Hovy Wong

Biography
Prof. Hovy WONG, Ho-Wai (黃皓瑋) received his PhD from the University of Cambridge, where he unravelled the roles of local protein synthesis in neural circuit formation and maintenance. After decades of debates, his work changed the way the field thought about the existence of mRNA translation in the axon/presynapse — the neurotransmitter-releasing half of brain connections. His thesis paper was highlighted 5 times by F1000, featured in Cell Press Selections 2017 and numerous high-impact journals. These were made possible with support of Cambridge Trust, Croucher Foundation and Sir Edward Youde Memorial Fund. (Mentor: Christine Holt)

He pursued postdoctoral training at McGill University, funded as Fellow of 4 prestigious agencies including Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and Canada First Research Excellence Fund. His work revealed that axonal protein synthesis sustains neurotransmission. Apart from uncovering unappreciated principles for information transfer and memory, it opens new avenues for neuropathology therapies. Selected by Canadian Association for Neuroscience and CIHR, Prof. Wong was winner of the Brain Star Award — the highest national recognition for trainees in Canada. (Mentor: Jesper Sjöström)

Beforehand, Prof. Wong was born in Hong Kong and spent 7 years in the U.K. for secondary education. He joined the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology for undergraduate and MPhil studies (Mentor: Nancy Ip). He was awarded 16 fellowships totalling >$6.2 million, which provided uninterrupted funding in full for his training between 2010-2024. The international exposures prepared him to welcome diverse lab members and collaborators.