Welcome to the web-site of the Department of Mechanical Engineering at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. This University was founded with a challenging educational goal - to build a World Class University in Hong Kong. In its short twenty year history, the faculty, the staff and the students have strived hard to advance the Department, and the University to a respected international standing to meet the goal and the spirit of the founders of the University. It is now ranked 47th in the world by QS and is the highest ranking Mechanical Engineering Department in Hong Kong.

The Department is undergoing a major curriculum change to embrace the new four year university academic program in Hong Kong, due to start in 2012. Under our new charter, the Department is going to introduce a more flexible curriculum to allow undergraduates to take ownership of their individual educational aims. Our objective is to breed engineering graduates that are able to fully embrace the rapid technological and economic evolution taking place, and become articulate professional engineers with an international outlook. Throughout the educational program, the faculty and staff in the Department will work in unison to instill in the students the sense of ownership, the creativity, and the leadership qualities that identify them as HKUST ME alumni. To make this happen, the Department is intensifying its international exchange program, co-op and internship program, and its mentorship program. The Department has attracted keen interest from students outside Hong Kong and 20% of our students are non-local students comprising over 10 different nationalities.

The Department has a strong research track record. We are now focusing in key research areas including energy, advanced materials, and precision engineering, while individual faculty members all have an established research group who conduct cutting-edge research in their area of specialization. The Department has a Research Infrastructure Committee to consolidate major Research Programs in the Department and to facilitate major collaborative research programs of international impact. The Department has two established Research Centers in Nansha under the HKUST Fok Ying Tung Graduate School of HKUST. It also has an LED lighting research center in Foshan and a Mechanical Engineering Research Laboratory in the HKUST IER Building in Shenzhen. The Department is proactively spreading its wings in China.

To match our vision to train industry leaders, the Department has set up new courses in Innovation and Entrepreneurship, and Intellectual Property Law. We are in the process of setting up an Aeronautical Engineering Minor Program in conjunction with synergistic multidisciplinary research collaboration with a leading Aeronautical University in China. This will provide an exciting opportunity for graduates interested in this fastest developing industry in China. We are also working with a number of Universities to establish international research programs in focus areas.

The Department has an internationally based academic advisory Committee and a strong industrial advisory committee. This set up enables the Department to maintain a strong international profile and keep close tabs on the pulse of the industry. The Department, with its new operational mode, is aiming at building an inspiring and rigorous learning environment for students, staff, and faculty members alike so that we can share a common vision of pursuing our dreams and realizing our goals. We shall together strive to extend our knowledge horizon and make HKUST a World Class University in all respects.


Prof. Matthew Yuen
Head, Department of Mechanical Engineering