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Key Performance Indicators

Last update: JAN 2019

We endeavour to implement our research strategy through use of a clear monitoring mechanism. With this in mind, key performance indicators (KPIs) have been set for all four strategic objectives. A summary is provided in (Table 4). The results of the KPIs will be compiled annually. Progress will be monitored by the Research Committee and reported at departmental meetings for wider discussion.

Table 4. Summary of the key performance indicators (KPIs) under the four strategic objectives of the strategic framework.

KPIs/

Objectives

7.  The Strategy in Action

7.1

7.1  Strategic Objective 1: Pursue Excellence and Leadership in Research

The department’s strategic objective is to improve research discovery capabilities by expanding infrastructure support and human resources, and by fostering regional and international interdisciplinary research opportunities and collaboration. Faculty members always look to produce high-quality research studies and generate leading-edge research output. The KPIs track and highlight our achievements in this regard.

7.1.1  KPI 1A: Academic Activities and Publications

Since 2008, a total of 1004 research outputs—531 (226 in Q1IF2017) relating to China; 594 (270 in Q1IF2017) relating to Environment; and 442 (179 in Q1IF2017) relating to Urban and Transport—have been published by our faculty members. Research studies have covered multiple aspects of the three thematic groups, including economic and social development, cultures and humanities, tree-ring studies on long-term variations of El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and Asian monsoons, riverine and hydrological studies, environmental policy and planning, ecosystem services valuation, urban green infrastructure strategies, environmental conservation and impact assessment, transport mobility and road safety resilience, travel behaviour modelling, information and communication technology, public open space, and public health. Research studies have covered a wide range of geographical contexts across the world, with a main focus being on Hong Kong, China, and other regions in Asia. Faculty members have also actively published their work in high-impact journals in their respective fields (Table 5).

Table 5. Q1IF2017 research publications (in alphabetical order) by faculty members, from 2008 to 2018.

Sustainability

URBAN & TRANSPORT

ENVIRONMENT

CHINA

  1. Ambio

  2. Agricultural and Forest Meteorology

  3. Annals of Forest Science

  4. Annals of the American Association of Geographers

  5. Applied Energy

  6. Applied Geography

  7. Asia Pacific Viewpoint

  8. Biogeosciences

  9. Biological Conservation

  10. Biological Invasions

  11. Catena

  12. Cities

  13. Climate Dynamics

  14. Climate Policy

  15. Climatic Change

  16. Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology

  17. Ecological Economics

  18. Ecological Indicators

  19. Energy Policy

  20. Environmental Politics

  21. Environmental Research

  22. Environmental Research Letters

  23. Environmental Science & Policy

  24. Environmental Science & Technology

  25. Environmental Values

  26. Eurasian Geography and Economics

  27. European Journal of Forest Research

  28. Forest Ecology and Management

  29. Frontiers in Plant Science

  30. Geoforum

  31. Geographical Journal

  32. Geomorphology

  33. Geophysical Research Letters

  34. Global and Planetary Change

  35. Global Biogeochemical Cycles

  36. Global Change Biology

  37. Global Ecology and Biogeography

  38. Global Environmental Politics

  39. Hydrological Processes

  40. Journal of Cleaner Production

  41. Journal of Climate

  42. Journal of Ecology

  43. Journal of Economic Surveys

  44. Journal of Environmental Management

  45. Journal of Geophysical Research

  46. Journal of Geophysical Research: Biogeosciences

  47. Journal of Hydrology

  48. Journal of Integrative Plant Biology

  49. Journal of Sustainable Tourism

  50. Land Use Policy

  51. Landscape and Urban Planning

  52. Landscape Ecology

  53. Nature

  54. Nature Climate Change

  55. Nature Communications

  56. Palaeogeography, Palaeoclimatology, Palaeoecology

  57. PloS One

  58. Public Understanding of Science

  59. Quaternary Science Reviews

  60. Remote Sensing of Environment

  61. Science Bulletin

  62. Science of the Total Environment

  63. Scientific Reports

  64. Sustainable Development

  65. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening

  1. Annals of the American Association of Geographers

  2. Annals of Tourism Research

  3. Applied Geography

  4. Asia Pacific Viewpoint

  5. China Quarterly

  6. Cities

  7. Cultural Geographies

  8. Dialogues in Human Geography

  9. Ecosystem Services

  10. Environment and Planning D: Society and Space

  11. Eurasian Geography and Economics

  12. Geoforum

  13. Geographical Journal

  14. Habitat International

  15. Journal of Contemporary China

  16. Journal of Economic Geography

  17. Journal of Environmental Management

  18. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies

  19. Journal of International Economic Law

  20. Journal of Planning Literature

  21. Journal of Rural Studies

  22. Land Use Policy

  23. Landscape and Urban Planning

  24. Progress in Human Geography

  25. Regional Studies

  26. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening

  27. Urban Geography

  28. Urban Studies

  1. Accident Analysis and Prevention

  2. Annals of the American Association of Geographers

  3. Applied Geography

  4. Building and Environment

  5. Cities

  6. Computers Environment and Urban Systems

  7. Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability

  8. Energy Policy

  9. Environment International

  10. Environmental Pollution

  11. Food Security

  12. Futures

  13. Geoforum

  14. Habitat International

  15. Health & Place

  16. Injury Prevention

  17. Journal of Cleaner Production

  18. Journal of Regional Science

  19. Journal of Sustainable Tourism

  20. Journal of Transport Geography

  21. Journal of Trauma: Injury Infection and Critical Care

  22. Journal of Urban Technology

  23. Lancet

  24. Land Use Policy

  25. Landscape and Urban Planning

  26. Respirology

  27. Science of the Total Environment

  28. Scientific Reports

  29. Social Science & Medicine

  30. Telecommunications Policy

  31. Tourism Management

  32. Transport Reviews

  33. Transportation

  34. Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice

  35. Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment

  36. Tunnelling and Underground Space Technology

  37. Urban Geography

  38. Urban Studies

7.1.1
7.1.2

7.1.2  KPI 1B: Plenary and Invited Keynote Speeches

Since 2008, faculty members have been invited to present a total of 430 plenary and invited keynote speeches—224 relating to China; 120 relating to Environment; and 266 relating to Urban and Transport—at local, regional, and international conferences in 115 cities across 31 countries. They have shared and presented their insights and findings from our three research thematic groups to local and international audiences, and generated invaluable interdisciplinary collaborative research opportunities for the future. The topics presented covered a wide variety of aspects, including China’s environment, economy, policy, and society, as well as on subjects such as climate change, urban ecosystems, green cities development, heritage trees conservation, forestry, river basins and hydrological studies, sustainable transport mobility, road safety and walkability, travel behaviour modelling and capacity flows, cities development, public open spaces, and public health in cities.

 

Leading examples of plenary and invited keynote speeches include:

 

(i) China:

  • The University of Amsterdam invited Prof. Lin to present a distinguished public lecture in 2014.

  • The Fairbank Centre for Chinese Studies at Harvard University invited Prof. Lin to give a plenary speech in 2014.

  • Dr Qian was a plenary speaker at the Human Geography Annual Conference of China (中國人文地理學聯合學術年會) in Changchun in 2016.

 

(ii) Environment:

  • The Institute of Atmospheric Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences invited Dr Li to present a climate study in 2018.

  • The London Tree Officers Association invited Dr Chen to London as a speaker to share her novels on trees conservation in 2017. She was also an invited speaker in The First Sino-Canadian Urban Forest Forum in Vancouver in 2018. 

 

(iii) Urban and Transport:

  • Prof. Loo was invited to give keynote speeches at major international conferences, including the World Society for Transport and Land Use Research (WSTLUR) Conference in Brisbane, Australia in 2017 (as the first Asian keynote address); and the Chinese Urban Geography Annual Meeting at Nanjing in 2018.

  • The Ohio State University invited Dr Koh as a speaker on public health issues in 2017.

7.1.3  KPI 1C: Major Research Awards and Honours

Faculty members received distinguished awards and honours in both Hong Kong and around the world in recognition of their outstanding research. Leading examples are shown in Tables 6a–6b.

Table6A.jpg

Table 6a. Awards of faculty members received within Hong Kong.

Table 6b. Awards of faculty members received outside Hong Kong.

Table6B.jpg
7.1.3

7.1.4  KPI 1D: Editorial Board Memberships and Research Grants Reviews

Since 2010, faculty members have actively participated in leadership roles on 45 journal editorial boards—31 ISI-listed journals and 14 in Q1IF2017—(Table 7) to embrace knowledge exchange and dissemination across various research categories. They have also been involved in 25 external reviews and as panel members of research grants in the facilitation and support of advanced research activities (Table 8).

Table7.jpg

Table 7. ISI-listed regional and international journal editorial board memberships (in roles) of faculty members, 2010 to present (Journals in Q1IF2017 are in yellow).

Table 8. Research grant reviews (in roles) of faculty members, 2010 to present.

7.1.4

7.1.5  KPI 1E: Advanced Laboratories and Facilities Support

To create an ideal research environment and provide strong support for faculty members and research postgraduates, the department has recruited a group of dedicated and experienced technicians.

 

The department also provides a modern, high-performance infrastructure that supports teaching, learning, and research activities. The Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Laboratory houses high-end mapping and modelling facilities, as well as digital data visualization, statistical analysis, and spatial data processing for teaching and research purposes. Our Geomorphology and Hydrology Laboratory is well-equipped with a full range of environmental monitoring equipment, including a gamma spectroscopy system, for regolith and sediment sample testing and other landform investigation processes. Our Soil and Biogeography Laboratory provides a variety of modern and sophisticated machines, such as a spectrometer, CHNS/O elemental analyser, and an automatic extractor for cation exchange capacity, to improve the efficiency and accuracy of physical and chemical analyses on soils, plants, water, and other environmental samples. Our upgraded Urban and Transport Research Laboratory provides spatial visualization interactive screens for advanced project-based transport and environment research. The laboratory is further equipped with advanced computing capabilities to support geospatial artificial intelligence in smart cities analyses. The Map Library houses a collection of 61,480 maps, over 15,800 aerial photos, and more than 45,000 catalogue items—with particular emphasis on Hong Kong, China, and Asia. It also holds roughly 1700 geography dissertations and postgraduate theses from as far back as 1968. A digital online map database has also recently been set up to facilitate research.

7.1.5
7.2

7.2  Strategic Objective 2: Develop International and Interdisciplinary Collaborative Research Networks

The department encourages and supports staff members to explore and develop research partnerships with other academics from around the world. This objective is further strengthened by faculty members’ continued success in obtaining sustainable external competitive grants in relation to research in the three research thematic groups. The strong support of funding, compounded with the supportive research environment of the department, allows faculty members to develop their own research portfolio in (i) China, (ii) Environment, and (iii) Urban and Transport, and strengthens institutional research capacity at local, regional, and national levels.  Our performance in relation to the KPIs set for this objective is summarized below.

7.2.1  KPI 2A: Success in Winning Competitive Grants and Funding

To facilitate a better research environment and enhance high-impact research output, the department supports faculty members in applying for competitive grants from the Research Grants Council (RGC) of Hong Kong and/or other external-funding bodies, such as the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) and the European Commission. Since 2008, 127 grants (113 from local funding and 14 from national funding) have been awarded to faculty members to pursue research studies relating to China; 87 grants (83 from local funding and 4 from national funding) relating to Environment; and 100 grants (88 from local funding, 11 from national funding, and 1 international) relating to Urban and Transport.

 

Recent outstanding examples of faculty members’ external competitive grants include:

 

(i) China:

  • Prof. Lin, as a Principal Investigator (PI), collaborated with Prof. Anthony Yeh and Dr Z. Y. Hu in a Collaborative Research Fund (CRF) project (HK$2,709,115) on Advancing China’s Urbanization Inside Out: Urban Redevelopments in Chinese Cities Amidst Accelerated Urban Transition, a RGC General Research Fund (GRF) project (HK$632,421) on China’s Urban Redevelopment Reinvented with Public Participation: Genuine Engagement or Symbolic Governance? And HK$508,070 from the Strategic Public Policy Research (SPPR) Funding on In Search of New Economic Cooperation Models between Hong Kong and the Big Bay Area.

  • Dr Qian led a research project of Cultural Mechanisms and Spatial Processes of Local Technological Innovation: A Cultural Economic Geographical Perspective (PI), with the support of RMB575,000 from the NSFC’s General Programme.

 

(ii) Environment:

  • Dr Li received HK$522,898 from RGC General Research Fund (GRF) to conduct a research project on Rhythm of the Yangtze and Yellow River Flow During the Past Millennium (PI) and a joint grant with the National Climate Centre of RMB21.5 million on Extreme Climate Change and Its Mechanisms in East Asian Monsoon Region since the Little Ice Age (Co-PI) in one of the National Key R&D Programmes. This module is worth RMB5.28 million.

  • Dr Ng has led a project of Eco-compensation Mechanisms in Southern China: A Case Study of Dongjiang from the Analytical Perspective of Institutional Fit and Interplay, with the support of HK$0.64 million from GRF.

  • Dr Ran received HK$379,652 from RGC Early Career Scheme to conduct the research of Riverine Carbon Export and Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Evasion from River Catchments on the Loess Plateau (PI) and the Youth Programme of NSFC (RMB250,000) to examine the feedback between the riverine system and carbon cycle research project.

 

(iii) Urban and Transport:

  • Prof. Loo received HK$810,049 from the Public Policy Research Fund (PPR) to conduct a research project on Re-establishing Ferry’s Key Position in the Sustainable Transport System in Hong Kong. Since 2008, she has obtained more than HK$10 million in research grants as the Principal Investigator (PI) from various prestigious funding agencies on transport and walkability-related research projects. She was awarded an international competitive research grant of approximately HK$1 million from the National University of Singapore on the Initiative to Improve Health in Asia (NIHA) to promote walkability in three Asian cities and a RMB 590,000 grant from the NSFC General Program to achieve ageing-in-place in Chinese Cities.

  • Prof. Lai received HK$774,746 for her internationally jointly-funded project by the Health Effects Institute on The Hong Kong D3D Study, A Dynamic Three-Dimensional Exposure Model for Hong Kong to improve the quality of urban life in mega cities. She has also received a research fund from the Food and Health Bureau (HK$828,470) to examine a public health project of Geographic Information Systems for Early Detection of Pandemic Influenza Outbreak in Hong Kong.

7.2.1

7.2.2  KPI 2B: Excellent International and Interdisciplinary Research Output

Since 2008, we have developed an extensive international and interdisciplinary research network between 327 universities and institutions (Figure 3), thereby demonstrating excellent research output for knowledge dissemination in both academia and in communities in cities around the world.

Figure 3. HKU Geography's strong international and interdisciplinary collaborative research network from joint publications since 2008.

(20190805) poster-network_reduced.png
7.2.2
7.2.3

7.2.3  KPI 2C: Visiting Fellowships with Overseas Universities

Faculty members have received prestigious visiting fellowships and invitations from world-class universities for research project sharing and collaboration. Table 9 provides a summary of the visiting fellowships of faculty members since 2010.

Table9.jpg

Table 9. Visiting fellowships (in alphabetical order) of faculty members, since 2010.

7.2.4

7.2.4  KPI 2D: Memberships of Academic Bodies to Facilitate Interdisciplinary Research Collaboration

The department encourages faculty members to explore and engage extensively in collaborative research across international and culturally diverse communities. With the support and continuous involvement of both faculty members and the department, strong interdisciplinary links have been developed and fostered across various disciplines. Since 2010, a total of 54 memberships to academic and professional bodies have been held by faculty members, leading to an invaluable exchange of research ideas and knowledge (Table 10a and Table 10b).

Table10A.jpg

Table 10a. Executive academic body memberships (in roles) of faculty members, since 2010.

Table 10b. General academic body memberships (in alphabetical order) of faculty members, since 2010.

Table10B.jpg
7.3

7.3  Strategic Objective 3: Generate Impact in the Community

Faculty members have continuously engaged with a wide range of stakeholders to generate results and disseminate their exciting state-of-the-art research outputs.  The KPIs for this objective are described below.

7.3.1  KPI 3A: Government Advisory Board Appointments and Recognition

Since 2013, faculty members have actively served on more than 40 governmental advisory boards and committees (Table 11) to disseminate their knowledge and research expertise for better policy formulation.

Table11.jpg

Table 11. Appointments by HKSAR Government (in alphabetical order), since 2013 (Executive roles are in yellow).

7.3.1
7.3.2

7.3.2  KPI 3B: Memberships to Professional Bodies and NGOs

Since 2010, faculty members have held positions in 19 professional bodies in order to improve Hong Kong by sharing their research expertise and knowledge (Table 12a). Moreover, since 2013, they have served, partnered, and been appointed to 25 NGOs to conduct collaborative projects for a sustainable and liveable city (Table 12b).

Table12A.jpg

Table 12a. Memberships of professional bodies (in alphabetical order) of faculty members, since 2010 (Executive roles are in yellow).

Table 12b. Industries and NGOs (in alphabetical order) involved by faculty members, since 2013 (Executive roles are in yellow).

Table12B.jpg

Other leading examples include:

 

  • Dr Li actively conducts climate change research projects with the National Climate Centre of the China Meteorological Administration.
     

  • Prof. Loo’s walkability studies have provided the Hong Kong Government with policy recommendations in the implementation of a public-private partnership waiving mechanism to enhance walkability in the city.
    (URL: https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201705/24/P2017052400391.htm)

     

  • Prof. Jim has collaborated with MTR Corporation Limited (MTRC) to preserve the Forbes Street masonry wall trees in Kennedy Town, develop tree preservation guidelines for the West Island Line Project, and to preserve the cultural values and communal connections between people and trees (URL: https://vimeo.com/249484835)
     

  • Dr Ng served as an expert advisor to the MTRC on the Lok Ma Chau Wetland conservation project.
    (URL: https://vimeo.com/265317842)

7.3.3

7.3.3  KPI 3C: Community Outreach, Seminars, Visiting Scholars, and Fieldtrips for Knowledge Dissemination

Over the years, the department has organized a total of 288 seminars in 35 cities across 20 countries with invited academic researchers, businesses, and consultancy representatives: 76 relating to China (since 2002); 30 relating to Environment (since 2010); and 139 relating to Urban and Transport (since 1998).

 

(i) China: To further initiate and expand the scope of influence that allows more students and the public to familiarize themselves with contemporary China studies, the International Centre for China Development Studies (ICCDS) represents the department in organizing high-impact collaborative research conferences and programmes with renowned institutions. The ICCDS has successfully built up an active collaborative research network with the University of Oxford and the City University of New York, as well as other Hong Kong and mainland China universities to facilitate academic exchange. This has resulted in the centre becoming a global research institute on China development and globalization issues.

 

  • The International Symposium on Land Policy and Housing Market in May 2016 was co-organized by the ICCDS, the University of Hong Kong SRT (China Business and Economics, and Contemporary China), Peking University-Lincoln Institute Centre for Urban Development and Land Policy, and the Centre of Urban Studies and Planning. ICCDS was invited to present a plenary presentation on China finance and sponsored two keynote guests to elaborate on the opportunities and challenges of land and housing in Hong Kong and China.

  • The research network established by ICCDS under the RGC Theme-based Research Scheme (TRS) provides extensive collaboration opportunities across academia. The joint conferences and academic exchange activities held at the University of Oxford and the University of Hong Kong in 2014–2015 allowed Prof. Dariusz Wójcik, Professor of Economic Geography at the University of Oxford, to discuss issues relating to international finance and geography. Dr Zhao was invited to be a member of the advisory board and ceremony panellist at the Global Network on Financial Geography (FinGeo) at the University of Oxford in 2015.

  • The University of Hong Kong Strategic Research Theme (SRT) framework provided an opportunity for the ICCDS to establish a joint research programme—namely the HKU-PKU-FudanU Joint Research Programme (partnering the University of Hong Kong with Peking University and Fudan University—two frontier research institutes in mainland China)—on China’s New Urbanization Studies. Dr Liu Zhi, an internationally renowned scholar from Peking University, was invited to share his insights on urban land development in China at the University of Hong Kong in 2014.

 

(ii) Environment: To share research findings and facilitate better knowledge dissemination, faculty members continually engage with the public to raise awareness of environmental sustainability.

 

  • Dr Li wrote a story-based introductory column in Wenhui Bao explaining how tree-rings can be used as a proxy parameter for long-term climate change identification.

(URL: http://paper.wenweipo.com/2015/12/18/HS1512180018.htm). His recent publication on Yellow River flow is featured in AGU Eos.

  • Dr F. Y. S. Lee and Dr Ng are project co-investigators of the Jockey Club Initiative for Water Sustainability. They developed the first Hong Kong water footprint calculator application and created an open-access GIS-based river database (River@HK Database) to raise awareness about the importance of water sustainability (URL: https://www.jcwise.hk/).

  • Dr Ng (co-director) and Dr Ran (research team member) are core members of the Centre for Water Technology and Policy (CWTP) at the University of Hong Kong. CWTP is a strategic, interdisciplinary research group created to disseminate research knowledge on water safety, security, and urban resources sustainability (URL: http://www.socsc.hku.hk/cwtp/).

  • Dr Ng led an introductory activity for the general public into water affiliations and cultures along river bodies in the Pearl River Delta (URL: http://www.mingpaocanada.com/tor/htm/News/20171030/HK-gfi1_er_r.htm).

 

The department also offers a variety of local and overseas fieldtrips on human-environment interaction for students and the public. Faculty members design and organize regular fieldtrips for students to apply their theoretical knowledge in real-world scenarios. For example:

 

  • Dr Chen has led course-based fieldtrips on examining spatial variation of ecosystem services in natural, restored, and heavily modified river ecosystems. She has also led students in Hong Kong, Shenzhen, and Guangzhou to visit power plants and river systems near cities to highlight the importance of mitigation measurements and environmental conservation.

  • Dr Ng’s fieldtrips on water resources and management in Lai Chi Wo and Tai O are other stunning examples of practical experience for students to better understand the importance of developing sustainable communities, and protecting natural environments and resources.

 

(iii) Urban and Transport: Faculty members have been invited to participate in numerous conferences and public outreach initiatives with regards to urban and transport issues in the development of smart cities.

 

The International Conference on Smart Mobility and Logistics in Future Cities in 2018—where Prof. Loo is one of the Chairs of the Conference Organizing Committee—is co-organized by Institute of Transport Studies at the University of Hong Kong (HKU ITS), The Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport in Hong Kong (CILTHK) and Transport Department (TD) of the Hong Kong Government. Mrs Carrie Lam, Chief Executive of the HKSAR Government, was the Guest of Honour. The event—with 1 luncheon talk, 24 parallel sessions, and 5 industry showcases—attracted over 400 leading interdisciplinary academics, professionals, and policy-makers in transport and logistics from around the world to discuss the various opportunities and challenges facing the development, implementation, and enhancement of smart mobility and logistics in the cities of the future.

7.4  Strategic Objective 4: Nurture the Future

The department is always striving to attain excellence in higher education in order to nurture future leaders in (i) China, (ii) Environment, and (iii) Urban and Transport studies. Our mission is to disseminate research-informed scientific knowledge and techniques via quality-assured academic programmes, with an emphasis on out-of-classroom experiences and supportive administrative resources. Evidence of pursuance of this objective is shown below.

7.4

7.4.1  KPI 4A: Inspiring Graduates to Advance their Careers in Government, Industry, and NGOs

(i) China: Master of Arts in China Development Studies (MAChDS) is a well-established taught programme in the department and was created in response to the increasing local and international demand for studies into the dramatic growth and transformation of the Chinese economy and its changing societal structures. The programme offers students with opportunities into both structured training and guided dissertations on development issues in contemporary China. To further enhance the programme, ICCDS provides opportunities for internship placements and recommends outstanding students admitted to the MAChDS programme to receive the VSC scholarship, as sponsored by the Hong Kong-Shanghai Youth Exchange Promotion Association (HK-SHYEPA). The programme was also recognized by the Association of Professional Schools of International Affairs in the September/October 2015 edition of the prestigious journal Foreign Affairs as one of the top 25 graduate programmes in the English-speaking world.

 

(ii) Environment: The department provides a variety of environmental courses and research opportunities for both undergraduates (UGs) and research postgraduates (RPgs) to advance their life-long learning pathways and develop a global outlook in understanding environmental management policy and sustainability planning issues in Hong Kong, China, and beyond.

 

  • The department organizes annual overseas fieldtrips (for example to Australia, Italy, and the United Kingdom), with emphasis on physical geography components, which allows students to step out of the classroom and put their knowledge into practice.

  • Dr Li recruited UGs as part-time research assistants and invited them to participate on fieldtrips into his tree-ring research. This type of hands-on experience provides amazing opportunities for students to explore their disciplines, understand the research environment better, and to improve their opportunities for future studies. The mentorship also acts as a catalyst to inspire students in their future career development.

 

(iii) Urban and Transport: Master of Arts in Transport Policy and Planning (MATPP) is a well-established taught programme, co-organized by the Department of Geography, the Department of Urban Planning and Design, and the Department of Civil Engineering at the University of Hong Kong. This programme provides students with advanced life-long learning opportunities, as well as a global outlook to understand transport policy and planning issues. It also includes teachers from world-renowned international consultancy firms and the transportation sector, thereby allowing graduates to advance their careers.

Since it first intake in 1997, the programme has attracted professionals from all areas of the transport sector. Furthermore, the enthusiastic and supportive alumni network enhances its reputation as a leading transport programme. The programme has also recently collaborated with architectural and urban-planning researchers at the University of California, Davis to conduct group research activities and hold events designed to enrich graduate students with advanced knowledge and international opportunities in transport studies.

 

The department has successfully nurtured numerous outstanding and distinguished research postgraduates (RPgs) in government, industry, and NGOs (Table 13a and Table 13b).

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Table 13a. Career paths of RPg in the HKSAR Government.

Table 13b. Career paths of RPg in industry and NGOs.

Table13B.jpg
7.4.1

7.4.2  KPI 4B: Training the Next Generation of Researchers

High-achieving faculty members, together with talented students, are essential to the success of the strategy. The department’s aspiration is to maintain and develop the highest calibre of professionals. We encourage effective mentorship to support junior faculty members and students in early-career planning and development for their futures, as well as allow research postgraduates to build up their research projects with professional guidance from our leading faculty members. In addition, we also offer an extensive range of courses to further equip them with the necessary knowledge and skills to become future leading researchers.

 

Over the years, our alumni and recent graduates have become distinguished academics who continue their pursuit of research collaboration and activities in (i) China, (ii) Environment, and (iii) Urban and Transport. Table 14 highlights the academic career paths of our RPgs in academic institutions around the world.

Table 14. Career paths of RPg in academic institutions.

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7.4.2
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