Dr Chan Man-ho, Associate Dean of the Faculty of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences and Associate Professor, Department of Science and Environmental Studies (SES) of The Education University of Hong Kong (EdUHK), was awarded an Honourable Mention at the 2024 Gravity Research Foundation Essay Competition, in recognition of his outstanding achievements in astrophysics research. It was the second time for Dr Chan’s essay to be selected for an Honourable Mention, after garnering his first accolade six years ago. Notable past winners of this prestigious essay competition include renowned theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking and several Nobel laureates in Physics.

Dr Chan’s award-winning paper presented the first analytic framework by modelling the gravitational influence on the stars orbiting a galactic supermassive black hole (SMBH). It also outlined two distinctive features in terms of changes in stars’ orbits due to gravitational interactions – stellar orbital precession and orbital shrinking. The research findings significantly contributed to further understanding of the unique gravitational environment surrounding the SMBHs.

In the same year, Dr Chan and his team published another article on the evidence of dark matter density spike observed around a supermassive black hole in The Astrophysical Journal Letters. It was then selected as one of the five most important monthly physics news items on the internet, in April 2024.

Back in 2023, Dr Chan and his team had already achieved a major breakthrough on dark matter research. Through computer simulations, the team applied a ‘dynamical friction model’ in two nearby black holes and found indirect evidence of the existence of a substantial amount of dark matter surrounding them. Funded by the Research Grants Council (RGC), the research was published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters in early 2023 and was named one of the ten most important monthly physics news items on the internet, in May 2023.

Built on their previous studies of the most popular theoretical candidates for dark matter, ‘axions’, Dr Chan and his team recently started a two-year research project (2025-2027), with a special focus on QCD axions and Ultra-light axions. Supported by the General Research Fund, Dr Chan’s team hoped the in-depth research on dark matters would shed light on one of the most challenging and unanswered questions in astrophysics, which had lasted for nearly a century.

Dr Chan is amongst the few scientists who study astrophysics alongside religion and philosophy. With two doctoral degrees in astrophysics and philosophy of religion, he has been awarded a Humanities and Social Sciences Prestigious Fellowship by the UGC. Last year, Dr Chan and his team questioned philosopher Philip Goff's views on ‘agentive cosmopsychism’ in an article published in the International Journal of Philosophy of Religion. The publication gained the attention of Professor Goff himself that he re-posted it on social media.

Before joining EdUHK, Dr Chan taught for many years at a secondary school. ‘Popular science is very important, as it can help cultivate young people’s interest in astrophysics and educate them to become the next generation of scientists and astrophysicists,’ said Dr Chan. As an Expert Adviser to the Hong Kong Space Museum, Dr Chan is keen on promoting knowledge of astrophysics through public activities and lectures via various media platforms.

Dr Chan's team is working closely with internationally renowned astronomical institutions, such as the observatories in Shanghai and Xinjiang. He is also leading an international Radio Detection of Dark Matter (RADAR) Collaboration team, with members from various regions all over the world.

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Dr Chan Man-ho Awarded Honourable Mention for Second Time at the Gravity Research Foundation Essay Competition

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Dr Chan Man-ho Awarded Honourable Mention for Second Time at the Gravity Research Foundation Essay Competition

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