Technology

For many years, designing synthetic polymer systems has been inspired by the hierarchical self-assembly of folded proteins into functional nanostructures. However, extending folding-based design principles to small synthetic molecules has remained elusive. In particular, luminescent molecules with complex three-dimensional structures were considered difficult to assemble. Now, researchers from Japan demonstrate that such molecules can undergo folding-mediated self-assembly to form highly ordered nanotubes. These structures exhibit unique multidirectional energy transport, highlighting their potential for advanced optoelectronic applications.

Lingnan University and Yuanpei College of Peking University (PKU) organised the Lingnan-Yuanpei STEM Summer Academy (LYSSA) jointly for the third consecutive year. Coordinated by the Lingnan’s Office of Student Affairs, the LYSSA 2026 opening ceremony took place virtually on 20 April 2026, and attracted more than 40 experts, instructors, and students from both universities, providing a platform for Beijing-Hong Kong SAR youth to discuss innovation and entrepreneurship, improve their future competitiveness at work, and promote cultural exchanges and cooperation. The winning team will receive a cash prize of HK$50,000, as well as an incubation fund of up to HK$500,000 from the Lingnan Foundation, to support students in transforming their innovative ideas into entrepreneurial projects, products, or services with market potential.

The Hong Kong SAR imports over 90 per cent of its food, and it can be very difficult when food safety incidents occur to trace the source across a complex supply chain. Prof Leng Mingming, Dean of the Faculty of Business and Chair Professor of Operations and Risk Management at Lingnan University, has published a new study proposing the introduction of a unified product tracing system across the food supply chain. The study confirms that such a system would improve overall traceability efficiency, and analysis shows that cooperative mechanisms across supply chain tiers help reduce the entry of problematic food into the market, improving both food safety and consumer confidence. The research findings have been published in the internationally respected flagship journal IISE Transactions of the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers.

Prof Richard M. Walker, Head of the Department of Government and International Affairs and Lee Shau Kee Foundation Chair Professor of Public Administration at Lingnan University, has been given the prestigious Routledge Lifetime Achievement Award by the International Research Society for Public Management (IRSPM) in recognition of his sustained dedication and outstanding contributions to the field. Prof Walker is the first scholar in HKSAR to receive this honour, bringing distinction to Hong Kong's academic community and emphasising Lingnan University's international leadership in the discipline.

Researchers have succeeded in improving mobility efficiency by having the snake-like robot move using an “undulating motion” on uneven terrain and a “rolling motion” on level ground.

Researchers are investigating how 3D printers could achieve unprecedented levels of precision when creating batteries, opening the door for new innovations.

Matcha surprise, Smart sea urchin spines, Breaking biomass bonds, Hybrid air-conditioning, Alga in gloom & A touch of tech. Read all in the latest Editor's Choice. Plus Early Bird submissions for Asia Research News 2027

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.

Researchers from National Taiwan University and Chulalongkorn University developed a copper-based catalyst system that improves low-temperature methanol synthesis from carbon dioxide hydrogenation by balancing two key steps in the reaction.

Researchers have demonstrated the world’s first simultaneous generation of 3,070 optical vortices at megawatt-class peak power (58 MW). By reformulating Hermite–Gaussian to Laguerre–Gaussian mode conversion and implementing it through a compact multibeam interference architecture, the team achieved more than three orders of magnitude improvement in both vortex number and peak power. The work establishes a scalable framework for high-intensity structured-light generation.

International research collaboration develops smarter reuse of past forecasts to improve subseasonal heat predictions—without extra computation

The Malaysia Technology Expo (MTE) 2026 proudly marks its Silver Jubilee, celebrating 25 years as one of Asia’s leading platforms for invention, innovation, and technology commercialization.

Single monomer containing thiolactone and pyridyl disulfide molecules allows for variable polymer functionalities

A novel computational approach reveals an oxygen vacancy-mediated synthesis mechanism, overcoming longstanding limits in atomic-level structural control

Holds potential for use in developing next-generation catalysts

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.

New technology coming out of Ateneo de Manila University is helping reveal the technology of the Philippines' deep past.

A joint research team between the Center for Quantum Information and Quantum Biology (QIQB) at The University of Osaka and Fixstars Corporation has demonstrated one of the world's largest classical simulations of iterative quantum phase estimation (IQPE) quantum circuits for quantum chemistry on up to 1,024 GPUs, surpassing the previous 40-qubit limit. The result expands the scale of molecular systems available for the development and validation of quantum algorithms for future fault-tolerant quantum computers, supporting progress toward industrial applications in drug discovery and materials development.

Free-electron lasers can be tuned to operate over a wide range of wavelengths, but they conventionally require large-scale facilities. Researchers from The University of Osaka show that laser wakefield acceleration can dramatically miniaturize this technology by improving plasma stability and electron beam quality. Their study demonstrates such lasers in the extreme ultraviolet, with the ultimate goal of further refining the technology to operate at x-ray wavelengths.

In response to the global demand for clean energy transition, tandem solar cells are recognised as a crucial next-generation technology that will significantly improve solar power efficiency. Scholars from Lingnan University’s Wu Jieh Yee School of Interdisciplinary Studies (WJYSIS) and their collaborators have innovatively developed a novel interfacial structure, which substantially reduces energy loss and successfully overcomes the current limitations of perovskite solar cells in voltage, further improving the efficiency of converting sunlight into electricity. Their findings, published in the top-tier international journal Nature Communications, affirm Lingnan University’s research capabilities in the fields of renewable energy materials and photovoltaic technology.

Researchers develop a system that inflates human lung organoids from within to analyze lung mechanics

Opening new possibilities for fluorescence-based imaging in extreme environments, from bioimaging to advanced materials

A new global review shows countries taking very different approaches to regulating polygenic embryo testing

When donning an augmented or mixed reality headset, typing via air gestures can be tiring. To remedy this, researchers at Tohoku University developed an approach that turns everyday surfaces into keyboards.

Fujitsu Limited and the Center for Quantum Information and Quantum Biology at The University of Osaka today announced the development of a new technology designed to accelerate the industrial application of quantum computers in the era of early fault-tolerant quantum computing (early-FTQC). By combining ver. 3 of the STAR architecture, a unique highly efficient phase rotation gate quantum computing architecture, with a novel molecular model optimization technique, researchers have significantly reduced computational resource requirements. This breakthrough will enable the energy calculations for chemical material design such as catalyst molecules, within a realistic timeframe using early-FTQC quantum computers. These kinds of calculations are currently not possible using current computers, and would take millennia even using previous versions of the STAR architecture. The technologies are expected to contribute to solving various societal challenges, including accelerating drug discovery, improving the efficiency of ammonia synthesis processes, and advancing carbon recycling technologies.

Hiroshima University researchers develop a new experimental method to demonstrate that interference physically delocalizes each photon.

Researchers from The University of Osaka have proposed a compact LED design that directly emits circularly polarized light using a nanoscale GaN metasurface integrated onto the device. This design removes the need for bulky optical components traditionally used to create polarized light and could help enable smaller optical systems for applications such as 3D displays, augmented reality, and photonic technologies.

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.

A study, published in Small, has introduced a breakthrough solution in the form of a 3D-printed, auxetic hydrogel dressing known as MX/CPDs@PBGC.