Stanford’s World’s Top 2% Scientists: Six HKBU Chair Professors ranked among China's top five
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A total of 80 scholars from Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) have been included in the “World’s Top 2% Scientists” 2026 list compiled by Stanford University. The list, which measures single-year and career-long citation impact using standardised indicators such as h-index, co-authorship adjusted hm-index, and citations to papers in different authorship positions, represents a 27-per cent increase in named HKBU scholars compared to the previous edition.
Key Highlights:
- 80 HKBU scholars listed on Stanford’s World’s Top 2% Scientists 2026, a 27-per cent increase
- Two health scientists ranked 2nd and 9th globally in Complementary and Alternative Medicine
- Six chair professors ranked *China’s top five, Hong Kong's top two
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Chinese Medicine researchers ranked in global top 10
Two HKBU researchers achieved top-10 global rankings within the subfield of Complementary and Alternative Medicine.
Professor Lyu Aiping (left) and Professor Bian Zhaoxiang
Professor Lyu Aiping — Vice-President (Research and Development) and Dr Kennedy Y. H. Wong Endowed Professor in Chinese Medicine
Rank: 2nd globally (1st in China and Hong Kong)
A Foreign Member of the Academia Europaea and member of the WHO Strategic and Technical Advisory Group on Traditional, Complementary and Integrative Medicine, Professor Lyu focuses on systems medicine and translational medicine. His research has been published in journals such as Nature Medicine, Nature Communications, and Briefings in Bioinformatics. His team developed an osteoblast-targeting nucleic acid aptamer, and their therapeutic aptamer targeting Sclerostin loop3 received Orphan Drug Designation from the US FDA.
Professor Bian Zhaoxiang — Associate Vice-President (Clinical Chinese Medicine) and Tsang Shiu Tim Endowed Chair of Chinese Medicine Clinical Studies
Rank: 9th globally (2nd in Hong Kong and 4th in China)
Serving as the Hospital Chief Executive of the Chinese Medicine Hospital of Hong Kong, Professor Bian conducts research on clinical Chinese medicine, gut dysbiosis, and functional gastrointestinal disorders. He holds 72 patents and has co-authored over 500 papers, including a clinical study on diarrhoea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-D) published in The Journal of Clinical Investigation. He also serves as Director of the Chinese EQUATOR Centre, focusing on reporting guidelines for clinical trials in Chinese medicine.
Six chair professors in China’s top five, Hong Kong's top two
Apart from Professor Lyu and Bian, the scholars listed below are all among China's top five in their respective fields.
Professor Daniel Wong — Chair Professor in Mental Health and Counselling, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
Rank: 1st in China and Hong Kong (Social Work)
A registered clinical psychologist, Professor Wong's research interests include evidence-based mental health practices, cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT), and youth mental health literacy. His work has appeared in journals such as Depression and Anxiety, the Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, and the British Journal of Social Work.
Professor Daniel Lai — Dean and Chair Professor in Social Sciences, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences; Fung Hon Chu Endowed Professor in Humanics
Rank: 1st in Hong Kong, 2nd in China, (Gerontology)
Professor Lai’s research addresses social policy, active ageing, and elderly caregiving systems. He has served on the Board of Directors of both the American Society on Aging and the Canadian Association of Gerontology, and is currently the Vice-President of the Hong Kong Association of Gerontology.
Professor Christy Cheung — Chair Professor in Information Systems and Digital Innovation Management, School of Business
Rank: 1st in Hong Kong, 3rd in China (Information Systems) - leading as the Nation’s top-ranked female scholar of the field
Professor Cheung's research covers digital resilience, social media dynamics, and online consumer behaviour. She is the Editor-in-Chief of Internet Research and was a recipient of the Research Grants Council (RGC) Senior Research Fellowship, having published over 200 articles in international journals and conference proceedings.
Professor Zhang Jianhua — Chair Professor in Biology, Faculty of Science and Technology
Rank: 1st in Hong Kong, 2nd in China (Plant Biology and Botany)
Professor Zhang's research focuses on water-saving irrigation and crop stress physiology. His academic contributions have been recognized with the State Natural Science Award and the State Scientific and Technological Progress Award from the State Council of China.
HKBU’s RGC fellows shine in World’s Top 2% Scientists
Professor Gao Meng (Academy of Geography, Sociology and International Studies, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences) and Professor Han Bo (Department of Computer Science, Faculty of Science and Technology), who were awarded the 2026/27 RGC Senior Research Fellow Scheme (SRFS) and Research Fellow Scheme (RFS) respectively, with Professor Gao additionally receiving the RGC Overseas Research Fellowship Scheme (ORFS) this year. Both scholars were also named to Stanford's World's Top 2% Scientists list.
Other HKBU RGC fellow scheme awardees recognised on the Stanford list include:
- Professor Christy Cheung (2020/21 SRFS), Department of Management, Marketing and Information Systems, School of Business
- Professor Cheung Yiu-ming (2023/24 SRFS), Department of Computer Science, Faculty of Science and Technology
- Professor Zhou Changsong (2023/24 SRFS), Department of Physics, Faculty of Science and Technology
- Professor Ma Guancong (2022/23 RFS), Department of Physics, Faculty of Science and Technology
- Professor Kevin Lo (2026/27 ORFS), Academy of Geography, Sociology and International Studies, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
HKBU continues to support transdisciplinary research and translational projects aimed at addressing local societal needs and global challenges.
* "China" includes the Chinese Mainland, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, China
