The Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology (ABCT) at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University is delighted to announce the recipients of the Department of ABCT for the Outstanding PolyU Alumni Awards 2023. These awards aim to acknowledge exceptional graduates of PolyU who have excelled in their respective fields, demonstrated active support for their alma mater, and made significant contributions to the broader community.
We extend our heartfelt congratulations to the following individuals for receiving the Department's Outstanding Alumni Award:
Outstanding PolyU Alumni Award of Department of ABCT 2023 - Entrepreneurial Achievement
Dr HO Kam-piu
Chief Scientific Officer & Founder, GRST Holdings Limited
Doctor of Philosophy (2006)
Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Chemical Technology (2001)
Dr Ho Kam-piu co-founded GRST in 2015. Since then, the company has achieved success in developing a commercially viable water-based green technology for producing and recycling lithium-ion batteries at lower cost, while reducing carbon footprint and pollution emissions. With a mission to improve the efficiency, sustainability, and recyclability of the battery industry leveraging innovative materials and processing, the company has contributed to the establishment of the world’s first green Gigafactory in China.
As the head of the technical team, Dr Ho is responsible for developing innovative materials and processing solutions for environmentally-friendly batteries. GRST, with its headquarters in Hong Kong, has established a worldwide patent portfolio with over 50 sets of patents and over 235 granted patents. That helps vertical integration of the entire battery value chain, from production to recycling. The company has earned numerous awards and accolades from respected bodies such as Deloitte (Hong Kong), the Environmental Campaign Committee (Hong Kong), the International Exhibition of Inventions Geneva (Switzerland), and Bluetech Clean Air Alliance (China). Dr Ho has been keen on supporting PolyU researchers by helping them with their grant applications and sharing his research experiences with postgraduate students.
Outstanding PolyU Alumni Award of Department of ABCT 2023 - Scholarly Achievement
Dr Franco LEUNG King-chi
Assistant Professor, Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Master of Philosophy (2014)
Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Chemical Technology (2011)
Higher Diploma in Chemical Technology (2009)
Dr Franco Leung King-Chi attained a BSc degree in Chemical Technology and an MPhil degree from PolyU in 2011 and 2013 respectively. As a PhD candidate, he expanded his research scope on supramolecular chemistry and material science under the guidance of Prof. Takanori Fukushima at the Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan. In 2017, he had the golden opportunity to work under the 2016 Nobel Laureate Prof. Ben L. Feringa at the University of Groningen, the Netherlands, as a postdoctoral fellow. He was also awarded the Croucher Postdoctoral Fellowship at that point, for the development of photoresponsive soft materials of molecular motors and switches. In 2019, Dr Leung joined PolyU as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology, with a research focus to exploit the full intrinsic potential of synthetic organic chemistry, so as to build new supramolecular structures, functions and hierarchical systems.
