Frank has had a dream of flying from a young age, and he showed a keen interest in the research and development of unmanned helicopter technology during his time at HKUST. In 2005, he and his team participated in ABU Robocon and won third prize among teams competing from across Asia. In 2006, he completed his final thesis at HKUST, which included the development of a flight control system for unmanned platforms. He then founded DJI based on this system, and became the Chief Executive Officer and Chief Technical Officer of the company.
Today, DJI has over 5,000 employees and is the global leader in developing and manufacturing high performance, reliable, and easy-to-use small unmanned aerial systems for commercial and recreational use. Frank has devoted himself to the research and development of the world's premiere unmanned aircraft control and aerial photography and videography systems. Through tireless innovation, he and his team have overcome innumerable difficulties and made several breakthroughs in key technologies. DJI now has an impressive portfolio of Intellectual Property rights that are crucial for the continued development of unmanned systems. While creating incredibly advanced products, DJI is committed to making aerial photography and videography accessible not only to professionals, but to consumers of any background, anytime, anywhere. Thanks to his innovative vision and the success of his company, Frank was selected as one of the Top 10 Innovators from China by Forbes in 2014.
Frank is grateful for the opportunities provided by his university. "At HKUST I took an electronics course that gave me the fundamental knowledge to build autonomously controlled flying machines," he recalls. Frank continues to maintain strong ties to HKUST and is passionate about giving back to his alma mater. "I started my company in the first year of my PG study and received lots of help from professors who believed in my dreams," he says. "I want to give back and help the university grow into the best engineering university in the world." To this end, Frank sponsored a Joint PG Supervision Program and made a donation in support of ECE research projects. He also sponsored a group of PG students to participate in a Robotics Competition in August 2014.
Source from: HKUST Alumni
