Faculty of Science

Dean's Message

Welcome to the Faculty of Science webpages. Science is one of the principal ways in which we as a society understand the world around us and solve the problems that beset us. Scientific endeavour is what has provided us with the ability to do wonderful things that range from combatting diseases, to feeding ourselves, to understanding the fundamental building blocks of the universe, to comprehending how the diversity of life has evolved. Without science you would not be able to receive or read this message!

At The University of Hong Kong we have one of the world’s premier science faculties. We have about 150 professoriate academic staff, who have come to work in Hong Kong from all over the world. About 60% originate from outside Hong Kong; this makes our Faculty one of the most internationally diverse in the world (according to Times Higher Education, The University of Hong Kong was the 3rd most international university in the world in 2016). The work of our academic staff is widely recognised as excellent; over 16% of them are classified as being in the top 1% in the world (as defined by ISI’s Essential Science Indicators 2015). The quality of the staff here is obviously important to drive our mission to be at the vanguard of world research.

Having highly research active staff is important for our teaching. At degree level, students should reach the frontier of their discipline; we believe that it is critical that the people on that frontier teach them. Only then will students be exposed to the very limits of knowledge in their disciplines. We have about 3,000 students in the Faculty, which include undergraduate as well as significant numbers of both taught and research postgraduate students. We have active exchange programmes with universities all around the world, with students coming to us as well as our students going out to other places.

As a forerunner in science education, we aspire to provide an intellectually stimulating environment to nurture scientists and leaders of the future. We are constantly revamping our curriculum to reflect the broadening spectrum of science. While remaining internationally competitive in traditional science disciplines including mathematical, physical, and biological sciences, we also offer diverse and inquiry-driven programmes to meet the needs of modern society, such as environmental science, food and nutritional science, decision analytics and astronomy. Our programme in actuarial science, leading to professional qualification, is highly regarded worldwide.

We believe that the best learning often takes place outside the lecture theatre. Our students have many opportunities for enriching experiences such as undergraduate research, exchange studies, field trips, internships and international conferences. By 2022 all our students will have the opportunity to choose from a rich range of learning experience abroad. We hope, through these hands-on learning experiences, that students will be able to address real-world problems, formulate solutions and make a good contribution to a rapidly changing world.

Finally, while I hope that you find this website informative, I recognise that electronic communication has its limits. I warmly invite you to visit us here at HKU and connect with us here, either as a member of the Faculty of Science or one of its many supporters.


Professor Matthew R Evans
Dean of Science 

To find out more about the Faculty of Science please click here.