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Professor Jun Yang, Professor at the Department of Civil Engineering under the Faculty of Engineering at The University of Hong Kong (HKU), has been honoured with the State Natural Science Award (Second Class Prize). The list of awardees was officially announced at the National Science and Technology Award Conference, and the General Assemblies of the Members of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering held in Beijing on 8 July.

As a natural material, soil exhibits highly complex mechanical behaviours under stress. Professor Yang’s award-winning research project, "Anisotropic State-Dependent Theory and Constitutive Modelling of Soils," provides an in-depth exploration of this challenging problem. In its natural state, soil exhibits a distinct "anisotropy"—meaning its physical properties and strength vary significantly depending on the direction of the applied force or measurement. This behaviour is further compounded by "dilatancy," a phenomenon where soil actually expands in volume as its internal particles reorganise under compression or shear forces, closely intertwining changes in volume and shape. Together, these unique characteristics make soil behaviour under stress difficult to predict, posing a major, long-standing safety challenge for geotechnical engineering projects worldwide.

This research systematically decodes the relationship between soil anisotropy and its physical state. The team successfully established mathematical equations capable of simultaneously and precisely describing both "generalized dilatancy" (volume expansion under shear forces) and the "hardening process" (the gradual increase in soil strength under loading). Building on these equations, the team rigorously proved the existence and uniqueness of the "anisotropic critical state"—the ultimate boundary where soil reaches a stable, continuous deformation regime—and defined the exact physical conditions under which anisotropy can coexist within this state. By establishing this comprehensive theoretical framework, the team developed a series of advanced "constitutive models" (mathematical models used to simulate how materials deform under stress). These models provide highly accurate predictions of soil strength and deformation, offering a reliable scientific foundation and predictive tool for tackling complex geotechnical engineering challenges.

Professor Yang said: “I am honoured to receive this prestigious award alongside my two distinguished collaborators. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the University of Hong Kong for providing a supportive research environment, and to the Research Grants Council of Hong Kong for their financial support over the years. Their support has enabled me to focus on addressing important and fundamental research questions.”

Conferred by the State Council of the People's Republic of China, the State Science and Technology Awards are prestigious honours in Chinese Mainland's science and technology fields. They recognise individuals and organisations that have made outstanding contributions to scientific and technological progress. This year, 258 projects were selected, including 51 for the State Natural Science Award (three First-Class Awards and 48 Second-Class Awards).

For more information about Professor Yang, please visit his websites:
www.junyang.hku.hk; https://www.civil.hku.hk/pp-yangj.html  

For media enquiries, please contact:
Faculty of Engineering, HKU
Ms Christina Chung (Tel: 3910 3324; Email: [email protected])
Ms Natalie Yuen (Tel: 3917 1924; Email: [email protected])