Professor Ady Suwardi, Vice-Chancellor Assistant Professor from Department of Electronic Engineering received the award of Innovators Under 35 Asia Pacific 2024 by MIT Technology Review. "Innovators Under 35" is a prestigious platform and program that has been identifying young talent for over 20 years. This is an annual award to young scientists and innovators across Asia-Pacific region, limited to 35 awardees under age of 35 years old. This annual selection not only celebrates these individuals’ outstanding achievements but also underscores the growing influence of Asian talent in reshaping the global tech landscape.

Professor Suwardi turned waste into treasure by recycling discarded electronic devices such as solar panels, providing novel approaches to solve energy and environmental problems and maximize economic and environmental value. His research group primarily focuses on thermoelectric materials and devices, exploring how to convert waste electronic products into useful materials and enhance the thermoelectric performance of these materials through innovative technologies. Professor Suwardi and his team have conducted extensive research in the field of thermoelectric materials, including materials synthesis, processing technologies, the physics of electronic and thermal transport, and thermoelectric devices for ambient energy harvesting.

In a previous project, Professor Suwardi’s team developed an innovative method to upcycle non-purified silicon solar cells into valuable thermoelectric materials. By introducing phosphorus and germanium doping, they successfully converted non-purified silicon into thermoelectric materials with a figure of merit zT of 0.45. This approach offers both environmental and economic value and provides a new avenue for addressing environmental and energy challenges simultaneously.

Additionally, they developed new thermoelectric materials using advanced processes like 3D printing, especially focusing on the high-performance engineering of 3D-printed porous thermoelectric materials. These practices successfully achieved environmentally friendly and efficient energy conversion.

More information: https://www.mittrchina.com/news/detail/13756

The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) and Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU) held the MOU signing ceremony and press conference on 9 September, announcing collaboration of an Undergraduate Dual Degree (Finance + FinTech) Programme. Witnessed by Professor Rocky Tuan, Vice-Chancellor; Professor Alan Chan, Provost; Professor Chan Wai-yee, Vice-Chancellor (Strategic Development); and Professor Xu Jianbin, Associate Dean (Mainland Affairs), Faculty of Engineering from CUHK, Mr. Ding Kuiling, President of SJTU; Mr. Liu Weidong, Vice President of SJTU; and Mr. Jiang Wenning, Secretary of the CPC SJTU ACEM Committee of Antai College of Economics and Management, Professor Tsang Hon-ki, Dean of Engineering, CUHK and Professor Liu Shaoxuan, Associate Dean of Antai College of Economics and Management and Executive Dean of SJTU-BOC Institute of Technology & Finance signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to collaborate in launch a dual degree programme.

CUHK and SJTU will join hands to offer the first dual degree programme to nurture innovative fintech professionals with a sense of social responsibility and an international perspective for the financial and technology industry. SJTU’s and CUHK's extensive industrial cooperation and rich alumni resources will provide a strong guarantee for the practicum part of the programme. Through the establishment of a financial technology practice platform, the two universities will play a role in the joint training of practice bases, helping students enter financial technology enterprises, financial institutions, science and technology enterprises, third-party financial service institutions, financial regulatory departments and other diversified fields, and provide students with various career options (such as financial analysts, financial product managers, financing consultants for science and technology enterprises, data experts, cyber security specialist, etc.).

With a good business environment and advantages in financial resources, Shanghai actively promotes research and development as well as innovative application of fintech technologies, creating a good development ecology for fintech enterprises and talents. Meanwhile, Hong Kong has made remarkable achievements in the field of financial technology in recent years. The Hong Kong government keeps an open mind to virtual assets, Web3 technology, blockchain, etc., and actively promotes the development of related technologies and applications, showing the characteristics of diversification, internationalization and innovation-driven. In the above context, SJTU and CUHK have joined hands to collaborate for undergraduate talent training, continue to promote the sharing and collaborative innovation of educational resources providing students with diversified learning and innovation space in talent training, and jointly promote the development of global financial technology.

The National Nature Science Foundation of China (NSFC) recently announced 2024 funding results. Four professors from Faculty of Engineering have obtained funding support, among which two of them have been awarded the “Excellent Young Scientists Fund”, a prestigious talent development program; and two of them receive support from the “Young Scientists Fund”. The total funding for the 4 projects amounted to RMB4.6 million. The recognition and funding these young research talents received will elevate their scientific endeavors.

The two professors receiving “Excellent Young Scientists Fund” are Professor Duan Liting, Assistant Professor from the Department of Biomedical Engineering and Professor Zhou Renjie, Associate Professor from the Department of Biomedical Engineering. Professor Duan receives the funding for her project on Synthetic Biology while Prof. Zhou receives support for his project on Quantitative Phase Microscopy and Applications.

Each of the researchers funded by the “Excellent Young Scientists Fund” will receive RMB2 million to support their research in Hong Kong for a maximum of three years. Launched in 2019, this fund supports young scientists who have demonstrated achievements in fundamental research to further pursue their chosen area, fostering intellectual development in academics.

Professor Lai Jiewen, Research Assistant Professor from the Department of Electronic Engineering and Professor Huang Chaoran, Assistant Professor from the Department of Electronic Engineering receive support from the “Young Scientists Fund”. Professor Lai’s funded project is Research on Key Technology of Coupled Tendon-driven Continuum Robots for Robot-assisted Minimally Invasive Surgery while Professor Huang’s project is Development of High-performance Optical Neural Network and its Programming Algorithm.

Each of the professors funded by the “Young Scientists Fund” will receive funding of RMB300,000 to support their projects for three years. The fund started accepting applications from Hong Kong researchers in 2022. It supports young scholars in conducting fundamental research in their domains, enhancing their ability to undertake innovative projects independently and nurturing the growth of young scientists.

More details: https://www.cpr.cuhk.edu.hk/en/press/25-cuhk-professors-receive-funding-support-from-national-natural-science-foundation-of-china-worth-over-rmb41-million-in-total/