PEOPLE

Dr. Louis Wong earned his BSc degree in Earth Sciences from the same Department in 1999, thanks to the Stephen Kam Chuen Cheung Memorial Scholarship. He went on to complete his PhD in Geotechnical Engineering at MIT in 2008, under the Croucher Foundation Scholarship and the Sir Edward Youde Memorial Fellowship for Overseas Studies.

Dr. Wong's teaching and research interests lie in engineering geology, rock mechanics, and underground engineering. He currently serves as the Editor-in-Chief of the Bulletin of Engineering Geology and the Environment (Springer), and is a member of the editorial boards for Engineering Geology (Elsevier), Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering (Springer), and Journal of Rock Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering (Elsevier). As of September 2023, Dr. Wong has published over 130 refereed journal papers and is listed among the "HKU Scholars in the Top 1%" for his worldwide recognition in at least one of the 22 research fields.

http://hub.hku.hk/local/top1pc/top1pc.jsp

In addition to his academic pursuits, Dr. Wong is a member of the HKIE Geotechnical Division Committee, a Co-opted Council Member of the Institute of Materials, Minerals, and Mining (Hong Kong Branch), the Hong Kong Regional Group President for the International Association of Engineering Geology and Environment (IAEG) Council, a Technical Assessor for the Hong Kong Accreditation Service (HKAS), an External Member of the Assessment Committee for Logging Geologists (CEDD).

Before joining HKU, Dr. Wong held the position of Assistant Professor and Assistant Chair (Academic) at the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) School of Civil and Environmental Engineering in Singapore. He also gained practical experience as a consulting tunnel engineer at CDM in the USA and completed the Engineering Geology Graduate (EGG) training with the Geotechnical Engineering Office (GEO). His accomplishments include receiving the Richard Wolter's Prize from the IAEG (2014), the Best Paper Award from the Journal of Computer and Geotechnics (2017), and the Best Paper Award at the 53rd US Rock Mechanics/Geomechanics Symposium (2019). Furthermore, Dr. Wong's dedication to teaching was recognized with the Nanyang Education Award at NTU for the academic year 2012/13.

Prospective Students:

PhD positions (2024 September intake) are available for applicants with a Bachelor's degree in Earth Sciences, Civil Engineering, Geotechnical Engineering, or a related subject, and who have achieved First or Second Class Honours (or an equivalent GPA). For information on scholarships, funding, and fees, please visit the following website.

https://gradsch.hku.hk/gradsch/prospective-students/scholarship-funding-and-fees

Current Projects:

• Development of an artificial intelligence rock type classification and fracture state characterization APP for engineering applications (CIC)
• Artificial intelligence-aided logging of rock cores (GRF)
• Rock strengthening mechanisms upon heating (GRF)
• Fire safety for underground rock support system (GRF)
• Study on the evolution of shear mechanical properties and damage mechanism of rock joints under medium-to-low-temperature conditions (NSFC)
• Development of computer-based rock mass characterization (GEO)