Two CityUHK scholars named RGC Research Fellows
In recognition of their distinguished achievements, two outstanding scholars from City University of Hong Kong (CityUHK) have been awarded funding from the Research Grants Council (RGC) under the 2026/27 Research Fellow Scheme (RFS).
The CityUHK scholars awarded under the RFS are: Professor Hou Junhui from the Department of Computer Science, College of Computing; and Professor Zhao Xiangyu from the Department of Data Science, College of Computing.
The funded research project led by Professor Hou is titled “Neural Spatial Computing: Geometric Modeling, Representation Learning, and Applications”. The project will explore neural spatial computing paradigms spanning geometric modelling and representation learning to advance the next frontier of artificial intelligence (AI)—spatial and physical intelligence—enabling systems to perceive, interpret and reason about spatial relationships in their environment. Building on innovative modelling and learning algorithms, the research will also develop a neural spatial computing-driven interaction design system. This will allow users to engage with digital content through augmented reality interfaces, seamlessly blending virtual elements with the physical world to create immersive and intuitive experiences. The project is expected to support Hong Kong’s strategic initiatives in AI-enhanced education, digital entertainment, telemedicine and smart city development.
Professor Zhao’s funded project is titled “Improving the Trustworthiness and Controllability of Large Language Model Agents”. As large language model (LLM) agents are increasingly deployed across sectors such as e-commerce, education, finance and healthcare, the project seeks to address critical challenges related to trustworthiness, controllability and safety. Through four interconnected research directions—developing transparent and verifiable agent memory and reasoning mechanisms, ensuring safe and preference-aligned actions, safeguarding interactions between agents and users, and creating a unified secure runtime environment—the project aims to establish a comprehensive framework for trustworthy AI agents. The resulting open-source frameworks and prototype systems will be evaluated in real-world scenarios with industry partners, thereby advancing the safe adoption of AI agents across a wide range of applications.
Professor Kenneth Leung Mei-yee, Vice-President (Research), extended his heartfelt congratulations to the fellowship winners. “This recognition reflects CityUHK’s continued commitment to nurturing young researchers for driving cutting-edge research and innovation that can benefit society and support Hong Kong’s development as an international hub for innovation and technology. I look forward to witnessing the transformative outcomes of their research in the years ahead,” he said.
The RFS aims to provide sustained research support integrated with relief from teaching and administrative duties for outstanding researchers at University Grants Committee-funded universities in Hong Kong. The supporting university will receive a fellowship grant of HK$5.6 million per RFS award to support the scholars’ research projects for a period of 60 months.
Media enquiries:
Samson Mak, Communications and Institutional Research Office, CityUHK (Tel: 3442 5406)
The CityUHK scholars awarded under the RFS are: Professor Hou Junhui from the Department of Computer Science, College of Computing; and Professor Zhao Xiangyu from the Department of Data Science, College of Computing.
The funded research project led by Professor Hou is titled “Neural Spatial Computing: Geometric Modeling, Representation Learning, and Applications”. The project will explore neural spatial computing paradigms spanning geometric modelling and representation learning to advance the next frontier of artificial intelligence (AI)—spatial and physical intelligence—enabling systems to perceive, interpret and reason about spatial relationships in their environment. Building on innovative modelling and learning algorithms, the research will also develop a neural spatial computing-driven interaction design system. This will allow users to engage with digital content through augmented reality interfaces, seamlessly blending virtual elements with the physical world to create immersive and intuitive experiences. The project is expected to support Hong Kong’s strategic initiatives in AI-enhanced education, digital entertainment, telemedicine and smart city development.
Professor Zhao’s funded project is titled “Improving the Trustworthiness and Controllability of Large Language Model Agents”. As large language model (LLM) agents are increasingly deployed across sectors such as e-commerce, education, finance and healthcare, the project seeks to address critical challenges related to trustworthiness, controllability and safety. Through four interconnected research directions—developing transparent and verifiable agent memory and reasoning mechanisms, ensuring safe and preference-aligned actions, safeguarding interactions between agents and users, and creating a unified secure runtime environment—the project aims to establish a comprehensive framework for trustworthy AI agents. The resulting open-source frameworks and prototype systems will be evaluated in real-world scenarios with industry partners, thereby advancing the safe adoption of AI agents across a wide range of applications.
Professor Kenneth Leung Mei-yee, Vice-President (Research), extended his heartfelt congratulations to the fellowship winners. “This recognition reflects CityUHK’s continued commitment to nurturing young researchers for driving cutting-edge research and innovation that can benefit society and support Hong Kong’s development as an international hub for innovation and technology. I look forward to witnessing the transformative outcomes of their research in the years ahead,” he said.
The RFS aims to provide sustained research support integrated with relief from teaching and administrative duties for outstanding researchers at University Grants Committee-funded universities in Hong Kong. The supporting university will receive a fellowship grant of HK$5.6 million per RFS award to support the scholars’ research projects for a period of 60 months.
Media enquiries:
Samson Mak, Communications and Institutional Research Office, CityUHK (Tel: 3442 5406)