HKU Professors Named 2026 APS Fellows
Giulio Chiribella and Shizhong Zhang are among the physicists elected Fellows of the American Physical Society this year.
Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Physics
Two professors at The University of Hong Kong, Giulio Chiribella and Shizhong Zhang, have been elected 2026 Fellows of the American Physical Society. Fellowship is limited to no more than 0.5% of the Society's non-student membership in any given year.
Why it matters
The honour recognises contributions to quantum physics from researchers based in Hong Kong, adding to the international profile of the university's quantum research. Election follows a rigorous peer-review process and reflects sustained work in the field.
Election is capped at no more than 0.5% of the Society's non-student membership annually, with nominations from divisions such as the APS Division of Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics. The extraction does not state the total number of 2026 Fellows or the size of the candidate pool.
The players
American Physical Society
The American Physical Society is a major international professional body for physicists that awards Fellowship to members for exceptional contributions to the field.
Giulio Chiribella
Giulio Chiribella is Director of the Quantum Information and Computation Initiative at the University of Hong Kong's School of Computing and Data Science and works on the foundations of quantum theory.
Shizhong Zhang
Shizhong Zhang is a Professor and Associate Head of the Department of Physics in the Faculty of Science at the University of Hong Kong, with theoretical work on ultracold quantum gases.
The details
Chiribella was elected for pioneering work in information-theoretic reconstructions of the quantum formalism and seminal contributions to quantum-induced indefinite causal order. Zhang was nominated by the APS Division of Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics for fundamental discoveries in quantum physics, including theoretical work on p-wave interactions and spin-orbit-coupled Bose-Einstein condensates.
Timeline
- Elected 2026 Fellows of the American Physical Society.
The Big Picture
The election places two University of Hong Kong researchers within the APS Fellowship, a body that caps its annual Fellows at 0.5% of non-student membership. The recognition centres on quantum information theory and atomic, molecular and optical physics, both active areas of theoretical development.
The recognition does not change how readers access physics research directly, but it signals which quantum theory and ultracold gas programs are being recognised by the international physics community. Researchers and students following these fields can use the APS Fellow listings to track work in these areas.
The takeaway
Recognition by the American Physical Society highlights work in quantum information theory and atomic physics that may shape future research directions. Readers interested in these fields can follow the APS Fellow announcements for ongoing developments.
Further reading
Explore more research on Physics to see how quantum theory and condensed matter work is advancing.
Source note: This article includes information reported by The HKU Lead.
