Dr. Chun Kit Kwok, Assistant Professor from the Department of Chemistry, has received the “Croucher Innovation Awards” presented by the Croucher Foundation for his research on RNA (ribonucleic acid).
Dr. Kwok is devoted to studying RNA. He hopes to reveal the structure of a specific type of RNA and its interactions in cells, as well as its biological functions and mechanism, in order to develop chemical and molecular tools for diagnostic and therapeutic applications.
Dr. Kwok has received the “Croucher Innovation Awards” presented by the Croucher Foundation for his research on RNA. This is the first time CityU scholars receiving the award. And good things come in pairs: another young scholar from the Department of Biomedical Sciences has also received the award for her research on immune cells.
Dr. Kwok felt glad and honoured to receive this award. He thanked the Croucher Foundation for the trust in his basic research on RNA. He also felt grateful that the Foundation has recognized the pioneering of his research project as well as his ability to carry out and complete it. He also thanked CityU, Department of Chemistry, and other funding agencies for their strong and consistent support for his research in terms of resources and funding.
Dr. Kwok has received various awards for his outstanding performance, including the Selected Young Scientist Participant for the 65th Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting in 2015, the Kan Tong Po International Visiting Fellowship of the Royal Society in 2017, and the President’s Award from CityU in 2019.
The Croucher Innovation Awards aims to identify a small number of exceptionally talented and internationally competitive scientists. It offers substantial support to these “rising stars” at a formative stage in their careers. It is designed to enable recipients to advance their expertise and engage in bold innovation, as well as to contribute to the development of education and research in Hong Kong. Winners are offered up to HK$ 5 million as research funding in five years.
(More information about the research can be viewed from CityU Research Stories: https://bit.ly/2JgKNHL)