Hong Kong
Partner: Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) is a public research university known for its strengths in science, technology, and business. Established in 1991 to drive regional economic development, HKUST is a leading institution in Asia, attracting world-class faculty and researchers. With over 16,000 students and 52 research centers, the university emphasizes innovation, entrepreneurship, and industry collaboration.
Fast Facts
17
Outgoing Cornell exchange students
25
Incoming HKUST exchange students
47
Summer Engineering students at HKUST
Cornell-HKUST Joint Research Seed Grant Awards 2022–24
Global Hubs seed grants support emerging research and teaching collaborations, with matching funds from partner universities and contributions from Weill Cornell Medicine.
"Cultural and Individual Differences in Virtual Retail Therapy: Engagement and Emotion Regulation in Metaverse Experiences Across the U.S. and Asia" | So-Yeon Yoon (Cornell) and Jiewen Hong (HKUST)
"Coordinating Transportation Electrification with Power System Planning for Joint Carbon Reduction in Coupled Power-Transportation Networks" | H. Oliver Gao (Cornell) and Sen Li (HKUST)
Read the 2024 project abstracts
"Medical Generalist Artificial Intelligence for Chest X-ray via Large Language and Vision Models" | Yifan Peng (Cornell) and Hao Chen (HKUST)
"Leveraging Virtual Reality to Improve Navigation Abilities in Seniors with Mild Cognitive Impairment" | Saleh Kalantari (Cornell) and Bertram SHI (HKUST)
"Unlocking Content-Sharing Platform Potential: A Data-Driven Strategy for Optimizing Creator Integration" | Yichun Hu (Cornell) and Ruohan Zhan (HKUST)
"Boycotts, Buycotts, Ethical Consumption and Investor’s Extrapolative Beliefs" | Jura Liaukonyte (Cornell) and Alminas Zaldokas (HKUST)
Read the 2023 project abstracts
"Competing or Complementary Hegemons? An Analysis of the West’s Responses to China’s Belt and Road Initiative" | Ding Fei (Cornell) and Naubahar Sharif (HKUST)
"CryoEM Structures of Eukaryotic DNA Replication Complexes" | Marcus Smolka (Cornell), Bik-Kwoon Tye (Cornell), and Shangyu Dang (HKUST)
"Measuring the Evolution of Urban Renewal in the United States Using Satellite Imagery and Deep Learning" | Wenfei Xu (Cornell) and Fan Zhang (HKUST)
"Understanding the Interaction Between Compound Heat Waves and Urban Heat Island Effect" | Qi Li (Cornell) and Jiachuan Yang (HKUST)
Student Experiences
Hub partnerships have enriched students' academic and pre-professional experiences and expanded their opportunities to engage inside and outside the classroom.
Empathera Wins Silver Medal in Entrepreneurship Competition
Empathera, a student team formed at the Cornell Health Tech Hackathon in March 2024, went on to represent Cornell in the HKUST Sino-Million Dollar Entrepreneurship Competition in October.
The team's StimSense system is a closed-loop device designed to prevent pressure ulcers in bedridden patients. The device aims to reduce the $11 billion annual cost of pressure ulcers in the U.S. healthcare system.
The team won the silver award in the competition's international track. Read about the competition.
“I love that I’m able to utilize what I learn in class, really get a taste of what it’s like to be a biomedical engineer, and see a product from ideation to implementation—truly a blessing.”
Antranig Baghdassarian '27
Five Cornell colleges have sent students to study at HKUST: Agriculture and Life Sciences, Arts and Sciences, Cornell Engineering, ILR School, and SC Johnson.
How to Become a Global Citizen
Roman Dias Pinto '23 (second from right) studied on exchange at HKUST.
"My reason for studying abroad is really being able to experience a different culture and gain a life skill from it. One of the things I didn’t expect to learn was open-mindedness. I’m more open to living and working in a city other than what I’m used to."
Roman Dias Pinto '23
Summer Exchange
- Cornell Engineering and HKUST partner for a summer credit-bearing program.
- Five Cornell students are summer 2025 Global Interns in Hong Kong.
- HKUST sent three students to the first-ever Cornell Summer Research Academy in summer 2025.
Explore study abroad experiences at Global Hubs
Faculty Forward
Cornell Leadership Visit HKUST
Vice Provost Wendy Wolford and a Cornell delegation visited HKUST in 2024 to build collaborative research connections. Cornell deans and faculty met with HKUST counterparts to explore shared interests in computer science and engineering, medical applications, software engineering, computer security, biotechnology, materials science, climate adaptation, and energy transitions.
Follow-up meetings identified next steps, including workshops, teaching collaborations, and targeted seed grants. A summer 2025 workshop on healthy aging and sustainable urban practices will be held at Cornell Tech.
Cornell Faculty Lead: Dan Luo
Professor, Biological and Environmental Engineering, CALS
Dan Luo's research focuses on DNA and RNA as both generic and genetic materials. His lab explores real-world applications from biology to materials in diagnostics, pharmaceutics, protein production, drug delivery, cell culture, and optoelectronics.