Wei Lun Professor of Geography and Resources Management Professor Nina Lam Siu-ngan has been honoured with the 2026 American Association of Geographers (AAG) Lifetime Achievement Award. This accolade recognises her lifelong dedication to advancing the field of geography, and her innovative, socially impactful research.

The award is given to geographers who have had a unique, path-breaking impact on the discipline through a combination of research and public engagement. Professor Lam said that she was deeply honoured to have received it, adding: “I remain committed to advancing GIScience (geographic information science) and hope to further apply our research outcomes to address global challenges such as climate change and disaster management, contributing to the sustainable development of our society and benefiting the world.”

Professor Lam is a pioneer in GIScience, remote sensing, environmental health and disaster resilience. Over a career of more than 40 years, her research on spatial analysis, as well as scale and fractal analysis, has established a solid foundation for the contemporary development of GIScience. The professor is dedicated to translating her research findings into practical applications for environmental health, disaster resilience and sustainable development. Her Resilience Inference Measurement (RIM) model provides in-depth data analysis of the threats posed by natural disasters, the extent of damage and community recovery. The model assists researchers and government agencies in making more accurate assessments of a community’s capacity to withstand and recover from disasters, significantly improving disaster prevention and emergency response strategies worldwide.