At the Forefront
Examples of HKUST's leading research in 2003-04:

Gene Team  HKUST researchers, led by Dr Hong Xue, Department of Biochemistry, identified the fifth gene linked to schizophrenia, facilitating the discovery of effective treatments for the disease. These new findings, published in Molecular Psychiatry, are of great international importance and give hope to schizophrenia sufferers, of whom there are 15 million in China alone.

Smart Fluids   Dr Weijia Wen, Department of Physics, has developed a new class of electrorheological (ER) fluids that break the world record for the solid strength of ER fluids. The breakthrough was published in Nature Materials.

Cancer Discovery   Dr Chun Liang, Department of Biochemistry, and his research team discovered a novel method to kill cancer cells without interfering with the functions of normal cells. The discovery, published in the leading US journal Cancer Research, may help avoid the severe side effects associated with conventional cancer treatments.

Problem Solved   Prof Jing-Song Huang, Department of Mathematics, moved representation theory ahead by solving the Vogan Conjecture concerning Dirac cohomology.

Value Added   The book Financial Dynamics: A System for Valuing Technology Companies by Prof Chris Westland, Department of Information and Systems Management, was published, laying out the structure, components and application of the Financial Dynamics system.

Network Gains   Prof Yanjie Bian, Division of Social Science, published "Origins and Effects of Social Capital for Chinese Urbanites: Network Viewpoints and Survey Findings" in Social Sciences in China.

Medicinal Move   Significant progress was made by Dr Robert Ko, Department of Biochemistry, in defining the pharmacological properties of Chinese tonifying herbs (Yin, Yan, Qi, Blood). The findings, published in Trends in Pharmacological Sciences, will help establish the scientific basis of Chinese medicine in terms of modern medicine.

Communication Breakthrough   The Wireless Group, Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, developed a multi-user, multi-antenna system algorithm for enhancing high-speed wireless communication. This allows multiple users to communicate simultaneously in time and frequency, greatly expanding system capacity.

Right Route   Dr Hong Kam Lo, Department of Civil Engineering, and Dr Brian Mak, Department of Computer Science, developed the e-Finder passenger route guidance system for public transportation networks, which will become available on the market.