HKUST Scholar Receives Prestigious Heinrich Welker Award in Semiconductor

Prof. Kei May LAU, Research Professor in the Division of Emerging Interdisciplinary Areas at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), has been awarded the prestigious 2026 Heinrich Welker Award, a highly esteemed honor in the international semiconductor field. She is also the first scientist/engineer to receive this distinction based on groundbreaking research achievements accomplished in Hong Kong/China.

Established in 1976, the Welker Award recognizes outstanding, pioneering research in the field of III-V compound semiconductors. The accolade carries significant global prestige: among its 48 past recipients, three are Nobel Laureates, and nearly all are distinguished academicians from around the world. Prof. Lau was honored for her seminal and sustained contributions to compound semiconductor materials and devices, including the hetero-epitaxy of III-V on silicon and micro-LED display technologies.

Prof. Nancy IP, President of HKUST, extended her heartfelt congratulations to Prof. Lau, stating, "Being awarded this internationally renowned award highlights Prof. Lau's pioneering contributions and profound impact in the field of III-V compound semiconductors, and reflects the high regard in which she is held by the global academic community. This honor is not only of extraordinary significance to her personally, but also marks a major milestone for HKUST, affirming that our academic strengths and global reputation rank among the world’s leading institutions. Prof. Lau's achievement sets an inspiring example for young scholars and researchers, encouraging them to bravely explore the unknown, push boundaries, and pursue innovation and excellence. Since joining HKUST 26 years ago, she has consistently upheld the spirit of discovery and innovation, achieving outstanding research accomplishments and continuously advancing frontier technologies. At the same time, she is deeply committed to education, nurturing generations of talented researchers, and making lasting contributions to scholarly advancement and talent development."

Prof. Lau remarked, "I am truly honored and humbled to receive this prestigious award. I am simply standing on the shoulders of the giants whom I tremendously admired since the very beginning of my career. Since the 1960s, compound semiconductors have often been viewed as the 'poor cousins' of silicon, with people even joking that they were destined to always remain materials of the future. However, I chose to bet on that ‘future’, while compound semiconductor devices become key components connecting the world, through optical fibres and Wi-Fi. Together with my research team, we harvested the fruits of continuous exploration, and experienced non-stop fun along the way. I am particularly gratified that the research achievements we accomplished here at HKUST have earned the full recognition of the international scientific community’s top leaders."

For decades, Prof. Lau has dedicated herself to bridging the gap between fundamental laboratory science and large-scale industrial applications for III-V compound semiconductors. Her research team at HKUST pioneered the monolithic integration of devices on industry-standard silicon substrates using Metal-Organic Chemical Vapor Deposition technology, and in 2008 successfully demonstrating the first high-mobility III-V transistors grown directly on silicon.

In recent years, her team has further developed the "Lateral Aspect Ratio Trapping" technique, enabling efficient coupling with silicon waveguides and marking a significant breakthrough for future communication technologies. Furthermore, the patented "LED-on-Silicon" monolithic "Micro-LED" technology invented by Prof. Lau has been successfully commercialized and applied in full-color micro-displays for augmented reality smart glasses. This breakthrough has attracted strong interest from global technology giants and startups alike, including several founded by her former students.

Prof. Lau’s long-standing dedication to academic research is marked by stellar achievements. She earned her bachelor's and master's degrees in physics from the University of Minnesota, followed by a PhD in electrical engineering from Rice University. Prior to her academic career, she worked briefly as a Senior Engineer at M/A-Com. She then began her teaching and research tenure at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where she rose to the rank of full Professor before joining HKUST in 2000. Her profound background spanning both academia and industry has earned her numerous internationally renowned honors. She is an elected Member of the US National Academy of Engineering and a Fellow of the Hong Kong Academy of Engineering, as well as a Fellow of the IEEE and Optica. Throughout her illustrious career, she has received a multitude of prestigious accolades, including the IPRM Award, the IET J.J. Thomson Medal for Electronics, the Optica Nick Holonyak Jr. Award, the IEEE Photonics Society Aron Kressel Award, and the Hong Kong Croucher Senior Research Fellowship. Additionally, she has served as an editor for top-tier international journals, including IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices and Applied Physics Letters.