Renowned Physicist Professor Sir John Pendry Explores Time-Dependent Metamaterials at CityUHK

22 Dec 2025
Professor Sir John Pendry
Professor Sir John Pendry dProfessor Sir John Pendry delivered HKIAS distinguished lectures at CityUHKelivered HKIAS distinguished lectures at CityUHK


Professor Sir John Pendry, an HKIAS Senior Fellow and a renowned award-winning pioneer on metamaterials and electromagnetic materials, visited City University of Hong Kong from 9 to 14 November 2025. His visit featured high-level academic exchanges and the delivery of a prestigious HKIAS Distinguished Lecture, fostering deep discussions on the frontiers of electromagnetism and metamaterials.

Throughout the week, Professor Pendry engaged in a series of in-depth discussions with prominent scholars at CityUHK including Professor Chan Chi Hou, Vice-President (Community Engagement), Professor Yang Ren, Head of the Department of Physics, Professor Xun-Li Wang, Chair Professor of the Department of Physics, Professor Din-Ping Tsai, Chair Professor of the Department of Electrical Engineering, Professor Kwai Man Luk, Chair Professor of the Department of Electrical Engineering, Professor Stella Pang, Chair Professor of the Department of Electrical Engineering, Professor Dangyuan Lei, Professor at the Department of Materials Science and Engineering. These interactions provided a platform for sharing research insights and exploring future scientific advancements.

On 13 November 2025, Professor Pendry attended the “Areas of Excellence Workshop 2025” and delivered the HKIAS Distinguished Lecture titled “Energy and entropy content of time dependent metamaterials”. The lecture was inaugurated by Professor Shuk Han Cheng, Executive Director of the HKIAS. Co-organised by the Department of Electrical Engineering, the lecture addressed the profound implications of time-dependent metamaterials that can comply with PT symmetry under a Hamiltonian framework with real eigenvalues. It further positioned the conceptual foundation for the possibility to define a ‘ground state’ for these advanced systems. Supported by Kwang Hua Educational Foundation, the lecture garnered significant attention, drawing an audience from multiple departments from CityUHK and other academic institutions across Hong Kong. For more information about the lecture, please click here.

Prof. Shuk Han Cheng, Executive Director of the HKIAS; Prof Sir John Pendry; Prof. Din Ping Tsai, Chair Professor of Department of Electrical Engineering
(From Left) Prof. Shuk Han Cheng, Executive Director of the HKIAS; Prof Sir John Pendry; Prof. Din Ping Tsai, Chair Professor of Department of Electrical Engineering
The lecture received a favourable response from CityU faculty members and students.
The lecture received a favourable response from CityU faculty members and students.

Since joining Imperial College London in 1981, Professor Sir John Pendry has held numerous leadership roles, including Dean, Head of Physics, and Principal Faculty of Phyiscal Sciences. His exceptional contributions to the field have earned him numerous prestigious awards, including the UNESCO Niels Bohr Gold Medal, the Kavli Prize in nanoscience, and the prestigious Kyoto Prize. This year, he received the Royal Society’s Copley Medal, in recognition of his profound contributions to science.

The Hong Kong Institute for Advanced Study at City University of Hong Kong extends its profound appreciation to Professor Sir John Pendry for the significant intellectual engagement and knowledge exchange that his visit has facilitated within the academic community.