Faculty of Science and Technology (FST) of the University of Macau (UM) presents the 2024/2025 “Teaching Excellence Award” and “Research Excellence Award” to 4 professors yesterday (26 Feb). After the selection by FST management committee, the “Teaching Excellence Awards” were presented to Prof. Zhang Ping, Associate Professor from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Prof. Vai Mang I, Associate Professor from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. The “Research Excellence Awards” were presented to Prof Liu Zhi, Professor from the Department of Mathematics and Prof. Zhong Junwen, Assistant Professor from the Department of Electromechanical Engineering. The award aims to commend these professors for their constantly improvement in teaching and perseverance and innovation in research. They successfully enhanced the quality of teaching and research of UM, as well as setting up a role model for other academic staff and students.

Prof. Zhang Ping joined UM in 2017. By integrating field trips and artificial intelligence tools into his teaching, he bridges theoretical knowledge with practical applications, broadening students’ industry perspectives. In graduate courses, he encourages short presentations to enhance communication skills and uses open-ended questions to inspire problem-solving abilities. As coordinator of final-year projects, he organized well-received writing workshops and actively contributed to the renewal of undergraduate program accreditations. Under his guidance, 80% of graduates have been admitted to prestigious universities worldwide for further studies, demonstrating his outstanding teaching effectiveness.

Prof. Vai Mang I joined UM in 1990. He believes education should be student-centered, guiding students to transition from passive and fragmented learning to active engagement. As a lecturer for first-year university courses, he not only teaches fundamental theories in physics but also emphasizes applying physical principles to solve engineering problems. In the “Digital Systems” course, he guides students to design microprocessors, helping them integrate theoretical knowledge into practical applications. This innovative teaching approach effectively fosters critical thinking and exploration among students.

Prof. Liu Zhi obtained his Ph.D. in Statistics from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and joined UM in 2012. He has achieved remarkable success in academia, focusing on cutting-edge fields such as statistics, financial econometrics, statistical inference of stochastic processes, and statistical machine learning. To date, he has published over 60 high-impact papers in top international journals, and has close collaboration with top scholars in the same field in the United States, Europe and Japan, demonstrating profound academic expertise and innovative capabilities. In addition to his outstanding contributions to academic research, Prof. Liu is actively engaged in education and community service. He has supervised 11 PhD students, and he provides professional mathematical modeling training for mathematics teachers in multiple secondary schools in Macao, helping Macao middle school students enhance their mathematical modeling skills and inspiring their passion for mathematics and science.

Prof. Zhong Junwen joined the Department of Electromechanical Engineering at UM in 2020. Specializing in flexible mechatronic systems, he has made significant contributions to the field, publishing over 60 academic papers in internationally renowned journals as the first or corresponding author, with a total citation count exceeding 8,800. His research on electronic insects—a highly agile and controllable miniature robot measuring just 3 cm—has proven invaluable in complex search-and-rescue operations. These robots can navigate narrow spaces, record, and transmit critical information, providing essential support for rescue missions. His groundbreaking research has been recognized and published in top-tier journals such as Science Robotics and IEEE Transactions on Robotics, highlighting his influence in technological innovation.

FST presents the “Teaching Excellence Award” and the “Research Excellence Award” as a recognition to academic staff in making unremitting efforts in teaching and research. It reflects the pursuit of the qualities in teaching and research of the Faculty, as well as the aims of stimulating talent development, scientific progress and local competitiveness of the university.