Associate Dean (Outreach and Internationalisation) of College of Science
Director of State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Health (City University of Hong Kong)
Chair Professor of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry
| Office: | YEUNG-P5115 |
|---|---|
| Phone: | +852 3442-7198 |
| Fax: | +852 3442-0522 |
| Email: | kmyleung@cityu.edu.hk |
| Web: | Personal website |
| Google Scholar Citations | |
| CityUHK Scholar Page | |
| ORCID ID: | 0000-0002-2164-4281 |
- Environmental toxicology and chemistry
- Marine pollution
- Ecological risk assessment
- Marine ecology and biodiversity conservation
- Ecological restoration
Since August 2020, Professor Kenneth Leung has joined the Department of Chemistry (CHEM) in the City University of Hong Kong, where he also serves as the Director of the State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution. Concurrently, he has been serving as Associate Dean (Outreach and Internationalisation) at the College of Science since 1st July 2025. He acted as the Acting Head of CHEM between December 2021 and March 2023, the Associate Dean (Research & Postgraduate Education) at the College of Science between September 2022 and April 2024, and the Interim Dean of School of Energy and Environment between April 2024 and April 2025.
Professor Leung is an alumnus of the City University of Hong Kong. He accomplished his Higher Diploma in Applied Sciences (Environmental Science & Technology) with distinction at the City Polytechnic of Hong Kong in 1992, a BSc degree in Applied Environmental Sciences with first class honours at the University of Portsmouth in 1993, and a MPhil in Environmental Science at the City University of Hong Kong in 1996. As a recipient of the Swire’s James Henry Scott PhD Scholarship, he received doctoral training at the University of Glasgow and obtained his PhD in Marine Ecotoxicology in 2000. He was subsequently awarded The Croucher Foundation Fellowship, enabling his postdoctoral study in ecological risk assessment of industrial chemicals at Royal Holloway, University of London (2000-2001).
He firstly joined the University of Hong Kong (HKU) as Research Assistant Professor in January 2002 and was promoted to Assistant Professor, Associate Professor (Tenured) and Professor in 2003, 2009 and 2013, respectively. During his tenure at HKU (January 2002 - July 2020), he also served as a Research Scientist at the Swire Institute of Marine Science (2002-2020), the Warden of Morrison Hall (2011-2017), the Associate Dean (Research and Graduate Studies) at Faculty of Science (2014-2016) and Acting/Interim Director of School of Biological Sciences (2018-2019). He is a founding Editor-in-Chief of Regional Studies in Marine Science, Co-Editor-in-Chief of Marine Pollution Bulletin, and Editorial Board Members for Environmental Science & Technology and Fundamental Research. In recognition of his contributions to aquatic ecology and environmental toxicology in Asia-Pacific region, he was awarded the 19th Biwako Prize for Ecology by the Ecological Society of Japan, and conferred as a Fellow of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) in 2017. In 2018, he was selected as one of the top 100 Asian Scientists by Asian Scientist Magazine. He was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry, and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology in May 2022 and July 2022, respectively. Locally, he was elected as Founding Fellow of the Hong Kong Institute of Qualified Environmental Professionals, and Adjunct Fellow of the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers in 2015 and 2025, respectively.
He is currently serving as an expert member in various advisory committees (e.g. Advisory Council on Food and Environmental Hygiene, Advisory Council on the Environment, and Lantau Development Advisory Committee) for the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR). Owing to his professional achievements and dedicated community services, he was selected as one of the “Ten Outstanding Young Persons” for Hong Kong by Junior Chamber International in 2010. The HKSAR Government appointed him as a Justice of the Peace in 2018, and honoured him with the Bronze Bauhinia Star in 2025 for his long and dedicated track record of serving in advisory bodies.
Professor Leung is passionate about finding ways to protect the marine environment and conserve biodiversity. His long-term career goal is to improve environmental quality through science and education. He trained eight MPhil and 44 PhD graduates. His research interests encompass marine pollution, ecotoxicology, environmental risk assessment, environmental quality benchmarks, marine ecology, biodiversity conservation and ecological restoration using eco-engineering. So far, he has published over 370 peer-reviewed articles in these areas (for more details, please visit his webpage: https://www.aquatictox.com/). Some examples of his recent publications are shown below (*corresponding author):
- Lin, D., Liu, Y., Liu, X.H., Du, S.A., Leung, K.M.Y., Zhu, Y.G., Wu, F.C.*, Zhu, D.* (2026). Urban wetlands as hotspots of antibiotic resistomes and their potential viral transmission. Nature Cities, https://doi.org/10.1038/s44284-026-00433-z
- Mei, L., How, C.M., Sun, M.Z., Huang, B.L., Zeng, Z.Y.*, Qiu, J.W.*, Leung, K.M.Y.* (2026). A tailored MoS2 membrane with strong DNA binding capability enhances aquatic biota detection through environmental DNA metabarcoding. National Science Review 13: nwag055.
- Tao, D.Y., Li, C.Z., Sun, Y.J., Ruan, Y.F., Jin, Q.Q., Sun, J.J., Lu, Y.C., Kot, B.C.W., Lam, P.K.S., Wu, F.C., He, J., Giesy, J.P., Kannan, K., Liang, B., Liu, W.H., Zhang, L., Mu, Y.S., Leung, K.M.Y., He, Y.H.* (2026). Liquid crystal monomers released from LCD displays accumulate in endangered marine cetaceans triggering health concerns. Environmental Science & Technology 60: 7437-7448.
- Yuen, C.N.T., Yeung, L.W.Y., Wang, Q., Ruan, Y.F.*, Lam, P.K.S., Leung, K.M.Y.* (2026). Revealing overlooked per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in the Pearl River Estuary using a comprehensive analytical approach. Environmental Pollution 395: 127762.
- Qiu, W.H., Yang, G., Cao, L., Niu, S., Li, Y.Z., Fang, D., Dong, Z,M., Magnuson, J.T., Schlenk, D., Leung, K.M.Y., Zheng, Y., Zeng, Z.Z., Feng, L., Zhang, X.M., Zhang, Y.X., Fan, W.H., Huang, T., Ma, J.M., Wu, M.H., Tao, S., Zheng, C.M.* (2025). Risks of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances exposure through marine fish consumption. Science 390 (6779): 1305-1309.
- Li, L., Li, B., Yin, X., Xia, Y., Yang, Y., Xu, X., Lam, T.T.Y., Leung, K.M.Y. , …. Zhang, T.* (2025). Assessing antimicrobial resistance connectivity across One Health sectors. Nature Water 3: 1100-1113.
- Zhao, X.L., Wang, X.L., He, J., Feng, C.L., Jin, X.W., Leung, K.M.Y., Xu, J., Li, C.J., Wang, J.Y., Liu, S., Dou, Y., Xia, B.D.*, Wu, F.C.* (2025). Time to strengthen the governance of new contaminants in the environment. Nature Communications 16: 7775.
- Chung, J.T.H., Tsang, S.H.T., Ng, N., Dellisanti, W., Xian, Q., Wu, J.J., Fang, J.K.H., Qiu, J.W., Leung, K.M.Y.*, Chen, L.L.* (2025). Condition of coral communities in the Victoria Harbour, Hong Kong as determined by mapping seascape metrics. Marine Pollution Bulletin 221: 118510
- Liu, X.T., Liang, B., Yao, S.Y., Ciong, A.Q., Zhang, X.H., Sun, Y.J., Zhang, L., Li, C.C., Ruan, Y.F., Yan, M., Ho, Y.W., Fang, J.K.H., Wang, B., Leusch, F., Schlenk, D., Liu, W.H.*, Leung, K.M.Y.*, Jin, L.N.* (2025). Dissecting the role of natural toxins and anthropogenic contaminants in mixture effects of seawater chemical cocktails on cetacean skin fibroblasts. Environmental Science & Technology 59: 14203-14213.
- Jian, Y., Kwok, W.M.S., Lin, H.J., Leung, R.W.S., Xu, S.P., Astudillo, J.C., Liu, M.Y.*, Leung, K.M.Y.* (2025). Positive impacts of the legislation on organotins contamination in the marine environment of Hong Kong. Environment International 199: 109486.
- Bradford, T.E., Astudillo, J.C.*, Lai, C., Leung, R.W., Minuti, J.J., Hawkins, S.J., Morris, R.L., Chan, J.K.Y., Leung, K.M.Y.* (2025). Greening of grey and murky harbours: enhancing biodiversity and ecosystem functioning on artificial shorelines. Marine Pollution Bulletin 216, 117961.
- Xu, S.P., Zhang, K., Lao, J.Y., Wang, Q., Jiang, Y., Li, C., Kwok, J.K., Cao, G.D., Chen, C., Deng, Y., Leung K.M.Y.* (2025). Rubber-derived chemicals in urban sewer networks and receiving waters: Fingerprints, driving factors and ecological impacts. Water Research 282: 123629.
- Bradford, T.E., Lo, C.C., Astudillo, J.C.*, Leung, R.W., Lai, C., Minuti, J.J., Wong, C., Hawkins, S.J., Leung, K.M.Y.* (2025). Turning riprap into reefs: integrating oyster shells into shoreline armouring. Marine Pollution Bulletin 216: 117933.
- Mao, X.M., Yin, X., Yang, Y., Gao, F.Z., Li, S.X., Shi, X.H., Deng, Y., Li, L.G., Leung, K.M.Y.*, Zhang, T.* (2025). Longitudinal metagenomic analysis on antibiotic resistome, mobilome, and microbiome of river ecosystems in a sub-tropical metropolitan city. Water Research 274: 123102.
- McLellan, S.L.*, Chariton, A.*, Condello, A., McClary-Gutierrez, J.S., Schussman, M.K., Marzinelli, E.M., O'Neil, J.M., Schott, E.J., Bowen, J.L., Vineis, J.H., Maignien, L., Lemonnier, C., Perennou, M., Gibb, K.S., Zhou, G.J., Leung, K.M.Y., et al. (2024). Universal microbial indicators provide surveillance of sewage contamination in harbours worldwide. Nature Water 2: 1061-1070
- Wilkinson, J.L.*, Boxall, A.B.A., Kolpin, D., Leung, K.M.Y., Lai, R.W.S. et al. (2022). Pharmaceutical pollution of the world’s rivers. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 19(8): e2113947119.
o This paper was awarded the 2022 Cozzarelli Prize of PNAS (in the Category VI: Applied Biological, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences) on 30 April 2023. The annual Cozzarelli Prize aims to recognise the best paper in PNAS for each of the six subject categories (https://www.pnas.org/post/update/2022-cozzarelli-prize-recipients). This work also received the “2022 International Collaboration of the Year” Award from The Times Higher Education. - Tao, D.-Y., Zhang, K.*, Xu, S.-P., Lin, H.-J., Liu, Y., Kang, J.-L., Yim, T.W., Giesy, J.P., Leung, K.M.Y.* (2022). Microfibers released into the air from a household tumble dryer. Environmental Science & Technology Letters 9: 120-126.
- Yang, Y., Zhang, X.-R.*, Jiang, J.-Y., Han, J.-R., Li, W.-X., Li, X.-Y., Leung, K.M.Y., Snyder, S.A., Alvarez, P.J.J. (2022). Which micropollutants in water environments deserve more attention globally? Environmental Science & Technology 56: 13-29.
o This paper was awarded the 2022 Best Paper Award of ES&T of the American Chemical Society in 2024. - Mak, Y.K.Y., Tao, L.S.R.*, Ho, V.C.M., Dudgeon, D., Cheung, W.W.L., Leung, K.M.Y.* (2021). Initial recovery of demersal fish communities in coastal waters of Hong Kong, South China, following a trawl ban. Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries 32: 989-2007.
- Wang, Z., Leung, K.M.Y.*, Sung, Y.H., Dudgeon, D., Qiu, J.W.* (2021). Recovery of tropical marine benthos after a trawl ban demonstrates linkage between abiotic and biotic changes. Communications Biology 4: 212.
Awards and Honours
- Elected as a Founding Adjunct Fellow of the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers (AdFHKIE) by HKIE (2025).
- Bronze Bauhinia Star (BBS) by the Hong Kong SAR Government (2025).
- Halcrow Prize by the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) in the UK (2025).
- The 2024 Dayu Water Conservancy Science and Technology Progress Award (2nd Class) by the Chinese Hydraulic Engineering Society, China (2024).
- Silver Medal of the 49th Geneva International Exhibition of Invention in Creating Invention on Artificial Mussels, Geneva, Switzerland (2024).
- 2022 ES&T Best Paper Award from the American Chemical Society (2024).
- The Gold Award of the Hong Kong Green Innovations Award for “Enhancing Intertidal Marine Biodiversity on Artificial Seawalls by Novel Eco-tiles” (i.e., the top prize among the 80 entries), as part of the 2022 Hong Kong Awards for Environmental Excellence, Organised by the Environmental Campaign Committee of the Hong Kong SAR Government, China (2023).
- Gold Medal of the Asia International Innovative Award for the Eco-tile Invention at the Asia International Innovative Invention Exhibition, organized by the Hong Kong Federation of Innovative Technologies and Manufacturing Industries (FITMI) (2023).
- The Special Prize (Prize of the Korean Invention Promotion Association) and Gold Medal with Congratulations from the Jury for Excellent Efforts in Creating Invention on Eco-tiles for Enhancing Marine Biodiversity, at the 48th International Exhibition of Invention Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland (2023).
- The President's Award of the City University of Hong Kong (2022).
[This award recognizes faculty who have made exemplary contributions to research and professional education that have helped CityU achieve local and global distinction.] - Elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology (2022)
- Elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (2022)
- Recognized as One of the Top 100,000 Scientists in the World by the globalauthorid.com (in Environmental Science & Engineering; http://www.globalauthorid.com/WebPortal/EliteOrder (2022)
- Recognized as One of the Top 2% Scientists in Marine Biology & Hydrobiology in the world by the Stanford-Elsevier Indicators (since 2021).
- Presidential Citation for Exemplary Service by Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, SETAC World Council (2019).
- Appointed as a Justice of the Peace by the Hong Kong SAR Government (2018).
- Selected as One of the Top 100 Asian Scientists by the Asian Scientist Magazine [The Asian Scientist 100 - 2018 Edition] (2018).
- The SETAC Fellows Award by the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (2017).
- The 19th Biwako Prize for Ecology by the Ecological Society of Japan (2017).
- Outstanding Research Student Supervisor Award 2015-2016 by the University of Hong Kong (2016).
- Selected as one of the Ten Outstanding Young Persons by Junior Chamber International Hong Kong (2010).