HKU Bulletin January 2005 (Vol. 6 No. 2)

Dr Zhou Mei Fu Associate Professor, Department of Earth Sciences F or the past 10 years Dr Zhou has been concentrating on the geochemistry and origin of maf ic and ultramaf ic rocks – sections of the primeval seafloor which have been pushed up onto the cont inental margin – and thei r wor ld-class ore deposits. These offer valuable clues to how tectonic evolution has progressed in di fferent par ts of the wor ld. He has developed new techniques for trace element analysis, and their application has greatly improved our understanding of the processes of tectonic evolution in Mainland China, the origin of major ore deposi ts, and the format ion of large igneous provinces. He has publ ished more than 130 ful l research papers, and 2 monographs. He co-edited a special issue in a international journal, organized and chaired an international conference, and has been a regional vice-president of the International Society for Geology Applied to Mineral Deposits. Dr Zhou believes that field work is crucial for identifying geochemical problems. He also enjoys working with colleagues f rom many count r ies, including Mainland China, and considers that close collaboration is the key to success in research. mfzhou@hkucc.hku.hk http://web.hku.hk/~m fzhou/ Dr Li Xiao Yan Associate Professor, Department of Civil Engineering D r Li’s main research interest is in the role played by particles in envi ronmental pol lut ion, par t icular ly in water and in engineered treatment systems. He has developed models for predicting how particulate pollutants will behave in water and wastewater treatment processes, and how solid impurities and microorganisms move in water. More recently, he has been working on researching and developing advanced water and wastewater treatment technologies. His research findings have been published in leading professional journals, and have been widely read and cited. Dr Li believes that research is vital for dealing with the problems of environmental pollution. He hopes that his research findings will eventually help to improve the environment both in Mainland China and elsewhere. He firmly believes that collaboration is the best way to achieve excellence in academic research and technological development. xlia@hkucc.hku.hk http://web.hku.hk/ ~xlia EXCELLENCE IN RESEARCH Outstanding Young Researcher Award 17 16