Dr. Match Wai Lun Ko is a distinguished mechanical engineer, educator, and innovator. He is Assistant Dean (Admissions – UG) of the Faculty of Engineering, MSc(Eng) in Mechanical Engineering Programme Director, and Principal Lecturer in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Hong Kong. He earned his PhD in Mechanical Engineering from HKUST, where his research examined the biomechanical properties of the cornea and their application to glaucoma risk assessment. His academic interests include biomedical biomechanics, biomaterials characterization, medical device design, biomedical image processing, and structural dynamic deformation measurement, positioning him at the interface of translational biomechanics and biomedical engineering.

A committed advocate of experiential learning, Dr. Ko has led numerous student-initiated teams and interdisciplinary projects. Since 2018 he has guided HKU Racing, the University’s student motorsports team that competes in Formula Student UK (FSUK). Under his leadership the team designed and built a formula-style single-seater electric race car and delivered extensive STEM outreach workshops related to motorsports. The team’s achievements include the Race Tech William Kimberley Award at FSUK 2022 and top rankings in the FSUK Concept Class across multiple years, reflecting his emphasis on practical skills, innovation, and teamwork.

Beyond motorsports, Dr. Ko has supervised and mentored student teams in robotics, autonomous systems, and AI-integrated competitions and events, including HKU Robocon Team, Underwater Robotics Team, and RAICOM Team. His students have participated in national and international robotics competitions and AI challenges — from autonomous-vehicle and robotics contests to machine-learning hackathons and integrated AI design competitions — gaining experience in perception, control, sensor fusion, and real-time decision-making. He also supports projects that combine hardware and AI, such as autonomous robots, sensor-driven environmental monitors, and AI-assisted medical-device prototypes.

Dr. Ko is the founder of MeckUP, an AI robotics and engineering design competition series that brings together elite secondary and pre-university teams from Hong Kong, Mainland China, and the wider Asia-Pacific region. The 2026 edition, MeckUP Quest 2026 – AI Robotics Challenge, co-organised with the CETIC Foundation and other leading universities/companies/industries, focused on “Post-Typhoon Disaster Scenario Response” and engaged youth teams in designing, programming, and deploying intelligent robots for simulated emergency and recovery missions. By integrating advanced robotics, AI, and scenario-based challenges, MeckUP emphasizes “technology empowering social good,” promotes cross-cultural collaboration, and builds a sustainable ecosystem in which teachers and students can engage in year-round AI-integrated learning and competition-based experiential education.

Dr. Ko’s leadership extends to curriculum development, industry engagement, and entrepreneurship education. He has overseen projects spanning electric vehicle design, autonomous platforms, medical-device prototyping, and environmental sensing, helping students translate research into tangible, deployable solutions. He regularly organizes and mentors workshops, hackathons, and study tours that expose students to hands-on design, fabrication, and AI-enabled system integration.

His teaching excellence has been recognized with multiple awards, including the Faculty Outstanding Teaching Award (2021), the Best Teacher Award (2022–23 & 2023–24), and the Most Favorite Teacher Award (2024–25 & 2025–26). He is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (HEA), a Senior Member of IEEE, and a member of ASEE and IET. An active contributor to the academic community, he regularly participates in conferences, serves as a journal peer reviewer, and engages in collaborative research.

Outside academia, Dr. Ko is passionate about community outreach and STEM education. He frequently organizes and participates in school workshops, public exhibitions, and competitive events, promoting engineering, robotics, and AI to younger learners. Through initiatives such as MeckUP and his mentorship of competition teams and AI-integrated projects, he underscores his commitment to cultivating the next generation of engineers who are technically proficient, creative, and ready to address complex real-world problems.