Prof. SHI Ling, Electronic and Computer Engineering (ECE), was named a World Economic Forum Young Scientist in the class of 2020. He is one of the 25 brightest researchers worldwide under the age of 40 selected this year.

The Young Scientists community was created in 2008 to engage rising-star researchers in the work of the World Economic Forum (WEF). The Young Scientists are a community of extraordinary scientists from various academic disciplines and geographies. They are committed to integrating scientific knowledge into society for the public good. In the context of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the community helps leaders engage with science and the role it plays in society.

Selection criteria include experience as a principal investigator, group leader or early tenure track professor; a recognized record of research excellence; a commitment to serve society at large through exceptional contribution; and an impeccable public record and good standing in candidate’s community.

Prof. Shi is excited about this honor. “I am grateful to the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) for providing an ideal academic platform without which this award is impossible. My current research focuses on cyber-physical systems privacy and security. Designing privacy- and security-aware cyber-physical systems and preventing major critical infrastructures from being attacked (in cyber or physical forms) have paramount importance in this information era when the cyber world and physical world are closely intertwined,” he said.

“Being a member of the WEF Young Scientists is truly a great honor. At the same time, it also means greater responsibility. I will try my best to make good use of the excellent platform, interact with other leading researchers in the world, and communicate with relevant policymakers and government officials to make some true impact to the academic community as well as to the society,” he added.

Prof. Shi received his BEng in Electronic Engineering from HKUST in 2002 and PhD in Control and Dynamical Systems from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in 2008. He is currently an associate professor at the ECE Department, and the associate director of HKUST Robotics Institute and HKUST-DJI Joint Innovation Laboratory.

Other School of Engineering faculty members who were named WEF Young Scientists previously included Prof. Matthew MCKAY, ECE, and Prof. Angela WU, Chemical & Biological Engineering, both in the class of 2018.

Related link:

• WEF blog (May 26, 2020): Science leads the response to COVID-19. These 25 scientists are tackling the other global challenges