The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) held the seventh inauguration ceremony of named professorships today to honor 10 outstanding faculty members and their donors. Officiating at the ceremony was HKUST Pro-Chancellor Dr. John CHAN Cho-Chak.
HKUST Council Chairman Prof. Harry SHUM said, “The recipients of this year’s Named Professorships have each made a significant impact on society through their research. They have contributed to HKUST’s continuous strive for excellence to make positive impacts to mankind. Our ability to honor this year’s inductees is founded upon the limitless kindness of our donors. We express our deepest appreciation for their ongoing support for HKUST’s mission, which allows us to provide an environment in which excellence can thrive.”
HKUST President Prof. Nancy IP congratulated the appointed faculty members and thanked the donors’ generosity. “For the last decade, HKUST has proudly bestowed the title of Named Professor on over 70 faculty whose teaching and research achievements are worthy of the highest commendation. These scholars have excelled in both academic and pedagogical pursuits, exerting significant influence in various fields of study worldwide while also dedicating themselves to nurturing the next generation. We sincerely thank our generous donors for their support, which enables us to commend, reward, and attract academic leaders from diverse fields, working together with the university to reach new heights and contribute to society,” she said.
The expertise of the 10 named professors covers a wide spectrum of research areas including neuroscience, fluid mechanics, machine learning, condensed matter physics, macromolecular chemistry, electrochemistry, integrated circuits, network economics, macroeconomics, as well as social theories.
The professorships were made possible by generous donations rendered to HKUST from long-standing contributors to higher education. They are (in alphabetical order of surnames and the first letter of company names): Crown Worldwide Group, Mr. Richard ELMAN, Fang Brothers Holdings Limited, Dr. the Hon. Hari HARILELA, Lo Ka Chung Charitable Foundation, Dr. Tai-chin LO, Prosnav Holding Limited, Stephen Kam Chuen Cheong Education Fund and an anonymous contributor.
Among the officiating guests at the Inauguration Ceremony were HKUST Pro-Chancellor Dr. John Chan Cho-Chak, President Prof. Nancy Ip and other senior management. Donors and their representatives also attended the ceremony, including (in alphabetical order of surnames) Mr. Anthony CHEONG, Prof. Paul CHEUNG, Mr. Douglas FANG, Dr. Aron HARILELA, Mr. Peter LO, Dr. Tai-chin Lo, and Dr. James THOMPSON.
The named professors are:
Lo Ka Chung Charitable Foundation Professor of Science
Prof. Guojun BU, School of Science
Stephen Kam Chuen Cheong Professor of Science
Prof. Kun XU, School of Science
Dr. Tai-chin Lo Associate Professor of Science
Prof. Can YANG, School of Science
Hari Harilela Assistant Professor of Physics
Prof. Adrian Hoi-Chun PO, School of Science
Distinguished Visiting Professor
Prof. Ben Zhong TANG, School of Science
Cheong Ying Chan Professor of Energy Engineering and Environment
Prof. Minhua SHAO, School of Engineering
Fang Professor of Engineering
Prof. Yuan XIE, School of Engineering
Crown Worldwide Professor of Business
Prof. Ying-Ju CHEN, School of Business and Management
Liwei Huang Associate Professor of Business
Prof. Yan JI, School of Business and Management
Elman Family Visiting Professor of Jewish and Israeli Studies
Prof. Gad YAIR, School of Humanities and Social Science
For more information of the named professors, please click here
About The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) (https://hkust.edu.hk/) is a world-class research intensive university that focuses on science, technology and business as well as humanities and social science. HKUST offers an international campus, and a holistic and interdisciplinary pedagogy to nurture well-rounded graduates with global vision, a strong entrepreneurial spirit and innovative thinking. Over 80% of our research work were rated “Internationally excellent” or “world leading” in the Research Assessment Exercise 2020 of Hong Kong’s University Grants Committee. We were ranked 2nd in Times Higher Education’s Young University Rankings 2023, and our graduates were ranked 29th worldwide and among the best from universities from Asia in Global Employability University Ranking and Survey 2022. As of September 2023, HKUST members have founded 1,747 active start-ups, including 9 Unicorns and 13 exits (IPO or M&A), generating economic impact worth over HK$ 400 billion. InvestHK cited QS World University Rankings by Subject 2021 to demonstrate the performance of five world’s top 100 local universities in several innovation-centric areas, among which HKUST ranked top in four engineering and materials science subjects.
For media enquiries, please contact:
Anita Lam
Tel: 2358 6313
Email: anitalam@ust.hk
Victor Lee
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Email: victorleekw@ust.hk
