Professor Kenneth 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 degree 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, 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, and serves on the Editorial Boards of the
Canadian Journal of Zoology, Journal of Hazardous
Materials Letters, Marine Pollution Bulletin, and
Ocean Science Journal. 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 is currently serving as an
expert member in various advisory committees (e.g.
Advisory Council on the Environment, Country and
Marine Parks Board) 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. In 2018, he
was appointed as a Justice of the Peace by the HKSAR
Government.
Research and Publications
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 18 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 200 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):
- Sham, R.C.T., Ho, K.K.Y., Hui,
T.T.Y., Zhou, G.J., Chan, J.K.Y., Leung,
K.M.Y.* (2021). Tissue distribution of
triphenyltin compounds in marine teleost fishes.
Journal of Hazardous Materials 401,
123426.
- Leung, K.M.Y.*,
Yeung, K.W.Y., You, J., Choi, K.H., Zhang, X.W.,
Smith, R., Zhou, G.J., Yung, M.M.N.,
Arias-Barreiro, C., An, Y.J., Burket, S.R.,
Dwyer, R., Goodkin, N., Hii, Y.S., Hoang, T.,
Humphrey, C., Iwai, C.B., Jeong, S.W., Juhel,
G., Karami, A., Kyriazi-Huber, K., Lee, K.C.,
Lin, B.L., Lu, B., Martin, P., Nillos, M.G.,
Oginawati, K., Rathnayake, I.V.N., Risjani, Y.,
Shoeb, M., Tan, C.H., Tsuchiya, M.C., Ankley,
G.T., Boxall, A.B.A., Rudd, M.A., Brooks, B.W.
(2020). Towards sustainable environmental
quality: Priority research questions for Asia.
Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry,
39, 1485-1505.
- Tao, L.S.R., Lau, D.C.P.,
Perkins, M.J., Hui, T.T.Y., Yau, J.K.C., Mak,
Y.K.Y., Lau, E.T.C., Dudgeon, D., Leung,
K.M.Y.* (2020). Stable-isotope based
trophic metrics reveal early recovery of
tropical crustacean assemblages following a
trawl ban. Ecological Indicators 117:
106610.
- Yeung, K.W.Y., Giesy, J.P., Zhou,
G.J., Leung, K.M.Y.* (2020).
Ecological risk assessment of larvicidal oil on
marine ecosystems. Marine Pollution Bulletin
156: 111178.
- Zhou, G.J., Lin, L., Li, X.Y.,
Leung, K.M.Y.* (2020). Removal
of emerging contaminants during chemically
enhanced primary sedimentation of sewage and
acidogenic fermentation of sludge. Water
Research 175: 115646.
- Sham, R.C.T., Tao, L.S.R., Mak,
Y.K.Y., Yau, J.K.C., Wai, T.C., Ho, K.K.Y.,
Zhou, G.J., Li, Y.Y., Wang, X.H., Leung,
K.M.Y.* (2020). Occurrence and trophic
magnification profile of triphenyltin compounds
in marine mammals and their corresponding food
webs. Environment International 137:
105567.
- Yeung, K.W.Y., Zhou, G.J., Hilscherova, K.,
Giesy, J.P., Leung, K.M.Y.*
(2020). Current understanding on potential
ecological risks of retinoic acids in aquatic
environments. Environment International
136: 105464.
- Zhou, G.J., Lai, R.W.S., Sham, R.C.T.,
Lam, C.S., Yeung, K.W.Y., Astudillo, J.C., Ho,
K.K.Y., Yung, M.M.N., Yau, J.K.C.,
Leung, K.M.Y.* (2019). Accidental spill
of palm stearin poses relatively short-term
ecological risks to a tropical coastal marine
ecosystem. Environmental Science &
Technology 53: 12269-1227.
- Morris, R.L., Heery, E.C., Loke,
L.H.L., Lau, E.T.C., Strain, E.M., Airoldi, L.,
Alexanders, K.A., Bishop, M.J., Coleman, R.A.,
Cordell, J.R., Dong, Y.W., Firth, L.B., Hawkins,
S.J., Heath, T., Kokora, M., Lee, S.Y., Miller,
J.K., Perkol-Finkel, S., Rella, A., Steinberg,
P.D., Takeuchi, I., Thompson, R.C., Todd, P.,
Toft, J.D., Leung, K.M.Y.*
(2019). Design options, implementation issues
and evaluating success of
ecologically-engineered shorelines.
Oceanography and Marine Biology: An Annual
Review 57: 169-228. 7.
- Zhou, G.J., Li, X.Y.,
Leung, K.M.Y.* (2019). Retinoids and
oestrogenic endocrine disrupting chemicals in
saline sewage treatment plants: Removal
efficiencies and ecological risks to marine
organisms. Environment International
127: 103-113.
Awards and Honours
- Presidential Citation for
Exemplary Service by Society of Environmental
Toxicology and Chemistry, SETAC World Council
(2019).
- Certificate for Top Downloaded Article
in Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry
[2017-2018] by Wiley (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).
- Certificate for Highly Cited
Research in Comparative Biochemistry and
Physiology, Part C [2013-2016] by Elsevier
(2016).
- Selected as one of the Ten
Outstanding Young Persons by Junior Chamber
International Hong Kong (2010).
- Marine Pollution Bulletin Highly
Cited Author Award [2005-2009] by Elsevier
(2010).