Orientation for Research Postgraduate Students

Dr Danny Chan

Assistant Dean (Research)

HKU Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine

Welcome to the Medical Faculty !

Your home base …

The place to be for your quest of

knowledge …

Where discoveries and

inventions are born …

Where the next generation of

scientists and clinicians is

nurtured …

Your Faculty at a glance

Founded in 1887 (Hong Kong College of

Medicine for Chinese)

Over 120 years of medical education

16 teaching departments, Schools of

Nursing and Chinese Medicine, AIDS

Institute and Eye Institute

Around 240 full-time teaching staff and 600

research staff

Medical Faculty

Research Strategy Map

Genome Research Centre

and Core Facilities

Heart, Brain,

Hormone &

Healthy Aging

Cancer

Infection &

Immunology

Reproduction,

Development

& Growth

Public

Health

Discipline-based Research

Other Relevant Strategic Research Themes

Biomedical engineering

Drug

Genomics & genetics

Nano-biotechnology

Stem cell & regenerative medicine

19.59

31.43

5.5

33.15

41.0139.79

5

46.07

3

53.0954.55

41.5

11.1

50

64.07

6.4

54.62

13.2

76

67.08

5.5

48.41

21

62.1

92

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

97-98 98-99 99-00 00-01 01-02 02-03 03-04 04-05 05-06 06-07 07-08 08-09 09-10 10-11

GeneralResearch Grants(HK$656.46M)

CollaborativeResearch Grants(HK$70.7M)

Area ofExcellence*(HK$218M)

Major Funding from Research Grant Council / University Grants Committee (97/98 ~ 10/11)

Hong Kong Research Grants Council

HK

$(M

)

Year

Total:

HK$945.16M

Proud achievements of your Faculty

First in identifying Coronavirus as the causal agent of SARS

and developing a rapid diagnostic test for SARS

First in isolating Coronavirus causing SARS from civet cats

First in predicting the spread of H5N1 by migratory waterfowl

First in discovering a gene responsible for hearing

First in discovering the molecular mechanism causing

premature aging

First in discovering a new mechanism in the causation of

heredity colon cancer

RPG in the Medical Faculty

Total: 679 students

As at September 14, 2010

Part-Time PhD

53 (8%)

Part-Time MPhil

21 (3%)

Full-Time PhD

385 (57%)

Full-Time MPhil

220 (32%)

Support for your research

State-of-the-art laboratories in the Faculty of Medicine Building and

Queen Mary Hospital

Faculty Core Facility: Live Cell Imaging and Flow Cytometry

technologies

Genome Research Centre –core facilities in microarray, genotyping

and proteomics

State Key Labs:

(i) Emerging Infectious Diseases

(ii) Brain and Cognitive Sciences

(iii) Liver Research

Laboratory Animal Unit and Transgenic Core Facility

Clinical Trials Centre

Yu Chun Keung Medical Library

Postgraduate Study Room (L2-21 Laboratory Block)

Hardwares:

Laboratory Animal Unit State Key Lab of Emerging

Infection Diseases

Transgenic Technology Centre

Yu Chun Keung Medical Library

Proteomic System at

Genome Research Centre

Your supervisor and co-supervisors

Departmental Research Postgraduate Committee (DRPC)

Faculty Higher Degrees Committee (FHDC)

Graduate School

Centre of Development and Resources for Students

(CEDARS)

Laboratory and research staff in your Department

Your fellow RPg students

Expertise in the Genome Research Centre, other

Departments and other Faculties

Support for your research

Softwares:

Graduate School

[serving the Board of Graduate Studies (BoGS)]

Faculty Higher Degrees Committee (FHDC)

Departmental Research Postgraduate Committee (DRPC)

Chairman

Research Postgraduate Co-ordinator

Supervisor, together with

Co-supervisors/Counsellor

Research Postgraduate (RPG) students

Your Keys to Success

Know the expectations of the University

Familiarize yourself with the degree regulations,

procedures and guidelines (Graduate School

Handbook / website) which were drawn up by

the University to guide you through your study

Monitoring of progress

Reading and

project planning

• Progress report for

confirmation of probation

• Thesis

• RPS

24 18 12 6

Enrolment

36/48

M.Phil

PhD

End of probation period

• Thesis

• RPS

Progress report

• qualifying research seminar

• detailed scheme of research

1 (month)

Probation & Confirmation of Candidature

Probationary period and confirmation of

candidature:

MPhil and PhD (3-yr) - FT: 12 months

PT: 18 months

PhD (4-yr) - FT: 18 months

PT: 24 months

Probation & Confirmation of Candidature

Criteria for confirmation of your candidature:

passed all the Graduate School core courses and at

least 2 out of 3 Research Postgraduate courses

demonstrated capability in research

submitted a detailed scheme of research to your

supervisors

given a qualifying research seminar

passed the safety quiz

Attended 4 out of 6 case-based workshops on

Research Integrity

Work closely with your supervisors and DRPC

Regular meetings with your supervisors,

preferably weekly

Establish an agreed manner of work with your

supervisors

Seek help from supervisors, counsellor and

DRPC once you have identified any problems

Report your Progress

Submit your 6-monthly progress report on time

Progress reports are not extra work - they

facilitate your supervisors, DRPC, FHDC and

BoGS to evaluate your progress and help you

complete your study

Renewal of studentship is subject to satisfactory

progress as indicated in the reports

Report your Progress

Present the progress of your work at the annual

Research Postgraduate Symposium

(December 1 & 2, 2010)

at least once for MPhil (poster presentation)

at least twice for PhD

(1 poster and 1 oral presentation)

Presenting your research progress = ½ of your

role

Another ½ of your role: ask your fellow students

questions! Don’t just keep silent!

Silence ≠Research spirit

Research Postgraduate Symposium 2009

Research Ethics

Familiarize yourself with research ethics and

intellectual property rights

Honesty in the conduct of research, reporting of

findings, and attribution of ideas and their source

Avoid plagiarism which is a serious academic

offence

Read the booklet “Plagiarism and How to avoid it”

Attend the Graduate School’s compulsory core

course on Research Ethics

Plagiarism = Failure + Penalty decided by

Disciplinary Committee

Penalty – reprimand, suspension, expulsion, etc.

You must learn to make proper references in your

written work, be it your thesis or publications

Use Turnitin to check your thesis before

submission

Research Ethics

Warning!

The six topics are:

• What constitute research misconduct, falsification,

fabrication and plagiarization

• Conflict of Interest: declare or beware!

• Management, ownership and legal aspects of your

research data

• Publication, contribution and justification of authorship

• Clinical research ethics: the rights of the human

research subject

• Animal research ethics: laboratory animal welfare

compliance

Research Ethics Case-based Workshops on Research Integrity

All RPg students registered on or after September 1,

2010 are required to attend at least 4 of the above

workshops before their probation period can be

confirmed.

Research Ethics Case-based Workshops on Research Integrity

Topic: What Constitute Research Misconduct,

Falsification, Fabrication and Plagiarization?

Venue: Lecture Theatre 2, Cheung Kung Hai Conference

Centre, G/F, William MW Mong Block

Date: October 5, 2010 (Tuesday)

Time: 2:00 – 2:00 pm

Please register on-line on or before September 28, 2010

Seek approval for experiments involving human

subjects and animals from the HKU/HA HKW

IRB and the Committee on the Use of Live

Animals in Teaching and Research (CULATR)

respectively well in advance

Acknowledge in your thesis the assistance and

contributions by others

(e.g. PDFs, Research Officers, Technicians,

RAs, etc.)

Research Ethics

Get to know the departmental safety

representative and read the departmental

safety manual/guidelines (available from the

Faculty Research website)

Strictly follow laboratory regulations

Conduct your research in a safe and ethical

manner to protect yourself and others

Safety

Better Safe than Sorry!

Research is No Spectator Sport

Initiative

Active participation

Collaboration, academic exchange

Share research findings and gain

“community” experience, e.g. through

seminar presentations

Aim to publish the results of your research in

international journals

Attend conferences and seminars to increase

your exposure – watch out for the e-mail

announcements via the intranet, e.g. Frontiers

in Biomedical Research, HKU 2010

(December 3, 2010)

Help out with event organization of your

Department and Faculty

Research is No Spectator Sport

Transfer of Candidature from MPhil to PhD

May be considered if:

candidature is confirmed

all coursework completed

substantial results have been achieved for the MPhil

project (e.g. a paper accepted by international journal)

application made at least 4 months before expiry of

MPhil candidature

Not as a rescue for those unable to finish the

MPhil on time

Opportunities for Overseas Exchange

Research Postgraduate Students

Exchange Scheme

To gain international exposure

To acquire advanced knowledge and

research techniques complementary to

those available at HKU

Opportunities for Overseas Exchange

Duration: Maximum 12 months for MPhil students;

18 months for 3-year PhD students and 24

months for 4-year PhD students

Travel/subsistence allowances are available for

application

Travel & medical insurance will be covered by

HKU

Students on exchange will be conferred their

degrees by HKU

Points to Note:

Examples of Exchange Partners: • Columbia University, USA

• Imperial College, UK

• Leiden University Medical Centre, The Netherlands

• Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), USA

• Max Planck Institute for Molecular Genetics, Germany

• National Institute of Child Health and Human Development

(NICHD), USA

• National University of Singapore

• Institut Pasteur, France

• University of Groningen, The Netherlands

• University of Liverpool, UK

• University of Oxford, UK

• University of Toronto, Canada

Opportunities for Overseas Exchange

Scholarships and Grants

Faculty-wide

• The Hong Kong Cancer Fund Scholarship in Psycho-

Oncology

• The Hui Pun Hing Scholarship for Postgraduate

Research

• Mary Sun Medical Scholarships

• Serena Yang Postgraduate Scholarship in Nursing

Studies

• Wong Ching Yee Medical Postgraduate Scholarships

• YS & Christabel Lung Postgraduate Scholarship

• Joseph Shuk-Cho Lung Memorial Scholarships

University-wide

• Conference/Travel Grants for Research Students from

the Committee on Research and Conference Grants

(CRCG)

• Li Po Chun Postgraduate Scholarship

• Dr Lo Kwee Seong Education Foundation

• Starr Hall Well of Ismael Scholarships

• Swire Graduate Studentships

• Swire Scholarships

• Swire Travel Grants

• Tanfik Ail Memorial Scholarships

Scholarships and Grants

Prizes

Dr KP Stephen Chang Gold Medal

– Best PhD thesis in the Medical Faculty

Li Ka Shing Prizes (University-wide)

– Best MPhil/PhD theses

Awards for Outstanding Research

Postgraduate Student (University-wide)

- Best MPhil/PhD theses

Submission of Thesis

Submit your thesis within your period of study

Give your supervisors sufficient notice and time to

comment on your research findings and the draft

thesis

Submit Notice of Intent to Submit a Thesis to the

DRPC at least 3 months before the expected date

of submission

Your thesis must be checked by Turnitin software

which helps detect plagiarism

Extension of candidature will

cost you continuation fee

affect your supervisor’s track record

involve penalty to the Faculty

be subject to approval by the FHDC and

BoGS

Submission of Thesis

Thesis Examination

MPhil: 1 internal and 1 external examiners

PhD: 2 internal and 1 external examiners

Oral examination – compulsory for PhD

students

Where can I obtain further information?

Faculty homepage http://www.hku.hk/facmed/

Graduate School

http://www.hku.hk/gradsch/

CEDARS

http://cedars.hku.hk

Supervisors

DRPC

You can be the next one

to make wonders

at the frontiers of science.

Thank you!