CENTRAL INTERDEPARTMENTAL AND DEPARTMENTAL

To support and extend research based in academic departments, the University has established a number of research institutes and centers. Institutes promote and facilitate broad interdisciplinary research collaboration, while centers tend to be more focused. Such units advance the complementary research interests of a group of faculty and research staff, normally across traditional disciplinary boundaries.

Together with disciplinary research in academic departments, the following specialized research units provide both postgraduate and undergraduate students with opportunities to participate in leading-edge fundamental and applied research.

Research Institutes

Each research institute is managed by a Director who is responsible for programs, projects, facilities and personnel. Faculty, staff, students and visitors should contact the director if they wish to become involved in a particular program.

Advanced Manufacturing Institute

The mission of the Advanced Manufacturing Institute (AMI) is to enhance the competitiveness of manufacturing enterprise in Hong Kong. By building a synergy among the existing strengths in Automation Technology, Design Technology and Systems Integration Technology in the University and by leveraging on the unique location of Hong Kong in an area of rapid industrialization, the University is well positioned to be a major international center in global manufacturing.

The AMI’s research outcomes will directly benefit Hong Kong economy through the upgrading of its manufacturing industry. This includes transferring research results to local industry, spinning off appropriate projects as stand-alone business ventures, and providing better trained manufacturing professionals.

Areas of Focus

The scope of AMI encompasses the planning, design, implementation and operation of the manufacturing industry from marketing to delivery. Research and development of AMI focus on:

• Automation Technology (including Motion Control, Sensor, Actuator, Instrumentation and Rapid Prototyping),

• Design Technology (CAD/CAM, Concurrent Engineering, Human Modeling, Design Modeling and Virtual Reality Technology), and

• System Integration Technology (Mass Customization, Supply Chain Management, System Engineering, and Environment Policy Compliance).

CENTRAL INTERDEPARTMENTAL AND DEPARTMENTAL RESEARCH UNITS

These technologies are key elements of modern manufacturing systems. In order to achieve world class manufacturing, all three elements above need to be strengthened.

Research Programs and Projects

Manufacturing automation technology programs include rapid prototyping/tooling, manufacturing process control, grinding technology, multi-fingered robotic hands and manipulation, special-purpose robots, robotic vision and sensing systems, fuzzy control systems, non-linear and robust control techniques for mechatronic applications, motor drive and control systems, transportation automation, industrial motion control applications.

Design technology programs include manufacturing system design, modeling and simulation for business process engineering, computer-aided design, human modeling, finite element modeling, reliability modeling of electronic packaging, design for supply chain management, concurrent engineering, design knowledge management systems, process design, CAD for quality and manufacturability.

System integration technology programs of manufacturing include mass customization, supply chain, integrating human factor, organization and technology, CAD/CAM integration systems, computer-aided process planning, computer integrated manufacturing system, quality control and measurement technology, management for new product development.

Biotechnology Research Institute

Globally, biotechnology continues to represent one of the most rapidly growing industries as a result of its propensity to provide innovative and state-of-the-art solutions to many complex issues facing the future well-being of the world and its population. As we enter the 21st Century, exciting and historical breakthroughs in basic and applied research await us just over the horizon. These critical advancements and their immediate applications to the medical, agricultural, food, energy and environmental sciences will ensure the continued outgrowth of the biotechnology industry. Noting the rapid pace by which biotechnology products are being developed, the future growth and expansion of this industry will most assuredly have a profound impact on the future health and well-being of humankind, as well as the world’s economy. In light of these developments, many countries have begun to recognize the importance of building-up their existing biotechnology base. From its inception, HKUST has made development and advancement of biotechnology one of the primary research initiatives of its faculty. With intuitiveness, HKUST in 1990 established the Biotechnology Research Institute (BRI) using a generous donation of $130 million from the Hong Kong Jockey Club.

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CENTRAL INTERDEPARTMENTAL AND DEPARTMENTAL RESEARCH UNITS

The mission of the BRI is to assist Hong Kong in developing a strong biotechnology industry through recruitment of outstanding and motivated faculty, training of professionals, expansion and continued development of state-of-the-art research facilities, support of basic and applied research in relevant areas of science, and further development and enhancement of promising biotechnology products. Additionally, the Institute has assumed a committed and supportive role for the development of enabling technologies, such as DNA array and integrated biochips, which are key capabilities vital to establishing a globally competitive biotechnology industry in Hong Kong. The focus of BRI research and development interests and expertise include :

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)

• to provide scientific verification of the effects of TCM

• to discover lead compounds for new drug development

• to evaluate the efficacy and safety of TCM

• to develop methods and protocols for TCM quality assurance and reformulation Neuro-Proteins

• to discover novel neuro-proteins and elucidate their cellular functions and molecular interactions

• to identify potential therapeutic and diagnostic approaches to neuro-diseases Protein Engineering and Design

• to elucidate the pathways of protein folding and the structural basis of protein stability so that therapeutically useful proteins with improved properties can be designed.

Plant Biotechnology

• to produce transgenic crop plants that can better withstand the environmental stresses inherent to this region, and bring about improvements to the agricultural economy of the region.

Additionally, BRI actively sponsors several research facilities essential for conducting cutting-edge biotechnology research:

• Plant Growth Facility • Animal Care Facility

• Fermentation Facility • High-Throughput Drug Screening Facility

• Microscopy Facility • Molecular Biology Facility

• Nuclear Magnetic Resonance • Genechip Facility

Facility (500 MHz & 750 MHz) • Combinatorial Chemistry Facility

Currently, BRI maintains worldwide affiliations with universities, research institutes and industrial entities, as well as serving as a supporting institution for the newly formed International Molecular Biology Network for Asia and the Pacific Rim (IMBN).

BRI’s web site address: (http://www.ust.hk/~bri)

CENTRAL INTERDEPARTMENTAL AND DEPARTMENTAL RESEARCH UNITS

Europe Institute

The mission of the Europe Institute - an umbrella organization focused on science, technology, and management - is to promote academic exchange and R&D collaboration with European universities, research institutes, and corporations. It provides a foothold for European institutions seeking to establish a strong, long-term presence in China or East Asia - especially in academic research, applied R&D work, technology-based manufacturing, and the service industry.

Two national centers are formed under the Institute: the German Center and the French Center. Activities of these Centers include:

• faculty collaboration involving short-term visits

• long-term collaborative research projects

• student exchange, particularly at the graduate level

• collaboration on contract research and R&D projects Europe Institute’s Website : http://www.ust.hk/ei

Hongkong Telecom Institute of Information Technology

This Institute was founded with a grant of $65 million from Hong Kong Telecommunication Limited. The concept of the Institute is based on the recognition that in future there will be no economic development, no industry or commerce, no service or manufacturing capability of any significance without the full utilization of telecommunication and information technology. All Schools at the University are involved in the research activities of this Institute. At present, the Institute is sponsoring five major research programs, namely lightwave technology, network technology, wireless communication, video technology, and human language technology.

Undergraduate scholarships and postgraduate research assistantships are also offered through the Institute, and certain members of the academic faculty are designated as Institute Fellows.

Institute for Environment and Sustainable Development

Hong Kong has made the improvement of its environment a high priority to ensure sound future development. HKUST has contributed to this effort over the past years through its Institute for Environment and Sustainable Development and through the collaborative efforts of the staff and students in the participating departments. Over 40 projects have been carried out for a total funding of over $35 million in collaboration with governments and industries in Hong Kong, China and Southeast Asia. The projects cover air and water pollution, marine coastal zone management, cleaner production for Hong Kong and China’s industries, eco-labelling for Hong Kong, remote sensing and environmental GIS studies, to name but a few.

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CENTRAL INTERDEPARTMENTAL AND DEPARTMENTAL RESEARCH UNITS

The change of name to “Institute of Environment and Sustainable Development” (IESD) as of 1 April 1997 is deliberate. It emphasizes that the philosophy of the Institute is to support development necessary for a growing population and an increasing standard of living, but to ensure as much as possible that such development is carried out in a “substainable” way, that is, in harmony with our environment.

IESD, in collaboration with the Department of Chemical Engineering has started a newly funded project by the Hong Kong Jockey Club to build Mobile Real-time Air Monitoring Platform (MAP). This is an advanced system for the measurement of gaseous air pollutants, volatile organic compounds, and various aerosols properties and compositions while in transit.

MAP will be important in understanding the dynamics and mechanisms of atmospheric pollution. In collaboration with the Departments of Biology and Chemical Engineering, a program in bioaerosols has been initiated. Bioaerosols are of primary importance in Hong Kong because of the high temperature and humidity in the summer.

The Pearl River Estuary Pollution (PREPP) is a joint project between HKUST’s IESD and CCAR (Center for Coastal and Atmospheric Research) and several partner institutions in the Mainland. Its objectives are to improve our scientific knowledge of the physical, chemical and biological ecosystem of the estuary.

Institute of Integrated Microsystems

The Institute of Integrated Microsystems (IIMS) was established in January 2001. It is a new initiative based on the prior success of the Institute of Microsystems (IMS), which was active from 1994 to 2000.

The main objective of IIMS is to coordinate the frontier research across campus on micro-sciences and micro and nano technologies. Involving about 40 faculty in both the School of Engineering and School of Science at HKUST, the current activities include micro and nano fabrication technology and applications of MEMS, MOEMS, various types of sensors, actuators, and bio-chips; micro and nano tribology, micro-heat transfer, micro-dynamics, thin films and ER fluids, micro-fuel cells, micro machining and micro-assembly, packaging and bio-chips.

IIMS is enhancing the infrastructure for the fabrication and characterization of micro and nano systems at HKUST. It will facilitate interdisciplinary projects, and promote interaction with local industries and collaboration with institutions in the Chinese Mainland and overseas.

Institute of Nano Science and Technology Mission

The Institute of Nano Science and Technology (INST) aims to pursue world-class fundamental research in the area of nanostructured materials, to create critical interdisciplinary opportunities, to train human resources, and to partner with local and regional industry for technology transfer of research results.

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Goals

• To forge a multidisciplinary collaborative team, and through the synergism of materials synthesis, experiment/characterization, and theory/simulation, to generate new knowledge in the physics and chemistry of nanostructured materials and their attendant properties, with an eye toward industrial applications.

• To strengthen scientific interactions with other local research groups and top research groups around the world in nanostructured materials.

• To educate students in the science and technology of nanostructured materials, and to disseminate the most up-to-date discoveries and their implications to the general public.

Research Programs

Nanostructured materials constitute a field of immense diversity. In order to be effective in obtaining the best results with limited resources, INST intends to focus its research in the following three areas of existing strength.

(a) Ordered nanostructures

At HKUST, we have successfully fabricated the world’s smallest carbon nanotube arrays by means of using zeolite crystals as templates. We are also the world’s first to discover room-temperature UV lasing from zinc oxide nanocrystal arrays. With the additional support of INST, organized efforts will be mounted to study the fascinating electrical and optical properties of quantum wires as represented by the 4.2-Angstrom carbon nanotubes, and to understand the role of strong electron-electron correlation in the measured characteristics. We also intend to fabricate, by using either the atomic force microscope or the chemical means, ordered two dimensional nanostructures. These structures are expected to exhibit exotic physical characteristics such as the Giant Hall effect, which could have potential applications.

(b) Composites and polymeric systems

A new type of materials systems, consisting of multiply-coated microspheres ranging from 0.5 micron to 50 microns in diameter, was conceived and successfully fabricated at HKUST. These microspheres exhibit not only record-setting electrorheological yield strength under an applied field, but can also form mesocrystals that undergo field-induced structural transitions. Future directions include the realization of photonic crystals by using these coated spheres, and fabrication of coated microrods for application in electrorheological fluids. In polymeric systems, polymers with biomemetic nanostructures were successfully synthesized. We would like to explore the use of these polymers as templates for the formation of novel materials. In addition, we intend to pursue the study of polymers in nanosized confined spaces, a topic that can yield potentially significant insight into polymer dynamics that deviate from th bulk.

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CENTRAL INTERDEPARTMENTAL AND DEPARTMENTAL RESEARCH UNITS

(c) Semiconductor heterostructures

A new type of UV detector, using zinc sulfide heterostructures, was successfully demonstrated. This UV detector exhibits not only superior performance, but also lower cost of production. It is now in the commercialization stage. Fundamental questions, such as the role of the isoelectronic center and band-bending, are to be addressed in future research. In III-V semiconductor systems, a new and unified framework has been proposed to explain and predict the current oscillation behavior observed in the vertical electrical transport of the GaAs/A1As superlattice system. Based on the phenomenon of negative differential resistance, the theoretical framework allows the possibility of chaotic oscillations. Such possibility, as well as their physical and technological implications, will constitute part of the research program to be pursued under INST.

In all the research programs, the synergy of theory/simulation, experimentation/

characterization, and material synthesis will be the basic driving force that insures their progress and eventual success.

Shenzhen Institute

Hong Kong and Shenzhen will become a twin-city and the core of a great metropolis in South China. It is only natural for a university designed to enhance the economic and social development of Hong Kong and its region to contribute to the building of a strong partnership across the border.

Funded mainly by the Shenzhen Municipal Government, and under the banner of “Peking University (PKU) - Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) Academic Alliance”, a base has been established in Shenzhen’s High-Tech Industrial Park to offer executive education programs, house applied R&D projects, and incubate technology enterprises. Also, a “Shenzhen PKU-HKUST Medical Center” is being built, and a multi-partner law program is being planned. These peripheral activities round out HKUST’s very focused core programs in teaching, research, and public service.

This Shenzhen Institute coordinates HKUST’s participation in all these activities.

Sino Software Research Institute

The Sino Software Research Institute (SSRI), established in July 1992 with a $20 million grant from the Sino Land Co., Ltd., has the dual aims of supporting software research that can lead to practical applications, and providing assistance in transforming those applications into useful products.

CENTRAL INTERDEPARTMENTAL AND DEPARTMENTAL RESEARCH UNITS

The Institute sees its primary role as that of a catalyst, helping software research projects reach the critical phase in which ideas may be translated into prototypes that can be evaluated using large-scale trails. The Institute also encourages development efforts in areas that are relevant to the economic and social development of Hong Kong. One such project is the

“Hong Kong SuperNet”, which has made full Internet access available to the public, an important step towards maintaining Hong Kong’s status as a regional communications center.

Beyond its interest in software research and development, the SSRI also provides technical and consultative help to local businesses as they seek to implement the latest software technologies. As part of this effort, the Institute sponsors conferences, workshops, seminars and lectures on software topics related to the needs of businesses and public institutions.

Examples are the 16th IEEE International Conference on Distributed Computing Systems and the 10th International World Wide Web Conference which were held in Hong Kong in May 1996 and May 2001 respectively. Both are flagship conferences in the areas.

Transportation Institute

Hong Kong must continually upgrade its transportation services and infrastructure to maintain mobility of people and freight. The Transportation Institute is making a contribution through human resource development and R & D partnerships. Its mission is to become an acclaimed world-class Institute, offering education, training and research programs to international standards of excellence while, at the same time, providing services to the transportation industry in Hong Kong and the region. In consideration of needs and opportunities, the Transportation Institute is strategically focusing on systems engineering and technology aspects of:

• passenger transportation systems (urban, regional and international)

• freight systems and logistics (regional and international)

• economics of transportation (passenger and freight)

Research Centers

Center for Asian Financial Markets

The Center for Asian Financial Markets is formed to develop a data and knowledge base on Asian financial markets to facilitate research and the dissemination of knowledge and expertise. It will also provide an academic interface with government and business. Activities will include publications, provisions of expertise, development of new data and teaching materials, a bi-annual newsletter, a working paper series, seminars and public lectures, executive education, consulting services, and contract research.

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CENTRAL INTERDEPARTMENTAL AND DEPARTMENTAL RESEARCH UNITS

Center for Cultural Studies

The Center aims at achieving the following objectives:

• bring more cohesion to the interdisciplinary nature of the Humanities and Social Science programs;

• stimulate research and intellectual discussions from a global perspective through conferences, workshops and seminars;

• serve as a regional impetus for contemporary cultural and social criticism in Hong Kong and other Asian societies;

• bring visibility to our program, attract prominent scholars, and facilitate future efforts in obtaining funding for scholarly activities; and

• provide intellectual underpinnings for the University’s artistic and cultural life.

Center for Economic Development

Formally established in 1995, the Center for Economic Development promotes strong research programs concentrating on the study of economic development, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region. Emphasis is given to the study of topics such as China's economic reform and open door policy; the economic integration of Hong Kong and Pearl River Delta; the emergence of regional economies in China, in particular the region comprised of the southern coastal provinces. The Center also supports theoretical research on economic growth and transitional economies, and has been active in public policy debates in Hong Kong.

Center for Electronic Commerce

The mission of the Center is to advance the theory and practice of conducting business over

The mission of the Center is to advance the theory and practice of conducting business over