The University Grants Committee (UGC) of Hong Kong recently announced the results of the Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) 2020.
The bulk of the assessment (70%) is in research output, consisting of 4 publications collected from each faculty member over the assessment period of 6 years. Those rated 4-star are judged “world-leading,” and the 3-stars are “internationally excellent.” Sector wise, the physics departments in Hong Kong turned in an outstanding performance, with 29% in the 4-star category and 58% in the 3-star category in terms of research output.
CityU’s physics fared well even within this very competitive group. In particular, 38% of our research output are rated as 4-star, leading all physics departments in Hong Kong. Of the remaining output, 52% are in the 3-star category. Adding these two numbers together, 90% of our research output are rated as 4-star or 3-star, i.e., “world-leading” or “internationally excellent.”
Professor Xun-Li Wang, Head of the Department, is pleased with the outcome. “This is truly a collective effort of the whole department,” said Professor Wang. The Department of Physics was established in 2017, with ten faculty members. More than a dozen faculty members have joined since. “With these new faculty members, the department will have a critical mass and can really excel in education and research,” Professor Wang added.
RAE is commissioned every 6 years. For more information about RAE 2020, including a list of the panel members, please visit UGC’s website here.
28 Jun 2021