School of Science in Depth

The School of Science at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) envisions itself as "a world-class research-intensive school distinguished by innovative education and cutting-edge research." It comprises the Division of Life Science and four departments—Chemistry, Mathematics, Physics, and Ocean Science^※—covering the core disciplines of natural science along with several emerging interdisciplinary fields.

Scale: 144 full-time faculty members^※; roughly 4,850 students (3,341 undergraduates, 860 research postgraduates, 649 taught postgraduates); approximately 2,114 non-local students^※.

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# 1. Department of Chemistry

# 1.1 Research Directions

The department's research spans five broad areas:

1. Analytical and Environmental Chemistry — development of environmental and bioanalytical methods, atmospheric chemistry, food and pharmaceutical analysis, microfluidics
2. Synthetic Chemistry — organic methodology, total synthesis, organometallic chemistry and catalysis
3. Materials Chemistry — inorganic and hybrid materials, nanomaterials, polymers, aggregation-induced emission (AIE) materials^※, and organic electronic materials
4. Physical and Computational Chemistry — laser spectroscopy, dynamics of biological macromolecules and supramolecular systems
5. Chemical Biology and Medicinal Chemistry — protein organisation in metabolism, signal transduction, medicinal chemistry and drug design

# 1.2 Landmark Achievement: Aggregation-Induced Emission (AIE)

In 2001, Chair Professor Tang Ben-Zhong (唐本忠) of the Department of Chemistry discovered the phenomenon of aggregation-induced emission (AIE)^※. Traditional fluorescent materials suffer from quenching when they aggregate; AIE materials do the opposite, becoming more emissive upon aggregation, thus opening an entirely new direction in fluorescent materials research.

Professor Tang's research team has developed over 200 high-performance fluorescent materials^※, with wide-ranging applications in bioimaging, food safety testing, medical and health monitoring, high-efficiency OLED displays, and forensic science (e.g., fingerprint development).

Professor Tang joined the Department of Chemistry at HKUST as an Assistant Professor in 1994 and was promoted to Chair Professor in 2008^※. He was elected an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2009 and a fellow of The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) in 2020^※. In 2017, he was awarded a First Class Prize in the State Natural Science Award, the first scholar from HKUST to receive this honour^※.

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# 2. Department of Mathematics

# 2.1 Research Directions

Research in the department is organised into two overlapping communities: pure and applied mathematicians focused on mathematics itself, and mathematical scientists, engineers, and statisticians focused on scientific content. Specific research areas include:

• Pure Mathematics: representation theory of reductive groups, quantum groups, infinite-dimensional Lie groups and Lie algebras, algebraic geometry, differential geometry, low-dimensional topology, equivariant topology, combinatorics, and geometric structures in mathematical physics.
• Applied Mathematics: complex analysis, exponential asymptotics, functional analysis, harmonic analysis, wavelet analysis, nonlinear equations and dynamical systems, integrable systems, fluid mechanics, inverse problems.
• Statistics and Data Science: machine learning, statistical inference, graphical models.
• Financial Mathematics: asset allocation and management, derivatives pricing, risk management (increasingly incorporating big data and machine learning in recent years).

The department features three specialised facilities: the Centre for Scientific Computation (CSC), the CryptoFintech Laboratory, and the Math Support Center^※.

# 2.2 Undergraduate and Postgraduate Programmes

At the undergraduate level, the department offers a BSc in Mathematics and, jointly with the School of Business and Management, a BSc in Mathematics and Economics (MAEC). Taught postgraduate programmes include an MSc in Big Data Technology (jointly offered with the Department of Computer Science) and courses under the MAFS code in mathematical finance and statistics. The research postgraduate programmes (MPhil/PhD) cover pure mathematics, applied mathematics, and statistics.

# 2.3 Recent Honours

Professor Kani Chen and his research team from the Department of Mathematics won a Gold Medal at the 51st International Exhibition of Inventions Geneva^※; Professor Quoc Ho received the 2026 Hong Kong Mathematical Society Young Scholar Award^※; students won the Jane Street Best University Award at the 2025 Simon Marais Mathematics Competition^※.

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# 3. Department of Physics

# 3.1 Research Directions and Centres

The Department of Physics operates with a tripartite mission of "Teaching, Research, and Innovation," with research strengths concentrated in:

• Condensed matter physics and quantum materials
• Photonics and photonic crystals
• Fundamental physics

The department collaborates deeply with the HKUST Jockey Club Institute for Advanced Study (IAS), jointly supporting:

• The Center for Fundamental Physics^※ — established with the involvement of Nobel-calibre scholars
• The Center for Metamaterials Research^※
• The Center for Quantum Materials^※
• The William Mong Institute of Nano Science and Technology^※

# 3.2 Undergraduate and Postgraduate Programmes

The department offers a BSc in Physics at the undergraduate level. Minor programmes are available in Astrophysics and Cosmology, and Physics. At the postgraduate level, it offers an MPhil/PhD in Physics through an integrated MPhil-PhD track.

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# 4. Division of Life Science

# 4.1 Structure and Scale

The Division of Life Science is the sole unit within the School of Science designated as a "Division" rather than a "Department." It has 35 full-time faculty members^※, over 600 undergraduates, and more than 200 postgraduate students.

# 4.2 Research Focus

The division's four main research directions are:

1. Neuroscience — home to the State Key Laboratory of Molecular Neuroscience^※, one of 16 State Key Laboratories in Hong Kong. It focuses on Alzheimer's disease mechanisms, synaptic plasticity, and neurodegenerative diseases.
2. Structural Biology — using technologies such as super-resolution microscopy and cryo-electron microscopy to resolve biomolecular structures.
3. Cell and Developmental Biology — stem cell research, mechanisms of embryonic development.
4. Biotechnology — biosensing, drug development, engineered organisms.

The division also hosts the Center for Stem Cell Research^※, the Center for Epigenomics Research^※, and the Center for Chinese Medicine R&D^※.

It has shared access to the Biosciences Central Research Facility (BioCRF)^※ and the Laboratory Animal Facility & Cryo-EM Center^※.

# 4.3 Programmes

Undergraduate: BSc in Biochemistry and Cell Biology (BCB), BSc in Biotechnology (BIOT), BSc in Biomedical and Health Sciences (BMH); and a joint BSc in Biotechnology and Business (BIBU, offered with the School of Business and Management).

Postgraduate: MPhil/PhD in Life Science (including an integrated direct-entry PhD track); taught MSc programmes in Biotechnology, Drug Regulatory Affairs and Policy (DRAP), and Entrepreneurial Leadership in Biotechnology (ELBT).

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# 5. Department of Ocean Science (OCES)

# 5.1 History and Positioning

The Department of Ocean Science has existed since the university's founding and celebrated its 35th anniversary in 2026^※. The department focuses on "interdisciplinary ocean science and technology research and education" and is the only university in Hong Kong with an on-campus ocean research facility (Ocean Research Facility, OCRF), including a waterfront platform^※.

# 5.2 Research Directions

Three major research fields:

1. Marine Ecology — microbial and plankton ecology, the coastal environment of the Pearl River Estuary, biotechnology (marine bioactive compounds), molecular ecology and ecogenomics.
2. Oceanography — ocean circulation, biogeochemical cycles, molecular adaptation in deep-sea organisms, climate change and the ecology of the South China Sea.
3. Ocean Technology — ocean engineering, ocean simulation and resource management.

Primary research areas: the Pearl River Estuary, the coastal waters of Hong Kong, and the deep sea (including the South China Sea).

# 5.3 Programmes

Undergraduate: BSc in Ocean Science and Technology (OST), the first undergraduate degree programme of its kind in Hong Kong^※; an Extended Major in Artificial Intelligence (AI) option is also available.

Postgraduate: MPhil in Marine Environmental Science, PhD in Marine Environmental Science; taught MSc in Environmental Health and Safety, MSc in Global Marine Resources Management (a double-award programme)^※; and joint PhD programmes with mainland Chinese institutions.

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# 6. Faculty Research Infrastructure (Summary of Major Research Units)

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# 7. Subject Rankings (2025)

According to a more recent dataset from the QS 2026 World University Rankings by Subject^※, related subjects within the School of Science also show a strong performance: Chemistry ranks approximately 52nd globally and 2nd in Hong Kong; Mathematics ranks roughly 56th globally and 3rd in Hong Kong; Materials Science ranks about 47th globally and 2nd in Hong Kong. It should be noted that the 2025 and 2026 figures come from different annual editions; small movements in rank may reflect changes in institutional strength, changes in ranking methodology, or both, and one should not over-interpret single-year fluctuations. Viewed in the round, HKUST's School of Science has long maintained a leading position in Hong Kong in data science and AI, materials science, and chemistry. Together with the Schools of Engineering and Business and Management, it forms the tripartite "science-engineering-business" disciplinary backbone central to HKUST's identity.

A note on interpretation: the above ranks are specific to the years and rubrics of their listed sources. QS, THE, and other rankers define subject boundaries differently, so ranks should never be compared across different publishers' lists. Please check the original ranking pages to confirm the exact rubric for any year before citing.

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