Dr. Ma Guancong receives the President’s Award for Outstanding Performance as Young Researcher

Dr. Ma Guancong is not only a rising star but also a pioneer in his field of research, which focuses on the study of classical wave physics. This is evidenced by more than 20 of his high-profile papers being published in prestigious peer-reviewed journals such as Nature Materials, Nature Physics, Nature Communications, Physical Review X and Physical Review Letters. In addition he has published a review article on acoustic metamaterials in Science Advances and authored another on topological acoustics and mechanics in Nature Reviews Physics.

Dr. Ma has published a research paper in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS) on actively reshaping the reverberating sound field for an indoor equipment. This work has received international attention, including a report in Physics Today, a prestigious journal reporting on important progress in all areas of physical science.

Dr. Ma has a total citation count exceeding 3,000 with an H-index of 16. Seven of his papers have been cited more than 100 times, and four have citation counts exceeding 300. He was also invited to present at internationally renowned conferences and serve as session organiser and session chair in several of them.

Dr. Ma’s phenomenal research achievements have greatly propelled the development of wave physics and acoustics. These works not only have physical beauty and scientific value, they also provide solutions for long-standing challenges in acoustic engineering. Dr. Ma’s works have attracted wide media attention from both locally and worldwide and was granted numerous patents in the U.S.A. and China.

Applications of his research will lead to new methods in acoustic engineering and in the control of sound levels in a closed room, creating quiet zones and hot spots. He has been proactive in seeking external support to fund his research and has successfully acquired two General Research Fund grants, a National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) Young Scientist Grant as Principal Investigator, and an award in the highly competitive NSFC Young Scientist Scheme.

All in all, Dr. Ma is without doubt an exceptionally promising scientist who is on his way to make new discoveries and is enthusiastic about research and nurturing young scientist.

In view of the great strides Dr. Ma has already made in his young research life, the Selection Committee takes great pleasure in recommending him for the President’s Award for Outstanding Performance as Young Researcher.

Source: President's Award 2019-2020