Croucher scholars selected as highly cited researchers of the year

2 January 2020

Ten Croucher scholars have been named “Highly Cited Researchers 2019” by Clarivate Analytics in recognition of their research output.

The highly anticipated list identifies scientists and social scientists who produced multiple papers ranking in the top 1% by citations for their field and year of publication, demonstrating significant research influence among their peers. A total of 6,216 researchers from nearly 60 nations are named in the list. 



1. Professor Henry Lik Yuen Chan (Croucher Senior Medical Research Fellowship 2011)

Highly Cited Researcher in the field of Cross-Field 2019

Professor Henry Chan is currently Head of Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Director of Institute of Digestive Disease, Director of Center for Liver Health, Director of Office of Global Engagement, and Assistant Dean (External Affairs) of Faculty of Medicine, CUHK. He is the course director of Master of Science in Gastroenterology, CUHK. Professor Chan is a key investigator in over 25 international trials on antiviral treatment of chronic hepatitis B and C, and is the global lead author in publications on peginterferon-alfa, peginterferon-lambda, telbivudine, and tenofovir for the treatment of viral hepatitis B. 


2. Professor James Lam (Croucher Fellowship 1990, Croucher Scholarship 1984)

Highly Cited Researcher in the field of Engineering 2019

Prior to joining the University of Hong Kong in 1993, Professor Lam held lectureships at now the City University of Hong Kong and the University of Melbourne. He was a Visiting Fellow of the Research School of Physical Sciences and Engineering, Australian National University. Professor Lam has close academic association with a number of universities in Mainland China. He is Guest Professor of Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Shandong University, Central South University, Harbin Institute of Technology, East China University of Science and Technology, Southwest University of Nationalities, and was Concurrent Professor of the Northeastern University, Consulting Professor of South China University of Technology. Professor Lam has research interests in model reduction, robust control and filtering, delay, singular systems, Markovian jump systems, multidimensional systems, networked control systems, and biological networks.


3. Professor Shuit Tong Lee (Croucher Senior Research Fellowship 2002)

Highly Cited Researcher in the field of Materials Science 2019

Professor Shuit Tong Lee is a member (academician) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and a fellow of the Academy of Sciences for the Developing World (TWAS). He is the Founding Director of FUNSOM, the Dean of the College of Nano Science & Technology (CNST) at Soochow University, the Director of Collaborative Innovation Center of Suzhou Nano Science and Technology (NANO-CIC), and the Director of Institute of Organic Optoelectronics, Jiangsu Industrial Technology Research Institute. He was a Senior Research Scientist and Project Manager at the Research Laboratories of Eastman Kodak Company (U.S.A.), a Chair Professor of Materials Science and the Founding Director of the Center of Super-Diamond and Advanced Films (COSDAF) of City University of Hong Kong.


4. Professor Dennis Y. C. Leung (Croucher Fellowship 1987)

Highly Cited Researcher in the field of Engineering 2019

Professor Dennis Y.C. Leung received his BEng (1982) and PhD (1988) from the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Hong Kong. He had worked with the Hongkong Electric Co., Ltd. for five years heading the air pollution section of the company before joining the University of Hong Kong in 1993. Professor Leung is now a full professor of the Department of Mechanical Engineering specializing in environmental pollution control and renewable & clean energy development.


5. Professor Joseph Sriyal Malik Peiris (Croucher Senior Medical Research Fellowship 2005)

Highly Cited Researcher in the field of Cross-Field 2019

Professor Malik Peiris is a clinical and public health virologist with a particular interest in emerging virus disease at the animal-human interface using a “One Health” approach, including influenza, coronaviruses (SARS, MERS) and others. His current research encompasses the pathogenesis, innate immune responses, transmission, ecology and epidemiology of human and animal (poultry, swine, wild birds) influenza viruses. His collaborative research has provided understanding on the emergence and pathogenesis of the 2009 pandemic H1N1 virus and on avian influenza viruses H5N1, H9N2 and H7N9. These studies have provided evidence-based options for the control of these viruses in poultry and in humans. In 2003, he played a key role in the discovery that a novel coronavirus was the cause of SARS, its diagnosis and pathogenesis and contributed to its control. Currently he is researching the recently emerged MERS coronavirus.


6. Professor Andrey Rogach (Croucher Senior Research Fellowship 2019)

Highly Cited Researcher in the field of Cross-Field 2019

Andrey L. Rogach is a Chair Professor of Photonics Materials at the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, and the Founding Director of the Centre for Functional Photonics at City University of Hong Kong. He received his Ph.D. in chemistry (1995) from the Belarusian State University in Minsk (Belarus), and worked as a staff scientist at the University of Hamburg (Germany) from 1995 to 2002. From 2002–2009 he was a lead staff scientist at the University of Munich (Germany), where he completed his habilitation in experimental physics. His research focuses on synthesis, assembly and optical spectroscopy of colloidal semiconductor and metal nanocrystals and their hybrid structures, and their use for optoelectronic applications.


7. Professor Joseph Sung (Croucher Senior Medical Research Fellowship 2004, Croucher Fellowship 1988)

Highly Cited Researcher in the field of Cross-Field 2019

Professor Sung joined the Prince of Wales Hospital, CUHK’s teaching hospital, in 1985 as a Medical Officer. He later joined the Department of Medicine of CUHK as Lecturer in 1992, and was promoted to Professor of Medicine and Therapeutics in 1998. He was the Chairman of the Department of Medicine and Therapeutics in 1999-2010, Associate Dean (Clinical) of the Faculty of Medicine in 2002-04 and Associate Dean (General Affairs) in 2004-09, and Head of Shaw College in 2008-10. Professor Sung was appointed Mok Hing Yiu Professor of Medicine in 2008 in recognition of his significant contributions to the prevention and early diagnosis ofgastroenterology cancers. As a renowned scientist in gastroenterology, Professor Sung’s research interests include intestinal bleeding, Helicobacter Pylori, peptic ulcer, hepatitis B, and colorectal cancer. Professor Sung and his team proved the relationship between H. pylori and peptic ulcer diseases. They were first in demonstrating that a course of antibiotics lasting a week can cure H. pylori infection and successfully treat peptic ulcers and minimize their relapse. At the same time, Professor Sung and his research team pioneered the use of endoscopic treatment for ulcer bleeding to reduce the need for operative surgery. These research results have a major impact on and have changed the practice of gastroenterology worldwide. 


8. Professor Ben Zhong Tang (Croucher Senior Research Fellowship 2007)

Highly Cited Researcher in the field of Chemistry - 2019

Highly Cited Researcher in the field of Materials Science - 2019

Top reviewers in Cross-Field - September 2019

Top reviewers in Chemistry - September 2019

Ben Zhong Tang is Stephen K. C. Cheong Professor of Science, Chair Professor of Chemistry, and Chair Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering at the Hong Kong University of Science & Technology (HKUST). His research interests include materials science, macromolecular chemistry, and biomedical theranostics. His lab is spearheading the research on aggregation-induced emission (AIE).


9. Professor Yao Wang (Croucher Senior Research Fellowship 2020, Innovation Award 2013)

Highly Cited Researcher in the field of Physics 2019

Professor Yao is a theoretician working in an interdisciplinary field across condensed matter physics, quantum physics, and optical physics. He obtained his BSc from Peking University in 2001, and PhD in physics from University of California, San Diego in 2006. He joined the University of Hong Kong in September 2008, and is currently Chair Professor of Physics. His research interest lies in the physics of spin and valley in solids, 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. With the Croucher Senior Research Fellowship he will explore new functional mechanisms for versatile electronics and optoelectronics based on van der Waals layered structure, combing its unique aspects including the rich physics associated with electron’s valley pseudospin and the ubiquitous moiré pattern that naturally provides a nanoscale landscape for manipulations of electrons and optical excitations.


10. Professor David Zhang (Croucher Senior Research Fellowship 2004)

Highly Cited Researcher in the field of Engineering 2019

Professor David Zhang has been a Chair Professor at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University where he is the Founding Director of Biometrics Research Centre (UGC/CRC) supported by the Hong Kong SAR Government since 2005. Currently, he is Presidential Chair Professor in Chinese University of Hong Kong (Shenzhen). He also serves as Visiting Chair Professor in Tsinghua University and HIT, and Adjunct Professor in Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Peking University, National University of Defense Technology and the University of Waterloo. Over past 30 years, he have been working on pattern recognition, image processing and biometrics, where many research results have been awarded and some created directions, including palmprint recognition, computerized TCM and facial beauty analysis, are famous in the world. So far, he has published over 20 monographs, 400 international journal papers and 40 patents from USA/Japan/HK/China.