The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) announced the appointment of Prof Nancy Ip as Dean of Science with effect from 1 February 2011.
Prof Nancy Ip, Chair Professor in the Division of Life Science and Director of the State Key Laboratory of Molecular Neuroscience, has been appointed Dean of Science based on a competitive world-wide search and a very rigorous selection process.
Prof Ip spent the early part of her scientific career in the USA. She joined the University in 1993 and rose through the ranks to become Chair Professor in 2005. She was Director of the Biotechnology Research Institute (BRI) from 1996 to 2008, Founding Director of the Molecular Neuroscience Center (MNC) since 1999, Associate Dean of Science from 1998 to 2005 and Head of the Department of Biochemistry from 2000 to 2009. Under her directorship, the State Key Laboratory of Molecular Neuroscience is the first national-level laboratory established on campus with the approval of the Ministry of Science and Technology of China.
HKUST President Tony F Chan said, “We are extremely delighted to have Prof Nancy Ip as the Dean of Science at HKUST. With her outstanding achievements in research, teaching and management, Prof Ip is the best candidate for the position. I am confident that under her leadership, HKUST’s School of Science will reach new heights.”
Prof Ip received her PhD degree in Pharmacology from Harvard University. As an internationally renowned researcher in the field of neuroscience, Prof Ip has a stellar record of scientific accomplishments winning her wide national and international recognition. She is internationally recognized for her discoveries in neurotrophic factors and their potential in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. She has published 200 scientific papers, with more than 13,000 SCI citations and holds 20 patents in her areas of research. She is the Reviewing Editor of the Journal of Neuroscience and the Founding Editor-in-Chief of NeuroSignals, as well as a Councilor of the Collequim Internationale Neuro-Psychopharmacologicum and the Society of Neuroscience.
Prof Ip’s outstanding scientific accomplishments have won her numerous awards and honors including the Croucher Foundation Senior Research Fellowship in 1998, the National Natural Science Award in 2003, and the L’OREAL-UNESCO “For Women in Science” Award in 2004. She is an Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and a Fellow of the Academy of Sciences for the Developing World.
Prof Ip succeeds former Dean of Science Prof Shiu Yuen Cheng, and current Acting Dean of Science Prof Michael Loy in leading the School of Science.
For media enquiries, please feel free to contact :
Ross Lai
Tel: 2358 6306 / 9103 2928
Email: rosslai@ust.hk
Donna Wong
Tel: 2358 6317
Email: donnaw@ust.hk
