talents and enhancing Hong Kong's attractiveness as an international education hub.

A research team led by Professor Forester Wong Yu-ting, Assistant Professor in the Department of Accountancy at City University of Hong Kong (CityUHK), pioneered a novel approach to detecting “differential communication”. The study, titled “Differential Communication and Local Information Advantage: Revelations from Translation Differences”, was recently published in The Accounting Review, a top-tier journal in the field of accounting.

To mark the forthcoming 60th anniversary in 2027 of Lingnan University’s re-establishment in Hong Kong and the 140th anniversary in 2028 of its founding in Guangzhou, the University has officially established the new Lingnan University History Exhibition Hall on its Tuen Mun campus, and held the Opening cum Lingnan Education Organization Ambassadors Appointment Ceremony. The Exhibition Hall presents, through valuable archival materials and exhibits, the University’s development over a century, tracing its origins to its Guangzhou-based predecessor, the Christian College in China, founded in 1888 during the late Qing period. The exhibition offers students, alumni, and members of the public a profound understanding of Lingnan’s historical roots and educational ethos.

DeepTYLCV: An interpretable and experimentally validated AI model for predicting virulence of different tomato yellow leaf curl virus strains

Researchers have developed a new framework that uses artificial intelligence to monitor wastewater treatment in real time, ensuring environmental safety while maximizing resource recovery. This “twin transition” approach allows facilities to predict system health and optimize energy use simultaneously.

With the rapid growth of Hong Kong’s logistics and delivery services, frontline movers and delivery workers have to cope with physically demanding labour over long periods of time. The United Nations University Hub on Humanitarian Innovation and Technology at Lingnan University (UNU Hub at Lingnan University), the first UNU Hub in Asia and jointly established by Lingnan University and the United Nations University (UNU), recently developed the “IntuCREW – Intelligent Power Assist System”, an AI-powered smart trolley solution that upgrades conventional handcarts into intelligent, power-assisted transport platforms. The system can reduce the pushing effort required to move loads of about 200 kilograms by up to 90 per cent, a force comparable to pushing a 20-kilogram load, significantly easing the physical strain on logistics and delivery workers.

Researchers at National Taiwan University developed bioinspired composites that mimic bone and bamboo structures to improve strength and toughness simultaneously. Using artificial intelligence, simulations, and 3D printing, the team discovered how soft layers near cracks can prevent catastrophic failure.

Ethical Patient Allocation and Statistical Rigor in One Framework

The evolution of higher education in the digital era has attracted global attention, and Prof S. Joe Qin, President and Wai Kee Kau Chair Professor of Data Science at Lingnan University, recently published a paper titled “AI for education: The digital transformation of a liberal arts institution – implementation at Lingnan University” in a leading international journal Computers and Education: Artificial Intelligence. The paper’s in-depth analysis of the role artificial intelligence (AI) plays in education uses Lingnan as a case study to examine the success of its pilot initiatives.

Leading international industrial media outlet Control Global has announced that Prof S. Joe Qin, President and Wai Kee Kau Chair Professor of Data Science of Lingnan University, has been inducted into the 2026 Process Automation Hall of Fame in recognition of his long-term outstanding contributions and far-reaching impact in industrial data analytics, process control and automation, the only scholar from the Hong Kong SAR to receive this distinction. Inductees over the years have been key figures driving industrial technological innovation and theoretical breakthroughs, and the accolade is held in very high esteem by both the international academic and industrial communities.

35 scholars from Lingnan University have been named in the latest "World’s Best Scientists 2026" rankings published by Research.com, a leading international academic platform. This achievement underscores the University’s exceptional research capabilities and academic contributions, gaining international recognition for Lingnan’s commitment to "Liberal Arts + Technology" and academic excellence.

Transforming film education through interactive game – CineSim, developed by the Department of Digital Arts and Creative Industries at Lingnan University, received the Technological or Digital Innovation of the Year award at the Times Higher Education Awards Asia 2026 on the evening of 22 April. Widely regarded as the Oscars of higher education, the Awards are highly competitive, and Lingnan University stood out from more than 500 entries worldwide to become the only institution to receive the Technological or Digital Innovation of the Year award. This achievement clearly demonstrates the University’s lead in educational innovation and the application of digital technologies, which have earned full recognition from the international higher education community.

Researchers developed a new artificial intelligence (AI) technique that could help overcome a major bottleneck in the development of large-scale quantum computers. The method enables automated analysis of key measurement data used in semiconductor spin qubits.

The Lingnan University Institute for Advanced Study (LUIAS) held a conferment ceremony today, 21 April, to honour two internationally famous scholars. Prof Arnold B. Bakker, a leading authority in work and organisational psychology at Erasmus University Rotterdam, was appointed a Lingnan Fellow. Prof M. Jae Moon, an eminent scholar in public management and digital governance from Yonsei University, Korea, received the title of Senior Lingnan Scholar. Both scholars are ranked on the Stanford University World’s Top 2% Scientists list, and this will drive Lingnan University’s endeavours in international research and collaborative exchange.

Engineers at NIMS develop a system that captures all the elements of trial and error in material design, enabling reliable reproduction of the reasoning processes and results