The University of Hong Kong (HKU) is hiring a Post-doctoral Fellow in its Department of Medicine, in the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at the School of Clinical Medicine. This University of Hong Kong postdoctoral fellow in medicine job is a one-year, full-time post, renewable depending on performance and funding, and starts as soon as possible. HKU starts reviewing applications on 5 November 2026 and will keep the post open until 21 November 2026 or until it is filled.
You need a PhD in a STEM field and good written and spoken English and Chinese. Clinical research experience is preferred. The salary is described only as competitive, and you apply online through HKU’s careers site with an up-to-date CV, reference 537691. Below is the full breakdown, plus how to make a CV-only application stand out when there is no cover letter field to lean on.
HKU postdoctoral fellow in medicine at a glance
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Job title | Post-doctoral Fellow in the Department of Medicine |
| Division | Gastroenterology and Hepatology, School of Clinical Medicine |
| Employer | The University of Hong Kong |
| Location | Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong |
| Reference | 537691 |
| Contract | Temporary, full time, one year, renewable subject to performance and funding |
| Start date | As soon as possible |
| Salary | Competitive, based on qualifications and experience (figure not stated) |
| Benefits | Annual leave, medical benefits, free use of campus gyms and libraries |
| Visa sponsorship | Not mentioned in the advert |
| Review starts | 5 November 2026 |
| Deadline | 21 November 2026, or earlier if filled |
About HKU and the Department of Medicine
HKU is Hong Kong’s oldest university, with a history going back about 115 years. It placed 11th in the QS World University Rankings 2027, released on 18 June 2026, the same position as the year before. In the THE World University Rankings 2027 it placed 33rd, the highest in Hong Kong, according to The Standard. HKU says it has 54 Clarivate Highly Cited Researchers, the most of any Hong Kong university.
| Ranking | HKU position |
|---|---|
| QS World University Rankings 2027 | 11th |
| THE World University Rankings 2027 | 33rd |
| Highly Cited Researchers (Clarivate, per HKU) | 54 |
The Department of Medicine sits in the School of Clinical Medicine of the LKS Faculty of Medicine. The Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology covers liver and gut diseases and has advertised postdoc posts on HKU’s careers site before, so it is used to hiring research staff from outside.
Living in Hong Kong
Pok Fu Lam is on the west side of Hong Kong Island, near the main HKU campus and Queen Mary Hospital. Hong Kong rents are among the highest in the world, so housing will take a large share of a postdoc salary. Many postdocs share flats or live further out on the MTR line. Salaries tax in Hong Kong is low compared with most countries, which offsets some of the rent.
What the postdoc does
- Laboratory work: carry out wet-lab experiments.
- Project coordination: coordinate projects, and manage and analyse data.
- Collaboration: liaise and work with different parties, working closely with the Research Lead.
- Administration: handle administrative tasks and other duties assigned.
The advert names the Research Lead as the person you work closely with but does not give their name. You will be part of the Gastroenterology and Hepatology division in the Department of Medicine.
Requirements
| Type | What the advert asks for |
|---|---|
| Essential | A PhD in a STEM-related discipline |
| Essential | Good written and spoken English and Chinese |
| Essential | Excellent communication skills |
| Essential | Able to multitask and to work independently and in a team |
| Preferred | Previous clinical research experience |
The Chinese language requirement
This is the line that filters out most international applicants. The advert asks for good spoken and written Chinese as well as English, and does not say whether it means Cantonese or Mandarin. Clinical research in Hong Kong often involves patients and hospital staff who speak Cantonese, so if your Chinese is Mandarin only, say so clearly and ask whether it is enough. If you don’t speak Chinese, this post is not realistic, however strong your lab record.
Salary and benefits
HKU describes the salary as competitive and based on qualifications and experience. It does not publish a figure in this advert, so I won’t guess one. Benefits listed are annual leave, medical benefits, and free access to on-campus gyms and libraries.
Because the contract is for one year, ask at interview how renewals have worked in the division before, and what the funding source is. A renewal “subject to funding” depends on a grant that may have a fixed end date.
Visa
The advert does not mention visa sponsorship. Non-local staff need permission to work in Hong Kong, and universities usually apply for an employment visa on the appointee’s behalf. Confirm with HKU’s HR team that they will do this before you accept.
How to apply for the HKU postdoctoral fellow in medicine job
- Update your CV: HKU asks for an up-to-date CV and lists no other documents.
- Go to HKU’s careers site: apply online at jobs.hku.hk, or through the apply link on the Times Higher Education advert. HKU accepts online applications only.
- Find reference 537691: search the careers site for the Post-doctoral Fellow post in the Department of Medicine.
- Create an account and upload your CV: complete the online form.
- Submit by 5 November 2026 if you can: review starts then, and the post can be filled before 21 November.
Apply before 5 November
HKU begins reviewing applications on 5 November 2026 and may fill the post before the 21 November closing date. An application sent on 20 November could arrive after the decision.
How to write a CV for a CV-only postdoc application
With no cover letter field, your CV has to answer every line of the advert on its own. Build it in this order:
- Header and summary: name, contact details, PhD subject and year, and a three-line profile stating your lab skills, clinical research experience and languages.
- Languages: put English and Chinese near the top, with your real level (native, fluent, professional). The selector will look for this first.
- Education: PhD with thesis title and supervisor, then earlier degrees.
- Research experience: each post with the techniques you used (cell culture, animal models, qPCR, sequencing, flow cytometry, whatever applies) and the data analysis tools.
- Clinical research experience: patient recruitment, sample handling, ethics submissions or trial coordination. This is the “preferred” criterion, so make it easy to find.
- Publications: journal articles with your position in the author list.
- Project coordination and teamwork: multi-site projects, collaborations, students you supervised.
- Referees: two or three, including your PhD supervisor.
Sample profile line, for illustration only: “Biomedical scientist (PhD 2025) with four years of wet-lab experience in liver disease models, two years coordinating a hospital-based cohort study, and fluent English and Cantonese.” Replace every detail with your own.
If the online form has an optional field for a short message, use it for three sentences: your fit with gastroenterology and hepatology research, your languages, and your availability to start.
What the selection process looks like
The advert does not set out stages. For postdoc posts at HKU, the group usually shortlists from CVs, interviews online or in person with the Research Lead and colleagues, and may ask you to present past work. Reference checks and HR paperwork follow. Treat this as general practice, not HKU’s published procedure.
Common mistakes
- Burying your Chinese language ability, or not stating it at all.
- A generic CV that doesn’t show wet-lab skills or clinical research experience.
- Waiting until near 21 November when review starts on 5 November.
- Applying by email instead of online. HKU accepts online applications only.
- Ignoring the renewal terms. A one-year contract is a one-year contract until funding is confirmed.
Who should apply and who shouldn’t
Apply if you hold a STEM PhD, have hands-on wet-lab skills, speak and write Chinese and English well, and ideally have worked on clinical studies. Researchers in liver or gut biology, immunology, microbiology or molecular medicine fit best. It also suits clinicians with a PhD who want a research year in a highly ranked medical faculty.
Don’t apply if you don’t speak Chinese, or if you are looking for a multi-year funded postdoc with security; this one is renewable year to year. Purely computational researchers should look for posts with a data focus instead.
Making a one-year postdoc count
A one-year contract is short, so plan the year from the first week. Agree with the Research Lead what you are expected to deliver by month twelve: a dataset, a manuscript draft, or results that support the next grant. If the group is applying for renewal funding, offer to write the preliminary data section; that makes you part of the reason the grant succeeds and puts your name on the next contract.
Use HKU’s research support while you are there. Postdocs at large universities can usually attend grant-writing workshops and apply for small internal or travel awards, and a first fellowship application written in year one is worth more than any extra experiment. Keep a record of every method you set up and every student you train, because both belong on your next CV.
Finally, think about where the year leads. Hong Kong is a good base for applying to fellowships elsewhere in Asia and to clinical research posts in Europe or Australia, and a paper in a gastroenterology or hepatology journal from an 11th-ranked university carries weight with selection panels.
Similar postdoc jobs in medicine and health
| Role | Institution | Salary | Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Post-Doctoral Associate, Public Health Research Center | New York University Abu Dhabi | Not stated | 12 November 2026 |
| Research Fellow, School of Health Sciences | University of Southampton | GBP 37,369 to 41,885 pro rata | 23 November 2026 |
| Post-doctoral Researcher in Computational Genomics for Predictive Medicine | University of Helsinki | EUR 3,800 to 4,000 a month | 19 November 2026 |
| Postdoc Researcher: AI for Precision Medicine and Therapeutics | MBZUAI, Abu Dhabi | Competitive | 5 November 2026 |
HKU postdoctoral fellow in medicine: FAQs
What is the deadline for the HKU postdoc in the Department of Medicine?
HKU reviews applications from 5 November 2026 until 21 November 2026, or until the post is filled.
What is the salary for a postdoctoral fellow at HKU?
The advert says the salary is competitive and depends on qualifications and experience. No figure is published for this post.
Do I need to speak Chinese for this HKU postdoc?
Yes. The advert asks for good written and spoken English and Chinese.
How do I apply for jobs at the University of Hong Kong?
Apply online at jobs.hku.hk with an up-to-date CV, quoting reference 537691. HKU does not accept other forms of application for this post.
Sources and updates
Checked on 29 October 2026 against the Times Higher Education Unijobs listing for this role (listing 416886, HKU reference 537691), HKU’s announcement of its 11th place in the QS World University Rankings 2027, RTHK’s report of 18 June 2026 on the QS results, and The Standard’s report on the THE World University Rankings 2027. We will update this page if HKU changes the closing date.
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