The first HKUST Research Forum with a focus on Energy co-organized by Office of the Vice-President for Research & Graduate Studies and School of Engineering was successfully held on 3 November 2011.

The event is the first forum of the HKUST Research Forum Series, which aims to bring synergy among faculty members and students within and across disciplines, and nurture collaborative research atmosphere and culture. About 100 faculty members and students attended the forum.

Two internationally renowned scholars Prof Qingyan Chen, Vincent P. Reilly Professor of Mechanical Engineering, Purdue University and Prof Surendra Shah, Fellow of the Institute for Advanced Study, HKUST and Walter P. Murphy Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Northwestern University shared their visions on energy research direction. Mr Bob Aylsworth, Vice President of WW Engineering and Chief Innovation Officer of Emerson Network Power, was also invited to talk about research challenge in energy in the industry. In addition, 11 projects on energy research, funded by the University’s Special Research Fund Initiative (SRFI), were presented. Topics included ‘Sustainable Buildings’, ‘Ecotronics’, ‘Ethanol Fuel Cells’, ‘Sustainable Energy’ and more. SRFI aims to provide seed funding for team-based research to tackle major research problems that require multiple strengths from with the University.

The research forum provided a great opportunity for faculty members in different disciplines to share with guest speakers and interact among themselves. As a research-intensive school, the School of Engineering is committed to engaging in multidisciplinary research to tackle the pressing challenges that humanity faces in the 21st century.