Two CUHK scholars have received the honour of being in the first batch of New Cornerstone Investigators, announced last Friday by technology company Tencent’s eponymous programme. They are Professor He Xuhua, from the Department of Mathematics; and Professor Liu Renbao, from the Department of Physics. They make up two of the three Hong Kong scholars chosen for this honour. Both will receive up to RMB15 million to conduct basic research for five years.

Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Rocky S. Tuan communicated his gratitude to Tencent for its visionary investment in cultivating talents and promoting basic science for the country, as well as CUHK’s pride in seeing Professor He and Professor Liu selected for the grants. He said: “I hope their research findings can help create a vibrant future for science in China and around the world.”

Professor He Xuhua is the Choh-Ming Li Professor of Mathematics in the Department of Mathematics and the Institute of Mathematical Sciences (IMS) at CUHK. His research interests include algebraic groups, representation theory and arithmetic geometry. He was one of the first scholars from Hong Kong to receive the Xplorer Prize (Mathematics and Physics) in 2020, and is recognized for his contribution to the advancement of Lie theory.

Professor Liu Renbao is a Professor in CUHK’s Department of Physics. His research interests are quantum physics, quantum optics, quantum information science and technology, and nonlinear optics. The New Cornerstone Investigator grant will support Professor Liu in his efforts to establish a theory of quantum many-body lasers.

The New Cornerstone Investigator Program is an independent, nonprofit funding initiative for basic research that focuses on original innovation and encourages free exploration. In 2022, Tencent pledged RMB10 billion over 10 years for the establishment of the New Cornerstone Investigator Program, which facilitates chosen scientists to devote themselves to basic research for the long term.