CityUHK scholar awarded AOGS Axford Medal in a first for Hong Kong
Professor Benjamin Horton, Dean and Chair Professor of the School of Energy and Environment at City University of Hong Kong (CityUHK), has been awarded the Axford Medal, the highest honour from the Asia Oceania Geosciences Society (AOGS). He is the first scholar from Hong Kong to receive this distinction, underscoring his outstanding leadership in the field of earth science.
Professor Horton said, “I am deeply honoured to receive this prestigious award. It reinforces my commitment to bridging science with society and to championing evidence-based solutions to the challenges posed by climate change. I’ll continue to contribute to the science community and the wider society with the aim of driving positive change for our planet’s future.”
Prior to joining CityUHK in 2025, Professor Horton has been deeply engaged in the field of earth and climate sciences for many years. He is renowned for his research on sea-level change, which has significantly advanced our understanding of the mechanisms that shaped sea-level changes in the Earth’s past.
His work extends beyond academic research and links science to real-world impacts. He has been invited to participate in activities of the Conference of the Parties (COP) and Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), and to advise politicians, government agencies and businesses across the globe. His project “The Asia Sea-Level Knowledge Hub” has been officially recognised as a Decade Action under the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021–2030). This global initiative aims to generate transformative ocean science solutions to support sustainable development worldwide.
From 2020 to 2025, Professor Horton was listed among the “World’s Top 2% Scientists” (both career-long and single-year impact), published by Stanford University. He was elected as a Fellow of the Geological Society of America (GSA) and the American Geophysical Union (AGU). Furthermore, he has received multiple awards from the European Geosciences Union, GSA and AGU.
The AOGS Axford Medal is awarded in honour of Professor W. Ian Axford for his vision of academic excellence and selfless scientific cooperation in Asia and Oceania. Every year, it acknowledges one individual for outstanding achievements in geosciences, as well as unselfish cooperation and leadership in Asia and Oceania.