November 2025
Be Kinder to Yourself: How Self-Compassion Can Protect Your Mental Health
We often struggle with harsh self-judgment that can harm our mental health, leading to guilt and depression. However, practicing self-compassion—treating ourselves kindly—and psychological flexibility—embracing difficult emotions while staying true to our values—can counter this negativity. A study led by Dr Stanley Lam, Assistant Professor at the School of Nursing and Health Sciences, together with Prof. Janet Wong, Dean and Professor of the School, and their team highlights how self-compassion and psychological flexibility interact over time, showing that they not only offer immediate support but also protect mental health in the long run.
October 2025
Uncovering Hong Kong’s First-Year Undergraduates’ Strategies for Acquiring Academic Vocabulary
In Hong Kong, a deficiency in academic vocabulary is hampering first-year undergraduates' ability to comprehend lectures, complete assignments, and transition from secondary to university education. Given that such terms constitute 10-14% of academic texts, students' inability to master high-frequency words like “approach,” “infer,” and “notion” is not just an inconvenience—it is a fundamental obstacle to their academic pursuit. While English for Academic Purposes (EAP) courses are designed to bridge this gap, they are often too short and fail to address the specific challenges of academic vocabulary acquisition, leaving students ill-equipped for university-level studies.
Dr Edsoulla Chung, an assistant professor at the School of Education and Languages at Hong Kong Metropolitan University, examined how Hong Kong undergraduates tackle this challenge. Her study sheds light on the strategies students use to acquire academic vocabulary and offers actionable insights for educators to better support their learning journeys.
September 2025
HKMU Scholars Recognised Among World's Top 2% Most-Cited Scientists 2025
Sixteen scholars from Hong Kong Metropolitan University (HKMU) have been listed among the top 2% most-cited scientists in the 2025 ranking, published by Stanford University and Elsevier. This accomplishment by HKMU scholars highlights the international acknowledgment and significant impact of their research contributions.
August 2025
Life cycle sustainability assessment and optimisation of seismic retrofit solutions for reinforced concrete frame structures
The recent catastrophic seismic hazards have emphasized the crucial need for retrofitting structures built before adopting modern seismic building codes. However, in situations with limited resources, how can we choose the most “sustainable” reinforcement strategy?
Dr Yolanda Li, Assistant Professor in S&T, has provided an answer in her latest research—pioneering a “Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment Framework” that integrates safety, economics, and social factors, while also encompassing environmental and functional impacts. The research team employed this framework to systematically compare the overall life cycle benefits of three retrofitting techniques. This study provides important scientific decision-making tools for policymakers and the engineering sector.
July 2025
Greening of grey and murky harbours: enhancing biodiversity and ecosystem functioning on artificial shorelines
Global coastlines are being rapidly replaced by artificial seawalls to address rising sea levels and extreme weather. It is expected that by 2028, such projects will increase by 50-70% compared to 2018. However, the smooth surfaces of artificial seawalls lack the microhabitats found in natural coastlines, and summer heatwaves lead to conditions that are uninhabitable for many species, resulting in a decline in biodiversity. As part of a collaborative project with the State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution (SKLMP) at City University of Hong Kong, Dr Juan Carlos Astudillo and collaborators tested four innovative ecological engineering units, successfully transforming artificial seawalls into environments suitable for marine life by designing diverse microhabitats.
June 2025
HKMU Research Team Achieves Breakthrough in Digital Twin Technology
A research team led by the School of Science and Technology at Hong Kong Metropolitan University (HKMU) has made remarkable progress in digital twin technology. They developed a new algorithm that significantly reduces energy consumption while maintaining computational speed—a crucial advancement for applications such as smart cities, autonomous driving, and the Internet of Things (IoT).
The team's work gained international recognition when their paper, presented at IEEE GLOBECOM 2024 in South Africa, received the prestigious Best Paper Award.
April 2025
Nurses' Reports of Inhaler Use Errors in Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease in Hong Kong
A study led by Dr Agnes Lai highlights the prevalence of inhaler errors. The findings encourage healthcare institutions to prioritize education on inhaler use and allocate more resources to enhance the professional skills of healthcare providers. Dr Agnes Lai anticipates that improving patients’ inhaler techniques could significantly reduce the exacerbation rates of COPD, thereby alleviating the burden on the healthcare system.
February 2025
Topological Modulators for Brain Computer Interface Applications
Cognitive decline primarily stems from weakened connections between brain neurons, known as synapses, which diminish with age, leading to neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Recent advancements suggest that artificial neural modulators may reverse brain aging but face energy and latency challenges.
A study by Dr Dani S. Assi developed Bi₂Se₂Te, a material for a topological modulator that efficiently neuromodulates neural signals with low energy consumption. This device enhances synaptic strength and may counteract age-related cognitive dysfunction through real-time brain-machine interfaces.
January 2025
Dr Agnes Lai led a research team to explore the associations between social determinants of health (SDOH) and cardiovascular and cancer mortality in cancer survivors. This research underscores the significant impact of SDOH on mortality among cancer survivors and identifies the key domains of SDOH that affect their well-being. These insights can guide the development of targeted interventions and support systems tailored to address these domains and enhance the overall well-being of cancer survivors.
December 2024
November 2024
November 2024
A research team led by Prof. Fred Lee explored the algae-killing mechanism of an algicidal bacterium, Maribacter dokdonensis (P4), on the harmful algal bloom species Karenia mikimotoi (KM). The findings revealed that P4 was highly effective at killing KM and demonstrated a strong algicidal effect on other dinoflagellate species, suggesting its potential as a universal algicidal bacterium for mitigating algal blooms.
October 2024
