Message from Director

Prof. Charles Wang-Wai NG, PhD, FREng, FHKEng

Vice-President for Institutional Advancement, CLP Holdings Professor of Sustainability

Our research will investigate various aspects of climate resilience and provide scientific backing for residents’ welfare against climate change challenges. Climate resilience is of great importance for places like Hong Kong, given its vulnerability to frequent extreme weather events such as heavy rainfall and typhoons due to its subtropical coastal location. 

The risks of flooding, landslides, and mudslides are notably high in the city, with over 60 percent of its land being natural terrain and about 60,000 registered man-made slopes. Such incidents could lead to far-reaching impact, considering the city’s limited land area and high population density.

Building robust climate resilience requires interdisciplinary collaboration across meteorology, firefighting, water and electricity management, healthcare, and infrastructure development sectors.

The lab’s HKUST branch plans to have about 50 professionals, including 30 to 40 doctoral candidates and 10 to 15 postdoctoral researchers, specializing in five key fields: Climate Change and Extreme Weather; Urban Infrastructure and Resilience; Extreme Rainstorm Disasters and Nature-based Solutions; Coastal Engineering and Technology; and Climate Change Risk Perception, Early Warning, and Response Policy Management.

The research activities related to these topics have been ongoing in one of the lab’s predecessors, HKUST’s Geotechnical Centrifuge Facility. Some cutting-edge research initiatives include using eco-friendly materials to replace cement walls for slope stabilization and utilizing vegetation for slope protection.

It is believed that Hong Kong’s climate resilience is currently at a commendable level globally, thanks to the strong academic capabilities of local universities and proactive government measures. The SKLs will persist in advancing this field through robust scientific research.