Assistant Professor Kirill Prokofiev received his Master’s degree from St. Petersburg State Polytechnic University and a Ph.D. from the University of Zurich, both in physics. Prior to joining HKUST he was a Foreign Research Fellow at National Institute for Nuclear Physics, Italy (INFN). He originally joined the Department in 2014 as a Research Assistant Professor and Junior Fellow of the HKUST Jockey Club Institute for Advanced Study. His research interests include experimental studies of the recently discovered Higgs boson, searches for the physics beyond the Standard Model and development of semiconductor silicon detectors for experimental particle physics. 

Assistant Professor Qin Xu received his Ph.D. in physics at the University of Chicago in 2015. Prior to joining HKUST, he worked as a postdoctoral researcher in the laboratory of soft and living materials at ETH Zurich. Dr. Qin Xu’s research focuses on soft condensed matter physics. In particular, he is interested in applying advanced optical microscopy in studying mechanics of soft solids and complex fluids. 

Assistant Professor Rui Zhang received his Bachelor's degree in Physics at Fudan University, and Ph.D. in Physics at the City University of New York. Prior to joining HKUST, he was working at the University of Chicago. His research interest is to use theoretical and numerical tools including data-driven methods to simulate soft matter, including active matter, liquid crystals, and complex fluids, and to design novel materials for practical applications.