For materials scientist and chemist Liu Jiawei, moving to Hong Kong supported her pivot into launching her own research group.
After a decade immersed in Singapore’s research ecosystem, Liu sought a transition that would keep her closer to family in mainland China while maintaining an international, high-standard research environment.
Now establishing her laboratory at City University of Hong Kong (CityU), two years after her move, Liu said Hong Kong’s academic landscape operated on an independent principal investigator model, where researchers enjoyed substantial autonomy in steering their own labs and research directions.
At the same time, the city strongly encouraged cross-group collaboration, with frequent joint projects among various research teams.
“Singapore and Hong Kong are quite similar in their research environment and academic atmosphere. I chose Hong Kong because I want to stay closer to my family in mainland China and develop my career in a city that offers a similar research landscape to Singapore,” Liu said, pointing to their diversity and connections to both mainland China and the West.
She completed her bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and earned her PhD in materials science and engineering there in 2021.
Liu then conducted postdoctoral research at NTU and Singapore’s Agency for Science, Technology and Research, also known as A*STAR, for three years.
After two years as a research assistant professor at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Liu joined CityU as an assistant professor in April under a joint appointment between the school of energy and environment and the department of chemistry.
Liu said she had grown familiar with the local landscape. “I adapted to Hong Kong quite quickly. For researchers moving from the US or Britain, the changes might be more remarkable,” she said.
Liu’s research sits at the intersection of chemistry, materials science and renewable energy. Her main focus is the electrosynthesis of chemicals – a green alternative to traditional, carbon-heavy industrial processes.
According to the Climate Bonds Initiative website, the chemical sector is the world’s biggest industrial energy consumer. It uses 30 per cent of industrial energy and accounts for around 5 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions.
Basic chemicals such as olefins, aromatics, methanol and ammonia, which are key for producing consumer goods and industrial materials, generated 60 per cent of the chemical sector’s direct carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, the British non-profit organistion added.
Liu said that unlike conventional chemical engineering, which required high temperatures, high pressures and fossil fuels, electrosynthesis operated under ambient conditions and was ideally driven by renewable energy.
“We choose to use electrosynthesis mainly because traditional chemical processes are very dependent on fossil fuels, often require high temperatures and pressures and might involve hazardous substances,” she said.
“Using electrons to drive oxidation and reduction is a very clean, green and gentle process that operates under ambient conditions.”
Liu’s research has spanned key chemical compounds such as ammonia and urea, both widely used in fertilisers, as well as formamide, an essential building block in pharmaceuticals and chemical synthesis.
She said she planned to broaden her scope by exploring electrosynthetic methods to produce other compounds, including amino acids, the building blocks of proteins.
“Our choice of substrates is also quite selective,” Liu said. “We select materials such as CO2 and biomass derivatives as carbon sources, and nitrogen or nitrates as nitrogen sources.
“We then use these readily available substances as raw materials to upgrade these resources and synthesise valuable chemicals. It embodies the concept of ‘turning waste into treasure’.”
While electrosynthesis remains in its early stage and faces challenges in scaling to industrial levels, Liu’s group works to improve efficiency by developing novel catalysts, regulating the electrode micro-environment and optimising reactor engineering.
“We aim to improve production efficiency by increasing the yield and enhancing selectivity, essentially reducing the occurrence of unwanted by-products,” she said.
Her team is also dedicated to fundamental research into reaction mechanisms focusing on how electrons are transferred between the electrode and the reactants to drive chemical transformations on the surface.
Liu said that setting up a lab from scratch was similar to starting a small business.
“I have to secure investment and funding, draft grant applications and guide students to ensure steady and high-quality output,” she said, adding that mentoring and working alongside postdoctoral researchers remained key priorities.
“Hong Kong provides ample opportunities for research funding,” Liu said, adding that the ability to tap into both local and mainland Chinese funding pools in basic and applied sciences offered unique opportunities for junior faculty.
“Given our small team size, we will focus on specific areas first, then gradually expand as the lab grows.” -- SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
