Academic triumphs: FLASS duo celebrate international honours
Dr Chan Man-ho, Associate Professor from the Department of Science and Environmental Studies (SES), left, and Professor Wong Ming-hung, Advisor (Environmental Science) from the same department.
Two distinguished FLASS scientists were recently recognised for their outstanding achievements and significant contribution to their respective discipline. Professor Wong Ming-hung, Advisor (Environmental Science) at the Department of Science and Environmental Studies (SES) was elected a Foreign Member of Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS). Meanwhile, Dr Chan Man-ho, Associate Professor from the same department, received an Honourable Mention at the 2024 Gravity Research Foundation Essay Competition.
On 30 May 2025, RAS announced Professor Wong Ming-hung’s election as a Foreign Member of its Earth Sciences division. He is one of 39 distinguished scholars from 20 countries to receive this distinction and the only professor in Hong Kong to be honoured this year. This prestigious accolade acknowledges his pioneering work, which bridges traditional ecology and contemporary environmental science.
Professor Wong Ming-hung is the only professor in Hong Kong who was honoured a Foreign Member of RAS’ Earth Sciences division this year.
Professor Wong has made substantial contributions to pollution and restoration ecology, with a focus on pollutant behaviour, ecotoxicology, bioremediation, and ecological restoration. His research has had a profound influence on both theoretical understanding and practical approaches to environmental protection. Academician Gennady Krasnikov, President of RAS, extended his heartfelt congratulations, expressing optimism for fruitful collaboration between the two countries.
Founded in 1724, the Russian Academy of Sciences is Russia’s leading scientific institution, renowned for its historic impact on global research. Election to the Academy is highly competitive and reserved for those with exceptional scholarly accomplishments, making it one of the most esteemed academic honours in Russia and internationally.
Dr Chan Man-ho’s outstanding research is advancing astrophysics and interdisciplinary research.
Dr Chan Man-ho, Associate Dean of FLASS, was awarded an Honourable Mention at the 2024 Gravity Research Foundation Essay Competition, recognising his outstanding achievements in astrophysics. This marks the second time Dr Chan’s essay has received this distinction, following his first accolade six years ago. The competition’s past honourees include luminaries such as Stephen Hawking and several Nobel laureates in Physics.
Dr Chan’s award-winning paper introduced the first analytic framework for modelling the gravitational effects on stars orbiting a galactic supermassive black hole (SMBH). The study identified two key phenomena – stellar orbital precession and orbital shrinking–rising from gravitational interactions. These research findings have significantly advanced understanding of the unique gravitational environment surrounding SMBHs.
In April 2024, Dr Chan and his team published further research on the evidence a of dark matter density spike around the supermassive black hole in The Astrophysical Journal Letters. It was selected as one of the five most important monthly physics news items on the internet.
Dr Chan and his team recently began a two-year research project (2025-2027), built on their previous studies of the most popular theoretical candidates for dark matter, “axions”, with a special focus on QCD axions and Ultra-light axions. Supported by the General Research Fund, Dr Chan’s team hoped in-depth research on dark matters would shed light on one of the most challenging and unanswered questions in astrophysics, which had lasted for nearly a century.
Dr Chan is among the few scientists who explore astrophysics alongside religion and philosophy. Holding doctorates in both astrophysics and philosophy of religion, he has been awarded a Humanities and Social Sciences Prestigious Fellowship by the UGC. Last year, Dr Chan and his team questioned philosopher Philip Goff’s views on “agentive cosmopsychism” in an article published in the International Journal of Philosophy of Religion. The publication gained the attention of Professor Goff himself, and he re-posted it on social media.
Currently, Dr Chan’s team collaborates closely with renowned astronomical institutions, including observatories in Shanghai and Xinjiang. He also leads the international Radio Detection of Dark Matter (RADAR) Collaboration, comprising members from across the globe.
