Two HKU academics win 2021 Xplorer Prize

Professor Yao Wang from the Faculty of Science and Professor Mingxin Huang from the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Hong Kong (HKU), have both been awarded the 2021 Xplorer Prize. Supported by Tencent, the award is presented to young scientists under the age of 45 who demonstrate exceptional quality and innovation in their field of research. This year, two of the three recipients from Hong Kong are from HKU. Both Professor Yao and Professor Huang and are highly acclaimed scholars with international recognition, and ranked by Clarivate Analytics in the top 1% worldwide.

Professor Yao Wang is currently Chair Professor of Physics in HKU’s Faculty of Science. His research interests span condensed matter physics, quantum physics and optics, with a current focus on two-dimensional materials and their heterostructures. He has played a decisive role in creating an important new research direction – valley optoelectronics in 2D materials, which aims to exploit valley, a quantum degree of freedom of electron, in future optoelectronic devices.

Professor Huang Mingxin is currently a Professor in HKU’s Department of Mechanical Engineering. His research interests focus on the fundamentals of microstructure-property relationship and phase transformation of advanced steels and alloys, and the development of lightweight materials for automotive applications. Both experimental and modelling works are involved in his research.

The University congratulates both researchers on their achievements and hope they will further advance their scholarship at the highest levels.