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

Professor Joseph Lee Hun Wei Professor: Redmond Chair of Civil Engineering P rofessor Lee is interested in the use of hydraulics, the science of water flow, to solve environmental problems, particularly the prediction and control of water quality. He has helped to show how buoyant jet mixing works, and how this principle can be applied in environmental engineering. The methods and models that he developed for predicting initial dilution of wastewater jets in moving water represent a major advance in this field. They have been widely cited, and are used internationally for envi ronmental impact assessments and the design of sustainable water pol lut ion control systems. In 1998 Professor Lee was awarded a Croucher Foundation Senior Research Fel lowship. He has been appointed to a number of important professional posts, and was the winner of the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers Innovation Award for Construction Industry in 2002. Outside the laboratory, he has channeled the same spirit he has shown in his research into competitive table tennis. Professor Lee believes that research is very much a way of life, and is the best way of training br ight young students for working in a knowledge economy. hreclhw@hku.hk http://www.hku.h k/civil/staff/leejhw.html The Outstanding Researcher Award is conferred for exceptional research accomplishments of international merit. Professor Lai Ching Lung Professor: Chair of Medicine and Hepatology P rofessor Lai’s primary research interest is chronic hepatitis B, a disease presently estimated to affect 400 million people worldwide. Professor Lai and his team have been studying the disease’s natural history, genotypes and molecular virology for more than 25 years. He has made pioneering studies of the efficacy of possible treatments for chronic hepatitis B, and has also looked into the use of vaccinations as a possible way of preventing infection. He has also taken pains to emphasize the continuing destructive activity of the hepatitis B virus, even at low viral levels. His research in this field is international ly respected. He has published over 250 peer-reviewed papers, which have been frequently cited, and was co-editor of the first book devoted entirely to the hepatitis B virus. In recognition of his original research into the origins of the disease, he was awarded the Bristol-Myers Squibb Unrestricted Infectious Disease Research Grant from 2001 to 2005. In his research Professor Lai is careful to ensure that he is asking the right questions. He then brings meticulous analysis and careful interpretation to bear in order to solve the problem he has defined. He remains fascinated by the yet unlocked mysteries of the hepatitis B virus, and is conscious of the famous line from Shakespeare’s Hamlet : ‘There are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamed of in your philosophy.’ hrmelcl@hku.hk http://www.hku. hk/medicine/ Outstanding Researcher Award 19 18 Outstanding Researcher Award EXCELLENCE IN RESEARCH