Dr Zhou Zhi, Assistant Professor of PolyU Department of Applied Mathematics, receives the RGC Early Career Award from Mrs Ingrid Yeung Ho Poi Yan, Permanent Secretary for Education
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) congratulates two of its outstanding scholars on receiving the prestigious Research Grants Council (RGC) awards in recognition of excellent achievement in their research areas.
Dr Zhou Zhi, Assistant Professor of the Department of Applied Mathematics (AMA) received the RGC Early Career Award. Professor Sylvia Xiaohua Chen, Professor of the Department of Applied Social Sciences (APSS), was awarded the Humanities and Social Sciences Prestigious Fellowship.
Dr Zhou Zhi
Dr Zhou is awarded for his project on "Numerical Methods for Time-fractional Diffusion Equations with Non-smooth Solutions" under the RGC Early Career Scheme in 2018/19. His project is rated excellent among the 153 projects funded by the Scheme in the year, which aims to nurture junior academics. The finding of his project is expected to help understand and simulate anomalously slow diffusion (sub-diffusion) process, as well as improve its numerous applications, such as contaminant transport in groundwater, protein diffusion within cells, thermal diffusion in media with fractal geometry, and heat conduction with memory, to name just a few. The project is conducted in collaboration with Professor Qiang Du (Columbia University), Professor Bangti Jin (University College London), and Professor Raytcho Lazarov (Texas A&M University), etc
"It is a great honor for me to receive the RGC Early Career Award, and I would like to express my sincere thanks to all my AMA colleagues and my collaborators for their great support. The problems to be addressed in this research project are challenging and the envisioned research outcome are expected to be of high impact for the many applications of applied mathematics and numerical analysis," said Dr Zhou.
Dr Zhou joined PolyU in 2017. Before joining PolyU, he was a post-doctoral fellow at Columbia University. He obtained his Bachelor of Science (Computational Mathematics) from Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics in 2010 and Ph.D. (Mathematics) from Texas A&M University in 2015. His research mainly lies in the area of numerical modeling, simulation and analysis. He has published more than 20 papers in top international journals in the field of applied and computational mathematics. He has also obtained the Best Paper Award of PolyU's AMA in 2018.
Professor Wong Wing Tak, Dean of the Faculty of Applied Science and Textiles, said, "Being a young scholar, Dr Zhou has already displayed great potential in pushing the frontier of knowledge through his dedication and enthusiasm in applied mathematics and numerical analysis. We are glad that we have established seamless research collaboration with universities in the United Kingdom and the United States through this project. We have no doubt that this early career award give positive encouragement to Dr Zhou to strive for new heights in his research endeavour for the benefit of mankind."
Professor Sylvia Xiaohua Chen
Professor Chen was awarded the RGC Humanities and Social Sciences Prestigious Fellowship Scheme (HSSPFS) for her project "Integrating and Extending Research on Social Axioms: A Systematic Review". The Scheme aims at granting extended time-off and supporting funds to outstanding investigators with proven track record of research and publication under the disciplines of the Humanities and Social Sciences to enable them to focus on research work and writing.
Professor Chen's project receives a funding of HK$758,275 under the Scheme. She aims to conduct a systematic review of existing empirical studies related to social axioms, which refer to generalized beliefs about people, social groups, social institutions, the physical environment, or the spiritual world. So far, researchers around the world have identified and validated the factors of social axioms in over 40 cultures both at the culture level and at the individual level. Professor Chen and her collaborators also conducted many studies to examine the psychological outcomes of self-views and worldviews. Her project will extend their research on the under-investigated axiom factors and their effects on psychological functioning, so as to provide further implications for practitioners to help people reconstruct their belief frameworks.
"It is a great honor for me to receive the HSSPFS award. I would like to express my gratitude to my advisors Professor Michael Bond and Professor Fanny Cheung for their unfailing guidance and encouragement. My special appreciation goes to APSS for providing a supportive and collegial environment in which I work and grow professionally. As a psychologist, I hope to further study cultural influences on individual behavior in social contexts and contribute to the advancement of psychology in Chinese societies," said Professor Chen.
Professor Chen joined APSS of PolyU in 2007 as Assistant Professor. She is now Professor in APSS and Associate Dean of Faculty of Health and Social Sciences. Her research focuses on social psychology of bilingualism and biculturalism, multiculturalism and globalization, personality and social behavior in cultural contexts, cultural diversity and mental health. She has published first-authored articles in top-tier journals in the field, such as Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, and received the Early Career Award conferred by the International Association for Cross-Cultural Psychology. She received her undergraduate degree in Sun Yat-Sen University, proceeded with post-graduate studies in the United States and Hong Kong, and with PhD in Psychology.
Professor David Shum, Dean of the Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, said, "The award attests to the significance of Professor Chen's research area, as well as her excellent research skills and track record. I am eager to learn the outcomes of her project, and am confident that her findings will make a positive impact to our society. "
理大兩位優秀學者獲頒研資局獎項 (Chinese)
