SME Professor Ai Chunrong and Professor Ren Qitian Won the 2025 Distinguished Scientific Research Award and Youth Scientific Research Award, Respectively
Days ago, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen (CUHK-Shenzhen) held the Fourth Scientific Research Award Ceremony on campus. Following school recommendations, Judge Panel review, and voting, the award’s Judge Panel ultimately decided two Distinguished Scientific Research Award winners and five Youth Scientific Research Award winners. SME Professor Ai Chunrong won the Distinguished Scientific Research Award, and SME Professor Ren Qitian won the Youth Scientific Research Award.
Professor Ai Chunrong, who joined CUHK-Shenzhen in July 2020, currently serves as Associate Dean of SME and Associate Director of the Shenzhen Finance Institute (SFI). Standing at the forefront of behavioral data analysis, he grounds his work in economic theory, utilizes econometric models, leverages big data, and employs machine learning as an engine for innovation, successfully breaking down the disciplinary boundaries between traditional econometrics and artificial intelligence. He promotes the deep integration of these two disciplines for precise modeling and pattern mining of high-dimensional, complex data and independently develops intelligent decision-making algorithms to help governments and enterprises extract optimal strategies from data. He attaches equal importance to theoretical innovation and practical value, providing scientific support for policy-making and business decisions.
Professor Ai expressed his gratitude for the award and thanked CUHK-Shenzhen for its academic environment that values curiosity, supports exploration, promotes free innovation, and encourages interdisciplinary collaboration. He also specifically thanked his colleagues for their intellectual exchange, the hard work of the team consisting of student research assistants and postdoctoral researchers, and the silent support of administrative staff. In addition, Professor Ai stressed that the research work at CUHK-Shenzhen always revolved around three keywords: curiosity, impact, and responsibility.
Professor Ren Qitian has consistently produced influential research results since he joined SME, CUHK-Shenzhen in 2018. Dedicated to digital marketing and the creator economy, he uses game theory and algorithms to unravel the complexities of content incentives in the world of traffic. The “Ranking Attention Economy Model” proposed by Professor Ren addresses the inherent challenges of algorithmic ranking and two-sided matching decision-making (TSMDM) in platform content incentives, providing new insights for platform design and content governance. He is a recipient of the Ming Kang Young Researcher Award and serves on the editorial board of Marketing Science, a world-leading journal in international marketing. His research has been extensively covered by the American Marketing Association.
About the Scientific Research Awards of CUHK-Shenzhen
To improve the scientific research incentive and competition mechanism, recognize outstanding research achievements, fully mobilize the enthusiasm and creativity of all researchers, help produce more high-quality results, and promote the development of basic research and scientific innovation, CUHK-Shenzhen established two major awards in 2021, namely, the Distinguished Scientific Research Award and Youth Scientific Research Award. The former recognizes faculty members with remarkable scientific research results, while the latter recognizes young faculty members under the age of 40 with outstanding performance.
