FST Presents 2025/2026 Teaching Excellence Award, Research Excellence Award, and Special Recognition Award
澳大科技學院頒授2025/2026學年優秀教學獎、研究卓越獎及特別表彰獎

The Faculty of Science and Technology (FST) at the University of Macau (UM) on 25 February presented the AY2025/2026’s Teaching Excellence Award, Research Excellence Award, and Special Recognition Award to six professors. Following a rigorous selection process by the faculty’s relevant management committees, the Teaching Excellence Award was awarded to Associate Professor Zhang Yibo (Bob) from the Department of Computer and Information Science and Assistant Professor Lao Keng Weng (Johnny) from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. The Research Excellence Award went to Professor Mok Seng Peng from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Associate Professor Hao Tianwei from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. The Special Recognition Award was conferred upon Chair Professor Gui Changfeng from the Department of Mathematics and Distinguished Professor Yuen Ka Veng from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. These awards aim to recognize their dedication to teaching through personal example and pursuit of perfection, as well as their spirit of striving for excellence and innovation in research, setting a positive example for faculty and students while enhancing the teaching and research standards of UM and FST.

Associate Professor Zhang Yibo (Bob), who joined UM in 2013, has consistently upheld the philosophy of “teaching people how to fish,” emphasizing the cultivation of students’ self-learning and critical thinking abilities. He led the development of a university-wide general education course on artificial intelligence, promoted the establishment of a master’s program in AI, and effectively guided students in internships, achieving outstanding results in teaching and curriculum development.

Assistant Professor Lao Keng Weng (Johnny), who joined UM in 2016, employs immersive teaching methods with real-time feedback to guide students in analyzing errors and fostering critical thinking. He creates a dynamic learning environment that encourages students to apply theoretical knowledge to real-life situations. He is also skilled at using video news to introduce topics and stimulate active student exploration. Many of his students have won awards in competitions such as those organized by IEEE.

Professor Mok Seng Peng, who joined UM in 2010, has achieved remarkable research outcomes. Over the past three years, she has published four papers in top international journals and successfully secured five external research grants, including those from the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the Macau Science and Technology Development Fund, and Guangdong Province projects. Many of her doctoral students have won prestigious international awards, including the IEEE NPSS Student Paper Award, the Best Technical Paper Award from the Journal of Nuclear Cardiology, awards at the SNMMI Annual Meeting, and the Gold Award at the East Asia Nuclear Medicine Congress.

Associate Professor Hao Tianwei, who joined UM in 2017, has made significant contributions to environmental engineering research. He pioneered the extraction of high-value resources from sewage sludge, successfully developing “Waste Activated Sludge-Derived Bioactive Polysaccharides” (WAS-BP) as a green alternative feed additive for marine aquaculture. This technology has passed pilot testing and is moving toward large-scale demonstration. WAS-BP enhances the immunity of farmed species, reduces antibiotic use, and improves the health of aquatic ecosystems.

Chair Professor Gui Changfeng, who joined UM in 2023, has long been dedicated to research in partial differential equations, boasting profound academic expertise and outstanding achievements. He has frequently published influential papers in top international mathematics journals. In recognition of his exceptional academic contributions, Professor Gui has received numerous international honors, including being named a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), an inaugural Fellow of the American Mathematical Society (AMS), and a Fellow of the Simons Foundation. Additionally, he has won several prestigious awards, such as the Research Achievement Award from the Pacific Institute for the Mathematical Sciences (Canada) and the Aisenstadt Prize from the Centre de Recherches Mathématiques (Montreal).

Distinguished Professor Yuen Ka Veng, who joined UM in 2002, specializes in Bayesian analysis, uncertainty quantification, system identification, structural health monitoring, reliability analysis, and dynamical systems analysis. His classic book, Bayesian Methods for Structural Dynamics and Civil Engineering, sparked a research boom in Bayesian methods for structural dynamics. He has received numerous accolades, including the 15th Guanghua Engineering Science and Technology Award, the Outstanding Young Scholar Award from the International Chinese Society of Computational Mechanics, the Qian Weichang Program Scholar from the Wang Kuan Cheng Foundation, and the Housner Fellowship, highlighting his profound academic influence.

FST presents the Teaching Excellence Award, Research Excellence Award, and Special Recognition Award to recognize faculty members’ outstanding achievements in teaching and research, respectively. This reflects the faculty’s commitment to the quality of teaching and research, its dedication to enhancing the university’s overall standards, and its mission to cultivate research talent for society.