The College of Science (CSCI) is pleased to announce that our Associate Dean (Research and Postgraduate Education), Professor Danfeng Li, has been selected as a 2025 AYS Fellow of the Asian Young Scientist Fellowship, in the Physical Science Fellows category. Notably, he is the only Hong Kong scholar selected in 2025.

Asian Young Scientist Fellowship (AYSF) officially announced the new cohort of twelve AYS Fellows in the 2025 Selection Round on September 5, 2025. The AYSF Committee acknowledges Professor Li’s contribution to the discovery of the nickelate superconductor and would like to support his exploration in the direction of new unconventional superconductors.

Professor Li is a materials physicist and an Associate Professor in CityUHK’s Department of Physics, known for discovering the first nickelate superconductor. He has received several prestigious awards and recognitions, including the AAPPS-APCTP Chen-Ning Yang Award in 2023, The Oxide Electronics Prize for Excellence in Research in 2024, and the MIT Technology Review 35 Innovators Under 35 (China) in 2021.

The Asian Young Scientist Fellowship is a privately funded research fellowship in Asia. It aims to encourage and support young scientists in Asia to carry out creative and transformative research. The AYSF annually selects twelve early-career researchers in three fundamental science disciplines: “Life Science”, “Physical Science”, and “Mathematics and Computer Science”. Each fellow will receive $100,000 USD over two years to support their research, and benefits from participating in the AYSF annual conference, academic activities, and access to a network of young scientists across Asia and globally.

Congratulations to Professor Li on this remarkable achievement. The College looks forward to witnessing his continued success in future research endeavours.