Artificial Intelligence

To enhance the business acumen and practical experience of students from Hong Kong and Greater Bay Area (GBA) tertiary institutions, the Hong Kong Institute of Business Studies (HKIBS) at Lingnan University organised the third Business Case Competition (LUBCC) 2026. The Final Presentation Day and Award Presentation Ceremony were successfully held yesterday (12 April). This year’s competition expanded for the first time to include five GBA universities: Shenzhen University, Jinan University, Foshan University, Guangdong University of Finance and Economics, and Guangdong University of Technology. The first-prize teams were Lingnan University and Foshan University.

Lingnan University today, 13 April, hosted its University Assembly with guest of honour Prof Arieh Warshel, Nobel Laureate in Chemistry in 2013 and widely recognised as one of the founding figures of computational chemistry. In his lecture Electrostatic Basis of Biological Actions, Prof Warshel shared insights from his decades of research and presented an integrated account of his life’s work, from fundamental physical principles and the laws governing electrons to the construction of the “microscopic world” of biological systems. He further extended this framework to the study and application of biomolecules, and highlighted the role of computational tools and artificial intelligence in advancing medical and pharmaceutical research.

When you build a structure, the materials matter. The poorer the materials, the less reliable  the structure. Databases are no different, and with the rise of AI-driven discovery, the importance of feeding highly reliable data has gained added salience. A new study has examined the database architecture being used in materials science to see how it impacts the reliability and vitality of research results.

AI-driven tests jointly developed by Singapore Eye Research Institute (SERI) and Duke-NUS capture patients’ quality of life in minutes, helping doctors and researchers make faster, better-informed decisions.

A collaborative research group has shown that biological neurons can be trained to perform a temporal pattern learning task that was previously carried out by artificial systems

Researchers at Tohoku University have imagined a future where you can assess eye health at a local supermarket, train station, or in remote regions without hospital access using a portable, inexpensive eye scanner.

By introducing fairness from the beginning with ‘fuzzy’ systems that understand ambiguity and shades of correctness, the evolved AIs balanced fairness and accuracy even when tasked with coming up with solutions for complicated financial and ethical issues.

- Extraction of key behavioral elements from videos - Robustness against variations in action speed and duration - Selected for Oral Presentation (acceptance rate: 0.74%) at CVPR, the top computer vision conference

Lingnan University has achieved outstanding results in the international higher education organisation Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings by Subject 2026. Nine broad and individual subjects were designated, and more than half moved up. Philosophy came in the top three in Hong Kong, and Computer Science and Information Systems is included in the list for the first time, showing Lingnan’s considerable recent progress in developing interdisciplinary research in artificial intelligence and data science, which has gained widespread recognition from the international academic community. QS stated that only three Hong Kong universities have achieved a net improvement, with Lingnan University among the most improved.

The Lingnan University Institute for Advanced Study (LUIAS) held a conferment ceremony today, 25 March, to officially appoint Prof Eugene Tyrtyshnikov, distinguished mathematician, Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and Professor and Chairman at Lomonosov Moscow State University, as a Lingnan Fellow, recognising his outstanding academic achievements in computational mathematics and numerical analysis, as well as the significant societal impact of his work.

Lingnan University proudly hosted its signature fundraising event, the Bright Future Charitable Foundation presents: Lingnan University Gala Dinner, held last night (18 March), and raised over HK$3 million. All proceeds will be used to enhance the University’s research facilities, supporting infrastructure, and cutting-edge research projects.

Lingnan University held its 2026 Chinese New Year media reception on the Tuen Mun campus today, 17 March, hosted by 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; Mr Ernest Chan Chi-man, Vice-President (Administration); Prof Sam Kwong Tak-Wu, Associate Vice-President (Strategic Research) and J.K. Lee Chair Professor of Computational Intelligence, and Prof Lau Chi-pang, Special Advisor to President on Publicity cum Director of Communications and Public Affairs. They announced the University’s most recent news and its strategic development blueprint for the coming years, which includes a series of campus development initiatives which will continue to improve teaching, research, and innovation.

Lingnan University has achieved spectacular results at the 51st International Exhibition of Inventions Geneva with all 13 of the inventions it entered winning awards. This remarkable success includes one Gold Medal with Congratulations of the Jury, five Gold Medals, three Silver Medals and four Bronze Medals. One of the projects, “FlexiBot: Make Every Parking Spot a Charging Spot”, also received an additional award, "Thailand Award for the Best International Invention and Innovation" issued by the National Research Council of Thailand, winning a total of 14 awards. The number of projects entered and awards received have more than doubled since last year, setting a new record for Lingnan, and confirming the University’s excellence in groundbreaking interdisciplinary research.

This invited publication highlights the contributions of Distinguished Professor Hao Li to AI and materials science – focusing on their original concept for a digital materials ecosystem.

The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region announced today (March 12) the appointment of Lingnan University President and Wai Kee Kau Chair Professor of Data Science Prof S. Joe Qin as a member of the Board of Directors of the Hong Kong Artificial Intelligence Research and Development Institute. He has been appointed for a two-year term from 13 March 2026 to 12 March 2028.

The Lingnan University Institute for Advanced Study (LUIAS) hosted a conferment ceremony today, 10 March, to honour Prof Guillermo Sapiro, Augustine Family Professor in Electrical and Computer Engineering at Princeton University and Distinguished Engineer at Apple, Inc. He was formally appointed a Lingnan Fellow in recognition of his remarkable academic achievements and significant contributions in the field.

Lingnan University is proud to announce that Prof Leng Mingming, Dean of the Faculty of Business and Chair Professor of Operations and Risk Management, has been named the recipient of the Beta Gamma Sigma (BGS)’s 2026 Dean of the Year Award. Prof Leng was the sole winner selected from over 640 universities across 39 countries and regions. The award is presented annually to one outstanding dean who has demonstrated exceptional leadership in business education and consistent support for students. Prof Leng will attend the award ceremony in Seattle this April.

The Ateneo Laboratory for Intelligent Visual Environments (ALIVE) is eager to co-develop machine learning solutions with leading experts from various disciplines.

Kelli canines, Healthy fats in rice, Mercury and Earth in chorus, AI lights up materials discovery, Radiation detection with phones and Down to one. Read all in the latest Editor's Choice. Plus Women's Month 2026.

A team of researchers from Taiwan has developed PanMETAI, an AI-powered platform that analyses metabolic fingerprints in a simple blood sample to detect pancreatic cancer at its earliest stages—when treatment is most effective—achieving up to 94% diagnostic accuracy.

Lingnan University announced today (4 March) that it will officially launch the Samuel C.C. Ting Elite Class (CCT Class) in the 2026/27 academic year. The Class, bearing the name of Nobel Prize-winning physicist Professor Samuel C.C. Ting, will select a group of top-performing undergraduate students from among recipients of the University Entrance Scholarships for comprehensive learning opportunities.

New award to celebrate researchers accelerating discovery through the use of AI and machine‑learning technologies.

Lingnan University welcomed nearly 200 higher education leaders from all over the world at its Tuen Mun campus today (27 February). The visit was one of the main activities of the 2026 Asia-Pacific Association for International Education (APAIE) Conference and Exhibition. Through campus tours and interactive exchanges, Lingnan showed its internationalised learning environment and innovative teaching facilities, actively highlighting Hong Kong’s unique advantages as an international higher education hub. The University also promoted the “Study in Hong Kong” brand, which aims to attract more non-local students to study and work in the city. Lingnan’s senior management, academic staff, and students explored opportunities to work with representatives of student exchange programmes, research partnerships, and talent recruitment.

In our recent JACS paper, we demonstrate that AI-designed ubiquitin-fold proteins achieve extraordinary stability not by tightening their hydrophobic cores, but by reorganizing surface charges to program a structured hydration shell. Using solution NMR and molecular dynamics simulations, we decode this “hydration shield” as a sequence-encoded and engineerable mechanism for extreme protein resilience.

- Research Team Led by Prof. Sunghoon Im of the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, DGIST, has Developed and Applied a Generative AI Model - Fusion of Art and Technology Manifested at the “Portrait of a Beauty” Preview Exhibition, Held at Daegu Kansong Art Museum from February 14

Reflecting on 2025, Lingnan University reached new heights with a series of “No. 1 in Hong Kong SAR” and “Only in Hong Kong SAR” distinctions across major benchmarks, reaffirming its leadership in teaching and research excellence and the transformative power of its whole-person education. The following highlights showcase Lingnan’s defining achievements in 2025 that secured its “Hong Kong SAR First” and “Hong Kong SAR Only” status.

To inspire students in Hong Kong and the Greater Bay Area (GBA), unleash their creativity, and engage with the evolving landscape of new media, the Department of Marketing and International Business at Lingnan University organised The City Through My Lens: A Social Media Campaign - Video Competition 2025. Students were invited to form teams and create short promotional social media videos capturing the highlights of their cities. The competition provided a platform for GBA secondary school students to express their creativity and broaden their horizons, while also strengthening the connection between the University and the younger generation. This is the first time the competition has included schools across the GBA, and there were 18 entrants. The championship was awarded to Malvern College Hong Kong, the first runner-up was St. Paul's Convent School, and the other runners-up were the HKSYC&IA Chan Nam Chong Memorial College, Sha Tin College, St. Paul’s Secondary School and Yew Chung International School.

Critical to hydrogen’s widespread adoption as a clean energy source is its storage. Solid-state storage, where hydrogen is absorbed into metals, offers an alternative to high-pressure tanks. Yet hydrogen storage alloys face a trade-off between storage capacity and material stability. Tohoku University researchers discovered that magnetism governs this trade-off, and that by controlling the magnetic properties of alloys, it is possible to workaround this trade-off.

Researchers in Taiwan demonstrate that installing solar panels above clam ponds can simultaneously support aquaculture and renewable energy under increasing climate stress. Using real-world farm data, the study shows that moderate shading lowers pond temperatures, reduces water demand, and generates clean electricity. This reveals novel, practical synergies across the Water–Energy–Food–Climate–Land nexus.

Take a dive into the streamlined workflow of DIVE (Descriptive Interpretation of Visual Expression)! DIVE combines multiple AI agents to extract images from about 4,000 scientific publications to propose new materials – all within minutes.