NEWS & EVENTS

On 29 to 30 January 2026, the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences (DEPS) at the University of Hong Kong hosted a groundbreaking Postgraduate Research Seminar titled “Advances in AI for Earth Sciences and Beyond.” Funded by the Hong Kong Research Grants Council (RGC) and led by Prof. Weiran Li of the VRock Laboratory, the event was primarily organised by two dedicated postgraduate students from the lab, Ms. Xiaoyu Liu and Mr. Mike Ausejo. The seminar aimed to equip students with foundational and advanced knowledge of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), with a focus on their applications in earth sciences and interdisciplinary research.

 

The two-day event brought together postgraduate students from different institutions: the Chinese University of Hong Kong, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, the Macau University of Science and Technology, and the University of Hong Kong. This diverse assembly fostered dynamic exchanges on data-driven science among emerging researchers in Hong Kong and Macau.

 

The seminar commenced with a welcome address by Prof. Weiran Li, followed by lectures from Prof. Maurizio Petrelli of the University of Perugia, a leading expert in ML applications in volcanology, petrology, and geochemistry. His sessions covered ML algorithms, hypothesis testing, and the risks of AI in geoscientific inference. A practical workshop introduced participants to Orange-Volcanoes, a user-friendly, code-free tool for geochemical data analysis developed by Prof. Petrelli’s team. Attendees praised its intuitive interface, which accelerates exploratory data analysis.

 

Day two featured advanced research seminars by Prof. Petrelli and Prof. Ding Pan (HKUST), exploring ML in petrology and deep Earth fluid dynamics. These sessions drew a broad audience, including chair professors, postdoctoral researchers, and students, culminating in lively discussions on the future of AI in earth sciences. The seminar underscored AI's transformative potential in addressing complex planetary challenges and aligned with HKU’s “AI for every mind” initiative, empowering students to lead in this evolving field.

 

Prof. Maurizio Petrelli provided key lectures on machine learning to Hong Kong and Macau postgraduate students on 29 January 2026 at DEPS, HKU. © Mike Ausejo

Katherine Strattman, Year-4 PhD student and one of the students who participated in the seminar, received her certificate of participation after the Day 1 seminar. © Mike Ausejo

Prof. Weiran Li introduced the guest speakers at the research seminar on 30 January 2026 (Day 2). The two talks sparked a hot discussion among academic staff, postdocs, and students at DEPS, on the utility of AI in earth sciences and beyond. © Mike Ausejo