Professor Bo Han Awarded Prestigious RGC Research Fellowship to Build Trustworthy AI Reasoning Agents

Professor Bo Han, Associate Professor in the Department of Computer Science, has been awarded the prestigious Research Fellow Scheme (RFS) 2026/27 by the Research Grants Council (RGC) in recognition of his outstanding research achievements and the potential impact of his proposed project, “Towards Building Trustworthy and Efficient Reasoning Agents with Foundation Models.” Professor Han will receive a fellowship grant of over HK$5.6 million over five years to pursue this research programme.

Next-Gen AI with Real-World Reliability

The project seeks to develop the foundations of next-generation AI reasoning agents that are not only powerful but also reliable, safe, and efficient. By advancing the trustworthiness, robustness, and computational efficiency of foundation-model-based agents, the research aims to enable AI systems that can perform complex reasoning tasks with greater accuracy, transparency, and real-world applicability.

“I am deeply honoured to receive this prestigious Award,” Professor Han said. “As AI systems become increasingly capable, ensuring they can reason reliably and efficiently is both a scientific challenge and a societal imperative. Through this project, we hope to advance the development of trustworthy and efficient AI reasoning agents that can benefit a wide range of real-world applications.”

About the RGC Research Fellow Scheme

The RGC Research Fellow Scheme is highly selective, offering sustained funding to Hong Kong's most outstanding scholars. Fellowships are awarded based on rigorous criteria, including past research breakthroughs, academic leadership, and the scalable impact of the proposed project.

As an expert in trustworthy machine learning, Professor Han’s selection highlights his leadership in the field and reinforces the global urgency of developing responsible, efficient, and intelligent next-generation systems.