The doors of the Hong Kong Institute for Advanced Study (HKIAS) at City University of Hong Kong (CityU) were reopened in May for the launch of the institute’s first series of lectures since the outbreak of the novel coronavirus. Made possible by a generous grant from the Kwang Hua Education Foundation, the HKIAS Distinguished Lecture Series on Life Sciences aims to identify and showcase the work of life scientists and neuroscientists at CityU whose research cuts across traditional disciplinary boundaries.