News & Stories

With over 17,000 undergraduate and postgraduate students from more than 80 countries or regions at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), we pride ourselves as a true cultural melting pot. In the Global Minds@HKUST series, we’ll take a closer look at the unique experiences of some of our international students.  Embarking on a dual PhD program across two different countries may seem like a daunting task, but for Shabnam TAGHIPOUR, an Iranian student pursuing dual PhD degrees in Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and Civil Engineering at Sharif University of Technology (SUT) in Iran, it’s an opportunity to make a difference. In the third edition of Global Minds@HKUST series, we delve into Shabnam’s story and explore how she balances her academic pursuits with a deep sense of social responsibility for a more inclusive world.

People who suffer from diabetic retinopathy and macular degeneration would usually be treated with intravitreal eye injections — a procedure to deliver drugs directly to the eye using a thin, tiny needle. This invasive treatment involves a certain degree of risk and the scary-looking procedure is surely not for the fainted heart. Langston SUEN and his fellow researchers at HKUST explored an alternative method of non-invasive drug delivery using ultrasound as part of his PhD studies at the University. Now he is working with pharmaceuticals to bring the technology to market. The idea was inspired by Langston's grandfather and his wife’s grandfather who both suffered from retinal problems that required eye injections. “My grandfather was brave enough to endure four to five injections. But my wife’s grandfather was so terrified that he refused, and unfortunately, as a result his condition worsened.”

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) celebrated today the opening of Jockey Club Global Graduate Tower (the Tower) – a new hostel supported by The Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC), that offers a total of 504 bed spaces for the University’s research postgraduate (RPg) students. The new tower not only comes with innovative green features which earned it a prestigious green building award, but is also a testing ground for a sustainability project that aims to cut energy consumption and change hall residents’ behavior towards a more sustainable lifestyle.

The HKUST Global Days of Changemaking (rebranded from HKUST Service Learning Day) with the aim to mobilize all HKUST members to take action and solve social problems in their communities to support the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Students, faculty, staff and alumni in Hong Kong or those currently living overseas can engage in various changemaking efforts coordinated by HKUST Connect to contribute to initiatives that improve their communities.