Karl Popper Conference Award
[05/10/2025]
Prof. Yafeng Shan received an award from the Karl Popper Charitable Trust to organise the 'Karl Popper in China' conference. It is scheduled to be held on 29 - 31 May 2026 in the Center for Philosophy of Science, HKUST.
Our PhD student interviewed by Georgian TV
[20/09/2025]
Our PhD student, Zaza Doborjginidze, was recently interviewed by Ajara TV, a regional public broadcaster in Georgia, where he discussed the shifting global landscape in academia, particularly the brain drain from the West to the East.
Zaza was asked why he chose to pursue his PhD study at HKUST over Harvard. He replied that his decision was based on a careful assessment of the current academic climate.
'Despite a judge blocking specific executive orders by Trump, there is a broader trend of declining public investment in science. Funding for agencies like the NIH and NSF has been reduced, impacting even the most esteemed researchers. Professor Terrence Tao at UCLA, a Fields Medalist known as Mozart of Mathematics, has lost his funding recently. Additionally, the precise barometer of the research ecosystem is international academic conferences. The journal Nature has an all-time low in U.S. hosted conferences, with many being cancelled due to restrictive visa and border policies.
Another significant concern is the shift in Western academia from a primary focus on scholarly merit toward intense political activism. This environment has, in turn, provided a pretext for political attacks on the funding of higher education. This issue is not unique to the US; during my master's study in the UK, I witnessed widespread staff reductions. Similar contractions are occurring in Australia and other nations.
In stark contrast, the situation in Hong Kong and mainland China is one of expansion and commitment. The Chinese government increased its national science funding by 10% this year alone. This creates an environment where productive researchers can focus on their work with confidence, without constant anxiety over securing their position or next grant.'
Zaza also emphasized that HKUST offers a unique synthesis: 'It is built on the American model of higher education, has a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and support systems for all students, including those from the LGBT community. However, it crucially maintains a balance that I feel is being lost in the West. The system is fundamentally meritocratic. There is no pressure to censor research for the sake of political correctness, to meet hiring quotas based on identity, or to compromise scholarly standards. HKUST successfully preserves the original, positive feature of the U.S. system: a balance between inclusivity on one hand, while maintaining meritocracy. For a researcher seeking a stable, well-funded, and professionally focused environment, the choice was clear.'
Call for Submission: 2025 He Xianzhao Philosophy of Science Essay Prize
[20/08/2025]
The Center for Philosophy of Science, HKUST invites submissions for the 2025 He Xianzhao Philosophy of Science Essay Prize. Entries in the form of an essay of 3,000-3,500 words in English are invited. The author of the winning entry will be invited to present the work at the 3rd CWB Philosophy of Science Annual Workshop to be held in June 2026. The award will carry a cash prize of 2,000 HK dollars.
For more information about the competition, please click here.
First MPhil Graduate of the Center
[16/08/2025]
Miss Qinyi Wang successfully defended her MPhil thesis, 'Understanding without Explanation', in the oral examination.
Qinyi became the first MPhil graduate of the Center for Philosophy of Science, HKUST. Congratulations!
Qinyi will start her PhD study, working on a Kantian approach to scientific understanding, under the supervision of Professor Yafeng Shan in September 2025.
Donation received to support the Center
[14/08/2025]
The Center for Philosophy of Science at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology received a donation to establish the 'He Xianzhao Philosophy of Science Essay Prize' (贺贤钊科学哲学论文比赛奖) and support the research-related activities conducted by Prof. Yafeng Shan.
'This isn't just an award - it's the seed for Asia's next generation of philosophers of science.' Mr. He concluded at the signing ceremony.
The Center is grateful to the generous support of the entrepreneur Mr. He Xianzhao.
Mainland-Hong Kong University Alliances Funds Awarded
[11/08/2025]
Professor Yafeng Shan was awarded the Mainland-Hong Kong University Alliances Funds 2025-26 to organise the Shanghai-Hong Kong Philosophy of Science Workshop Series. The first edition will take place on 25 - 26 October 2025 in the Center for Philosophy of Science, HKUST. The second edition will be held in Shanghai in the Spring semester, 2026.
Postdoc Opportunities: RGC Junior Research Fellow
[23/07/2025]
The Center for Philosophy of Science at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology invites expressions of interest for the RGC Junior Research Fellow Scheme (JRFS). The scheme provides funding to cover the costs of 24-month full-time post-doctoral fellowship (or up to 36 months, if extension is granted). The purpose of this highly competitive fellowship is to support young research talents (local and non-local) in building up research and development (R&D) careers in Hong Kong.
For more information about JRFS, please click here.
Eligibility: have obtained / been conferred a PhD degree or an equivalent qualification on or after 1 January 2022 (i.e. not more than three years before 2025), or will complete the requirement of a PhD degree or an equivalent qualification by 31 August 2026.
Research Interests: philosophy of science, philosophy of biology, philosophy of social science
Deadlines and Process: The deadline for expressions of interest is Sunday 17th August 2025 (5pm, GMT+8). To express your interest please email your CV (including a list of publications), and a description of your proposed research project (1 page max) to Prof. Yafeng Shan (hmyfshan@ust.hk). For enquiries, please also contact Prof. Yafeng Shan (hmyfshan@ust.hk).
CFP: Synthese Topical Collection 'Explanation, Narrative, and Understanding in the Social Sciences'
[05/07/2025]
The topical collection 'Explanation, Narrative, and Understanding in the Social Sciences' of Synthese, co-edited by Yafeng Shan and Qinyi Wang, will be open to submissions on 1 September 2025. This topical collection aims to examine the notions of explanation, narrative, and understanding in social science. The deadline for submissions is 28 February 2026. For more information, please click here.
A Harvard offer-holder will transition to our Center
[20/06/2025]
Thanks to the support of the Provost office and Fok Ying Tung Graduate School, the Center for Philosophy of Science, HKUST just accepted a PhD offer-holder from Harvard University. The student will be formally enrolled in September, 2025, working on an integrated HPS approach to causation in biology under the supervision of Prof. Yafeng Shan.
Adam Chmielewski will visit the Center
[26/05/2025]
Professor Adam Chmielewski, Distinguished Professor, Institute of Philosophy of the University of Wrocław, will visit the Center for two weeks (23 June - 6 July). During his stay, Professor Chmielewski will join us for the 'Explanation, Narrative, and Understanding in the Social Sciences' conference and HKUST-ZJU Philosophy of Science Summer Symposium and discuss research collaboration with Professor Yafeng Shan.
PKU will visit the Center
[24/05/2025]
The Section of Philosophy of Science and Technology, Department of Philosophy, Peking University will visit the Center on 22 - 23 November 2025. We will host the first edition of the HKUST-PKU Symposium on Philosophy of Science Workshop (HPS*PHS).
NPU will visit the Center
[21/05/2025]
The School of Marxism, Northwestern Polytechnical University will visit the Center for Philosophy of Science, HKUST on 24 June 2025.
Yiwen Zhan on Bounded Rationality
[12/05/2025]
HKUST HPS Research Seminar (Spring 2025) concluded with a fascinating talk by Prof. Yiwen Zhan from Beijing Normal University. Professor Zhan developed a reformist account of epistemic rationality.
ZJU will visit the Center
[23/04/2025]
The School of Philosophy, Zhejiang University will visit the Center for Philosophy of Science, HKUST in early July, 2025. The HKUST-ZJU Philosophy of Science Summer Symposium is scheduled to be held on 3 July 2025.
HKUST MPhil students will present their work at the Joint Session 25 and EPSA 25!
[23/04/2025]
Qinyi Wang's paper 'A Kantian Approach to Scientific Understanding' and Ben Kwok's paper 'Interprogramme Theories and Lakatos' "Empirical Content"' were accepted for presentation at the Joint Session of the Aristotelian Society and Mind Association 2025, which will take place at the University of Glasgow, UK, on 11-13 July 2025.
Ben Kwok's paper 'Explicating Proximal-Distal Causation in Social Science' was also accepted by the APSA Cognate Session of the European Society for Philosophy of Science, which will take place at the University of Groningen, the Netherlands, on 25 - 27 August 2025.