The impact of climate change and extreme weather events is exacerbating the challenge of achieving China’s key food and energy goals – and increasing the urgency. Two newly awarded scientists explain how the dual nature of their work is contributing to finding viable climate solutions that meet the challenge. With a population of 1.4 billion, ensuring an adequate food supply is critical in China. So too is the need for a reliable and powerful energy system. Set both of these goals against the backdrop of a climate that is changing quickly and dramatically and you begin to see the scale of the challenges facing the scientists who are working to achieve them. Two of these scientists are geography professors from the Faculty of Social Sciences (FoSS) at The University of Hong Kong (HKU) – Assistant Professors Laibao Liu and Peng Zhu, both of whom were recently awarded the “Excellent Young Scientists Fund” for 2025 by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC). Their research is linked by their mission to help find solutions to China’s most pressing climate-related challenges: ensuring food and energy security.

Stellar rankings, new research hubs, more cross-departmental collaboration, and innovative programmes all play a part in the HKU Faculty of Social Sciences’ many recent achievements under Dean Wen’s leadership. After becoming Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences (FoSS) at The University of Hong Kong (HKU) in October 2022, Professor Ming Wen is now crossing over the midpoint of her term with a slew of achievements under her belt – and many more in the pipeline. She took on the role following a two-decade academic career at the University of Utah, most recently as Chair of the Department of Sociology. At HKU, her priorities included building on the faculty’s strong points and improving areas, including multi-disciplinary work and developing connections with mainland China.

The Faculty of Social Sciences extends its commitment to talent development through executive education. The newly established Asia-Pacific Academy of Executive Management (APAEM) has recently concluded its inaugural programme – the 2025 HKU Public Administration Training Programme.

A new study led by Professor Carrie K.W. Li from the HKU Department of Social Work and Social Administration sheds light on how difficult experiences in childhood, such as neglect and abuse, affect people’s lives long after those experiences end.  The research study titled “Adverse Childhood Experience Is Not My Fault” is part of the “JC Project Stride” organised by Harmony House and funded by the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust. 

Arousal – how alert or excited we feel - is a key part of our emotions, yet scientists still don’t fully understand how the brain generates this feeling or how it differs from bodily reactions like sweating or a racing heart. Led by Professor Benjamin Becker from HKU’s Department of Psychology, a recent study used AI-driven modelling and advanced brain imaging to identify a unique brain signature that measures emotional intensity across various situations, from seeing a loved one to watching a horror movie. Importantly, the research distinguishes conscious emotional experience from automatic physiological responses.