The Council of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology announced today that Professor Joseph Hun-wei Lee, currently Redmond Chair of Civil Engineering and Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President at the University of Hong Kong is appointed the Vice-President for Research and Graduate Studies (VP-RG). Prof Lee is expected to take up the appointment in the Fall semester 2010.
Professor Lee is a distinguished scholar, research leader, educator and University administrator with extensive local, national and international experience. The Chairman of the University Council, Dr Marvin Cheung reflects the University’s enthusiasm about his appointment in these words “With Prof Lee’s wealth of experience in governmental and non-governmental consultancy, his achievements in research and administration, he is the ideal choice for this strategic new post to help take the university to its next level of excellence by strengthening its senior leadership.”
Professor Lee’s appointment is the result of a rigorous global search. Expressing his gratification with this selection, the President, Prof Tony Chan said: “Research and graduate studies are a key part of our strategic development. Prof Lee’s leadership in research and his championing of the inter-disciplinary approach to research will translate into a new vision for the development of our postgraduate education. I am proud that our University is able to attract an academic leader of such high calibre.”
Professor Lee grew up in Hong Kong and obtained his BSc (1973), MSc (1974), and PhD (1977) degrees in Civil Engineering all from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA. Professor Lee was Assistant Professor at the University of Delaware, USA from 1977 to 1980. He joined the University of Hong Kong (HKU) in 1980, where he rose through the ranks to Chair Professor in 1995. At HKU, he was Dean of Engineering from 2000 to 2003, and has been Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President since 2004.
A scholar of international standing, Professor Lee’s own research interests are in the areas of environmental hydraulics, fluid mechanics, and water quality modelling. The many awards he received include the Alexander-von Humboldt Research Fellowship, and the Croucher Senior Research Fellowship. Significantly, Professor Lee is the first Asia based academic to receive the Hunter Rouse Hydraulic Engineering Award from the American Society of Civil Engineers. He is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering (UK), the American Society of Civil Engineers, the Hong Kong Academy of Engineering Sciences, and the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers.
Professor Lee’s successful leadership of various cross-disciplinary and cross-institution research programs of substantial scales speaks volumes of his research management experience. His research leadership extends to the international level: he was Chairman of the Asia-Pacific Division of the International Association of Hydraulic Engineering and Research (IAHR) from 2003 to 2007 and has been the Vice-Chairman of the Association since 2007. He is also the founding Editor-in-Chief of the Elsevier Journal of Hydro-environment Research. Locally, Professor Lee has served as expert advisor to the Hong Kong Government and international consulting firms on numerous hydro-environmental projects. He served on the Engineering Panel of the Hong Kong Research Grants Council from 1993 to 1999, and as the Chairman of the University Grants Committee Research Assessment Exercise Built Environment Panel in 1999. He is also Consulting/Advisory Professor of Hohai University and Tongji University.
The new VP-RG position is renamed from the previous position of Vice-President for Research and Development. The portfolio of the position has been re-defined to include additional responsibilities for strategic development of research and postgraduate studies.
For media enquiries, please feel free to contact :
Ross Lai
Tel: 2358 6306 / 9103 2928
Email:rosslai@ust.hk
