KE Spotlight - Community Engagement - HKU Knowledge Exchange

HKU chemist-led research generates industrial-competitive materials and technologies for organic light-emitting devices (OLEDs) and organic photovoltaics

A multi-institutional team led by Professor Vivian Yam of HKU’s Department of Chemistry has developed robust phosphorescent OLED materials, the superior performances of which have attracted a lot of interests from industry. An exclusive license agreement on OLED material patents has been executed with one of the world’s leading OLED display manufacturers. The licensing is anticipated to realise next-generation OLED technologies.

HKU quantum physicist Dr Giulio Chiribella receives Croucher Senior Research Fellowship 2018

Dr Giulio Chiribella, an associate professor at the Department of Computer Science, was a recipient of the Croucher Senior Research Fellowship. Dr Chiribella is a quantum information scientist. He will explore a new paradigm of communication, in which multiple transmission lines are combined in a genuine quantum way. Future communication networks may be able to guarantee the transmission of data even in scenarios where no communication is currently possible. The new paradigm has also the potential to increase the security of communications.

HKU Chair of Power Electronics Professor Ron Hui led sustainable lighting systems research brings new LED products and theory breakthrough

A theme-based research project on sustainable lighting, funded by the Research Grants Council and led by Professor Ron S.Y. Hui, Chair of Power Electronics at the HKU Faculty of Engineering, developed a sustainable LED street lamp that could be bright, energy-efficient, long-lasting and recyclable. Energy-saving passive LED drivers having long product lifetime of over 10 years and over 80 percent materials recyclability have been tested in hundreds of street lamps across Heshan in Guangdong province, with an additional 8,000 due to be replaced in the Mainland city. His team also developed a smart system for precise dimming and colour control of LED lamps comprising warm-white and cool-white colour, a breakthrough both in technology and theory.

HKU astronomers promote stargazing manners and dark sky conservation

The HKU Physics Department has been conducting comprehensive research on the light pollution conditions all around Hong Kong for over a decade through the Hong Kong Night Sky Brightness Monitoring Network. Results from the Monitoring Network clearly indicate light pollution is serious in Hong Kong, and the actual number of meteors observable is closely related to the level of light pollution: the more serious the light pollution is, the smaller the numbers of stars and meteors observable. The measured night sky brightness data collected also allows for more realistic estimates of the number of meteors observable. To promote dark sky preservation, the Department is launching the “Be a responsible stargazer • Enjoy the meteor shower” Campaign to encourage the adoption of proper stargazing manners, and to promote reducing light pollution. The Department has also prepared a series of educational infographics for non-experts on meteor showers and dark sky preservation and it is available for free at the public website: http://nightsky.physics.hku.hk/KE/201718/.

HKU spin-off artificial intelligence startup closes Series Pre-A round led by Horizons Ventures

Fano Labs, a Hong Kong-based artificial intelligence (AI) startup specialising in speech and natural language processing (NLP) technologies and a spin-off from HKU, raised a Series Pre-A round led by Horizons Ventures. The company was co-founded in 2015 by Dr Miles Wen, a PhD graduate from HKU and Professor Victor O.K. Li, Head of the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at HKU. With Fano Labs' technical focus in Chinese dialects processing and analysis, the funds raised will fuel the company's expansion into the billion-dollar Chinese call centre industry, where many of these calls are in various Chinese dialects. As of today, the company has already developed speech and NLP technologies for Cantonese and Sichuanese, in addition to English and Mandarin.

HKU law scholar writes law book for children

HKU Law Assistant Professor Dr Michael Ng published a book, “Kids also know the law”, specifically for children on simple legal concepts. Topics including bullying, libel, and privacy. The book was written from the children’s perspective, with examples derived from the everyday life or well-known fairytales. Dr Ng said he was inspired about 10 years ago when he noticed there was a lack of books on law targeting children.

HKU Professor Kenneth Leung conferred fellowship by Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry

Professor Kenneth Leung Mei-yee of the Swire Institute of Marine Science and School of Biological Sciences of HKU was conferred as a Fellow of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) in recognition of his contributions to ecotoxicology, environmental chemistry, risk assessment and/or life cycle assessment. There are only 57 SETAC Fellows around the world.