13 Dec (Sat)

Keynote Speech: Generative AI and Thinking Transnationally and Transculturally

Karen Thornber, Harvard University

 

Keynote Speech: Dead Souls: On Travel, Translation, and Structural Transformation

Carlos Rojas, Duke University

 

Panel 1: North vs South

Chair: Jianmei Liu

Discussant: Edwin Michielsen

 

Panel 2: The Sinophone Method 1

Chair: Shengqing Wu

Discussant: Nicholas Y. H. Wong

 

Panel 3: The Sinophone Method II

Chair: Tim Shao-Hung Teng

Discussant: Fangdai Chen

 

14 Dec (Sun)

Panel 4: South of the South

Chair: Karen Thornber

Discussant: Baryon Tensor Posadas

 

Panel 5: National Allegory and Ideology

Chair: Carlos Rojas

Discussant: Tobias Benedikt Zuern

 

Presenters

Karen Thornber, Harvard University

Carlos Rojas, Duke University

Usha Chandran, Jawaharlal Nehru University

Jinqing Chen, Mie University

Po-hsi Chen, Academia Sinica

Lik Kwan Cheung, The Chinese University of Hong Kong

Kang Wen Chong, National Taiwan University

Wendong Cui, The Chinese University of Hong Kong

Laurel Fulton, Lund University

Dennitza Gabrakova, Wakayama University

Gal Gvili, McGill University

Jon von Kowallis, The University of New South Wales, Sydney

Sze Wing Kwok , The Hang Seng University of Hong Kong

Pei-yin Lin, The University of Hong Kong

Xiaolu Ma, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology

Robert Tsaturyan, Hong Kong Baptist University

RanWei, Tsinghua University

Ying xiong, Tsinghua University

Lanjun Xu, National University of Singapore

Wayne Yeung, University of Denver

Featuring students of HUMA3102 Making Chamber Music A

 

Date: 18 Dec 2025 (Thursday)

Time: 8:00pm

Venue: Main Hall, Shaw Auditorium, HKUST

 

Free admission. First come first served.

Reserve your seat: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1975370928623?aff=oddtdtcreator

Volunteering@Fung Yuen Butterfly Reserve inspires students to appreciate the natural butterfly habitat. By assisting in the maintenance of the Reserve and supporting their conservation work, you will also learn more about various butterfly species and their important roles within the ecosystem.

服務在鳳園旨在通過清潔保護區等活動，欣賞大自然，保育蝴蝶的棲息地。 現招募義工到鳳園參與保育工作，讓它們的棲息地不受到外來物種或惡劣天氣影響及破壞。屆時義工將有機會認識有關蝴蝶的知識，了解保育蝴蝶的重要性，為本地蝴蝶保育工作出一份力。

Date: 30 Jan 2026 (Fri)
Time: 2-5pm
Gathering Time & Venue: 1:30pm@Tai Po

Remark:1. Successful applicants will receive a confirmation email from connect@ust.hk, and will be able to find their application status listed as "Confirmed" on the Social Career portal/app.

2. [Penalty for withdrawal after 27 Jan and/or absence]
The event is fully subsidized by HKUST Connect. If you are unable to participate in the event as schedule, you should send us a written notification to connect@ust.hk as soon as possible, but no later than 27 Jan 2026 (Tue). Students who withdrawn after the deadline or absent from the event will be charged a HKD100 program fee.

3. [HMAW1905] This is a recognized event in the "Self-directed Experience" component of HMAW1905: Behavioral Foundations of University Education: Habits, Mindsets, and Wellness. To receive 3 hours, you must attend the registered sessions in full and miss no more than 10 mins.

4. Upon completion of the service, the actual service hours will be subjected to the confirmation of the partner association.

5. Enquiry: vicky.ng@ust.hk

Sign up here by 23/01/2026 11:59PM

https://app.socialcareer.org/en/volunteers/20e92acd-746a-4c99-ab91-b3bd8224a513

Sustainable Development Goal(s):SDG 15, SDG 11

Hong Kong may be small, but its natural landscapes are breathtaking and always close to the city. Yet, some iconic sites — like the famous Amah Rock in Shatin — have sadly been defaced with graffiti.

HKUST Connect and the Association for Geoconservation Hong Kong are co‑organizing this rock cleaning. During the activity, participants will:
- Hike up to Amah Rock
- Help clean graffiti from the rocks
- Take action to protect the environment while appreciating Hong Kong’s nature and culture

Through this immersive experience, participants will:
- Learn about the importance of environmental protection
- Understand the impact of human actions on nature
- Appreciate the river valley and its ecological environment in the Shatin area.

香港雖小，卻蘊藏壯麗的自然景觀，離繁華市區僅一步之遙。然而，一些具代表性的景點 — 例如沙田著名的望夫石 — 卻不幸被塗鴉破壞，大煞風景。

科大侍學行與香港地貌岩石保育協會將合辦這次洗石活動。活動中，參加者會：
- 攀登望夫石
- 攜手洗擦岩石上的塗鴉
- 身體力行保育環境，同時欣賞香港的自然面貌

藉着這次實踐體驗，參加者可以：
- 學習環境保護的重要性
- 認識人類行為對自然的影響
- 欣賞沙田區河谷及其生態環境

Date: 9 Jan 2025 (Fri)
Time: 9:25am - 1pm
Venue: Shatin
Gathering Time & Venue: 9:25am @Tai Wai Station

Remark:1. Successful applicants will receive a confirmation email from connect@ust.hk, and will be able to find their application status listed as "Confirmed" on the Social Career portal/app.

2. [Penalty for withdrawal and/or absence after 5 Jan by 12nn] The event is fully subsidized by HKUST Connect. If you are unable to participate in the event as schedule, you should send us a written notification to connect@ust.hk as soon as possible, but no later than 5 Jan 2025 (Mon) by 12nn. Students who withdrawn after the deadline or absent from the event will be charged a HKD100 program fee.

4. [HMAW1905] This is a recognized event in the "Self-directed Experience" component of HMAW1905: Behavioral Foundations of University Education: Habits, Mindsets, and Wellness. To receive 3 hours, you must attend the event in full and miss no more than 10 mins.

5. Enquiry: fanny.ng@ust.hk

Sign up here by 04/01/2026 11:59PM

https://app.socialcareer.org/en/volunteers/88068e4f-8833-4a2c-ade1-4741595e2f69

Abstract

The induction of broadly neutralizing antibodies (bnAbs) against viruses requires the specific activation of human B cell receptors (BCRs) by viral epitopes. Following BCR activation, B cells can undergo germinal center–dependent and –independent pathways to generate both long-term and short-term epitope-specific memory responses. However, the regulation of B cell fate after BCR activation remains incompletely understood. Here, the speaker will report that a human isoform of PD-1, namely Δ42PD-1, plays a critical role in regulating B cell fate following BCR activation. While HIV-1 promotes B cell apoptosis via the epitope–BCR–Δ42PD-1 axis during chronic infection, SARS-CoV-2 does not appear to activate this pathway after breakthrough infections. This allows for more robust induction of bnAbs by engaging multiple highly conserved conformational “Jing” epitopes, as revealed by CryoEM analysis.

“Jing” follows the Chinese philosophy: “unchanging principles are the best response to change”. Consequently, bnAbs are induced not only against a broad range of evolving SARS-CoV-2 variants but also against pan-sarbecoviruses, including SARS-CoV-1 and SARS-CoV-2 variants, as well as related pangolin-CoV and bat-CoV strains. These findings have important implications for understanding human B cell immunity and for the design of novel vaccines against pan-sarbecoviruses.

About the Speaker

Prof. CHEN Zhiwei received his PhD from the New York University School of Medicine in 1996 and, by 2002, had progressed from an NIH F32 Postdoctoral Fellow to Assistant Professor at the Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center of The Rockefeller University. In 2007, he joined the Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine of the University of Hong Kong (HKU) as an Associate Professor and Founding Director of the AIDS Institute. He is a former Chairman of the Hong Kong Society for Immunology and an Executive Committee Member of the China AIDS Vaccine Initiative. He also served as a Member of the Hong Kong Advisory Council on AIDS for the HKSAR Department of Health from 2008 to 2014. He is currently a Chair Professor of Immunology and Immunotherapy in the Department of Microbiology at HKU. He was conferred the Suen Chi-Sun Professorship in Clinical Science in 2024.

Prof. Chen’s research focuses on AIDS, SARS and COVID-19 pathogenesis and immunotherapy, with an emphasis on the early events of viral infection. He pioneered the creation of HKU-patented platforms of technologies, including the PD1-based vaccine, the tandem anti-HIV-1 bi-specific antibody, and an anti-Δ42PD1 antibody drug for viral infection and cancer. Clarivate Analytics has ranked him among the top 1% of researchers worldwide by citations and a Highly Cited Researcher in 2022, 2023 and 2024. He has won numerous research grants as PI from, for example, NIH RO1, amfAR and the Gates Foundation among others. He also won the HKU Knowledge Exchange Excellence Award (2019), Outstanding Researcher Award (2021), Outstanding Research Student Supervisor Award (2021) and Faculty Outstanding Research Output Award (2023).

For Attendees' Attention

Seating is on a first come, first served basis.

You are cordially invited to a pre-departure briefing and get-together for students joining HKUST Winter Study Abroad 2025-26. Strongly recommended by HKUST Office of Global Learning, this is an essential session to:

 

1) Get in touch with your peers who are going to the same host destination and/or institution!

2) Listen to sharing about how to best prepare yourself.

3) Receive region-specific updates on crucial matters: visa application, International SOS, emergency response, cultural sensitivity, etc.

**最新講者嘉賓 ➤ 因應行程調動，《破·地獄》的導演、編劇及監製陳茂賢將會代替演員周家怡出席本次映後談環節。**

 

**本次放映版本為《破·地獄》原版126分鐘，非加長版**

婚禮策劃師道生(黄子華 飾) 因婚禮市場蕭條而債台高築，被迫改行成為葬禮經紀人。起初，道生因理念不合而屢與喃嘸師傅文哥(許冠文 飾)衝突不斷。但數次危難時刻文哥的出手相助，以及親歷文哥與女兒文玥(衛詩雅 飾)的相處點滴，道生與文哥的心結慢慢解開，也逐漸悟到破地獄的真正意義。

 

本片以香港殯儀業為題材，透過道教喪禮科儀法事破地獄，探討人與人之間聯繫、生與死議題。《破·地獄》打破多項香港電影及票房記錄，並於第43屆香港電影金像獎中獲提名競逐合共18個獎項，及囊括5個奬項:最佳編劇、最佳女主角、最佳男配角、最佳原創電影歌曲、最佳原創電影音樂。

 

本次映後談邀請到本片導演、編劇及監製陳茂賢，二胡演奏家及電影配樂師朱芸編，及主持人黃詠詩即席對談。

 

**Guest speaker UPDATES➤ In response to schedule changes, the director, screenwriter and producer Anselm Chan will replace actor Catherine Chau for the post-screening talk。**

 

**This screening is of the original 126-minute version, NOT the extended version**

 

Debt-ridden wedding planner Dominic (Dayo Wong) gets a miraculous chance to turn things around when a funeral planner retires and passes the baton to him. Dominic’s biggest obstacle is winning the approval of the respected and sternly traditional Taoist priest, Master Man (Michael Hui).

 

This film focuses on the funeral industry in Hong Kong, exploring the connections between people and the themes of life and death through Taoist funeral rituals. "The Last Dance" has shattered multiple records in Hong Kong cinema and box office and received nominations for a total of 18 awards at the 43rd Hong Kong Film Awards, winning 5 awards, Best Screenplay, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Original Film Song and Best Original Film Score.

 

This post-screening talk will feature the director, screenwriter and producer Anselm Chan and Wan Pin Chu (Erhu player and film composer), and moderator Wing Sze Wong, sharing their insights.

 

*本次放映之影片為廣東話對白, 附有英文字幕。Videos in Cantonese with English subtitles.

 

*片長: 126分鐘, 級別: IIB 級 (青少年及兒童不宜: 十二歲或以下恕不招待) ; Film Classification: IIB (Not suitable for young persons and children below 12 years old)

 

*映後談將以廣東話進行。Post Screening Talk will be conducted in Cantonese.

Program Website

https://indico.global/e/iasfp2026 


Overview

The discovery of the Higgs boson at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) in 2012 has fundamentally transformed the landscape of high-energy physics. This monumental achievement has shifted the focus of research towards not only precise measurements of the Higgs properties but also the exploration of new physics beyond the Standard Model. Key unresolved questions remain, including the naturalness problem, the nature of dark matter, the origin of cosmic baryon asymmetry, and the origin of neutrino mass. These fundamental puzzles are critical not only for our understanding of the universe but also for the development of future theoretical frameworks and experimental facilities.

In light of these challenges, there is a compelling need for a focused program that brings together experts from high-energy physics and related fields, to facilitate in-depth discussions on how next-generation experimental facilities, such as electron-positron colliders and high-energy proton-proton colliders, muon colliders, can be utilized to address these pressing issues. The e+e- collider, for instance, is envisioned as a precision machine designed specifically for detailed studies of Higgs physics, allowing researchers to measure its properties with unprecedented accuracy. High-energy colliders instead aim for the direct discovery of new physics, potentially revealing phenomena that could reshape our understanding of the universe.

Furthermore, the direct observation of gravitational waves by the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) in 2015 has ushered in a new era of astrophysical research. This groundbreaking event has opened new avenues for investigating the fundamental puzzles such as dark matter and cosmic baryon asymmetry through multi-messenger astronomy, where various types of astronomical signals - such as electromagnetic radiation, gravitational waves and neutrinos - are integrated to provide a comprehensive understanding of cosmic events. Moreover, technology for quantum precision measurement has made a groundbreaking leap in recent decade, achieving unprecedented sensitivity and accuracy through the principles of quantum mechanics. This advancement has made it a powerful tool for unraveling the mysteries in fundamental physics, capable of detecting weak signals and interactions that traditional sensors may overlook. As technology continues to evolve, quantum precision measurement is expected to probe the true nature of dark matter also and actively advance the exploration of other relevant frontiers. By merging insights from high-energy physics, multi-messenger astronomy, and quantum sensing, innovative research directions can be fostered and understanding of the universe deepened.

At the HKUST Jockey Club Institute for Advanced Study, the program on high-energy physics (or fundamental physics) commenced in 2015. In 2026, a five-day conference will be hosted from January 12 to 16, which will emphasize discussions on future collider projects, and meanwhile bring together experts working on interdisciplinary topics that bridge high-energy physics with astronomy and quantum sensing. This collaborative approach is essential for enriching the overall discourse and promoting innovative research directions. By integrating insights from different fields, it is hoped to advance the collective understanding of the fundamental questions that lie at the heart of modern physics.


Registration

Prior registration is required. Please refer to the program website at https://indico.global/event/15407/registrations/3642/ for details.

Conference Website

http://ias.ust.hk/events/202601em/

 

Overview

The IAS International Conference on Energy Materials chaired by Sir Anthony K. Cheetham will be held over five days (January 19-23, 2026) and aims to bring together twelve world-renowned plenary speakers with leading regional scientists working in the field.

Topics covered will include Perovskite and other photo-voltaic materials, thermoelectrics and piezoelectrics, batteries, fuel cells and quantum materials, porous solids for hydrogen storage or CO₂ capture.  Computation and materials property prediction, as well as advanced methods of characterization will also be covered.

The majority of talks will be by invitation only, but poster contributions from younger scientists will be welcomed.

The list of Plenary Speakers: http://ias.ust.hk/events/202601em/speakers.php

 

Organizers

Honorary Chair

• Sir Anthony K. CHEETHAM, University of California, Santa Barbara
  (IAS Senior Visiting Fellow) 

Local Organizers

• Qing CHEN, HKUST

• Jonathan Eugene HALPERT, HKUST

• Yen-Hung LIN, HKUST

• Haipeng LU, HKUST

• Ding PAN, HKUST

• Ian Duncan WILLIAMS, HKUST

 

Enquiries

For further enquiries, please contact the conference secretariat at ias2026em@ust.hk.