Press Release

HKBU Professor in Chemistry honoured as RGC Senior Research Fellow for studies which advance discovery in pharmaceuticals, agriculture and sustainable technologies

Monday, 3 November 2025

 

Professor Wang Jun, Professor of the Department of Chemistry at Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU), has been named an awardee of the 2025/26 Research Grants Council (RGC) Senior Research Fellow Scheme (SRFS), underscoring the University’s leadership in high‑impact research in Hong Kong’s higher education landscape. The selection panel described Professor Wang as a pioneering chemist and commended her sustained contributions and influential scholarship that have garnered international attention. Her awarded project was highlighted by the panel as ambitious and technically demanding, yet highly meaningful and rewarding for the development of next‑generation catalytic methodologies.

At the award presentation ceremony held today (3 November), Professor Wang Jun was presented with the Senior Research Fellow honour by Dr Choi Yuk-lin, Secretary for Education of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People’s Republic of China. Professor Wang will receive a five‑year fellowship grant of approximately HK$8.2 million to support her ongoing research endeavours.

Professor Lyu Aiping, Vice-President (Research and Development) cum Dean of Graduate School of HKBU, said: “This honour affirms HKBU’s commitment to impactful, transdisciplinary research that benefits society, and recognises our strength in health and drug discovery as well as sustainable innovation. Professor Wang’s achievement exemplifies our culture of collaboration and dedication to translating frontier science into solutions for the public good.”

The prestigious SRFS aims to provide sustained research support for outstanding researchers at University Grants Committee (UGC)-funded universities in Hong Kong, with a view to facilitating academics to dedicate their career to research and development, as well as to nurture the next generation of local research talent for Hong Kong.

Professor Wang Jun is a distinguished scholar recognised internationally for her breakthroughs to asymmetric catalysis. Her awarded project, “Molecular Design and Modular Editing of Chiral Phosphine-Alkene Ligands via Asymmetric Hydrofunctionalisation”, introduces a concise, direct and modular method for synthesising valuable chiral phosphorus compounds—a class of molecules that play a vital role in modern chemistry. Her advances significantly enhance reaction selectivity and efficiency in modern chemical synthesis, accelerating discovery in pharmaceuticals, agriculture and sustainable technologies that address pressing global challenges with precision.

At the award presentation ceremony, seven HKBU postdoctoral researchers were also honoured as RGC Junior Research Fellows. They will receive full‑time support from the RGC to conduct postdoctoral research for up to two years.

In addition, Professor Christy Cheung, Chair Professor of the Department of Management, Marketing and Information Systems, Director of the Research Office at HKBU, and an RGC Senior Research Fellow, has been inaugurated as a founding member and Honorary Secretary of the newly formed Hong Kong Research Grants Council Research Fellow Alliance. Her appointment will help promote cross-institutional collaboration, mentor emerging scholars, and accelerate the translation of high-quality research into societal impact, further contributing to strengthening Hong Kong’s position as a vibrant and connected research ecosystem.

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Dr Choi Yuk-lin, Secretary for Education of the Government of the HKSAR (right), presents the RGC Senior Research Fellow certificate to Professor Wang Jun, Professor of the Department of Chemistry at HKBU (left).
Professor Christy Cheung (1st right), Chair Professor of the Department of Management, Marketing and Information Systems, and Director of the Research Office at HKBU, poses with Professor James Tang Tuck-hong (centre), Secretary-General of the University Grants Committee, and other founding members of the newly formed Hong Kong Research Grants Council Research Fellow Alliance.
Dr Choi Yuk-lin, Secretary for Education of the Government of the HKSAR (front row, 4th left), and Professor Lyu Aiping, Vice-President (Research and Development) cum Dean of Graduate School of HKBU (front row, 2nd left), and other guests pose with the HKBU postdoctoral researchers honoured as RGC Junior Research Fellows.