Named Professorships Conferred on Prof. ZHOU Xiaofang & Prof. WANG Jiguang

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Recognition from Community Through Generous Donations

Named Professorships Conferred on Prof. ZHOU Xiaofang & Prof. WANG Jiguang

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(From left) Prof. Zhou Xiaofang has been named Otto Poon Professor of Engineering while Prof. Wang Jiguang has been appointed Padma Harilela Associate Professor of Life Science.
(From left) Prof. Zhou Xiaofang has been named Otto Poon Professor of Engineering while Prof. Wang Jiguang has been appointed Padma Harilela Associate Professor of Life Science. [Download Photo]
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Prof. ZHOU Xiaofang, Head and Chair Professor of Computer Science and Engineering, and Prof. WANG Jiguang, Associate Professor of Life Science and Chemical & Biological Engineering, were recognized with prestigious named professorships at HKUST’s sixth inauguration ceremony for such honors today. They were among a group of eight eminent academics across the University to receive named professorships.

Officiating at the ceremony, HKUST Council Chairman the Hon. Andrew LIAO Cheung-Sing said, “Every year, the University’s Named Professorships program attracts and retains globally recognized scholars working on increasingly challenging and diverse topics – in line with HKUST’s efforts to promote innovative research across the borders of science and engineering, business, humanities, and social sciences. I extend my most sincere gratitude to our donors and my warmest congratulations to the 2022 cohort of HKUST Named Professors – the latest torch-bearers for the University’s unrelenting pursuit of academic excellence.”

HKUST President Prof. Wei SHYY also congratulated the appointed faculty members and thanked the donors’ generous contribution. “Since the program’s launch in 2013, we have awarded the title of Named Professor to more than 50 eminent faculty members, whose award-winning research and inspiring teaching are shaping a better world for future generations. We express our heartfelt gratitude to the donors who have supported HKUST over the years – particularly those who have given the gift of a professorship. Thanks to their generosity, we are able to recognize, reward, and retain intellectual leaders in a wide spectrum of disciplines and support our faculty members and the University as a whole in scaling new heights.”

The two newly appointed academics affiliated with the School of Engineering are:

Otto Poon Professor of Engineering
Prof. Zhou Xiaofang
Head and Chair Professor, Department of Computer Science and Engineering
Associate Director, Big Data Institute

Padma Harilela Associate Professor of Life Science
Prof. Wang Jiguang
Associate Professor, Division of Life Science and Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering

The two professorships were made possible by donations given to HKUST from long-standing contributors to higher education, namely Otto Poon Charitable Foundation and Mrs Padma Harilela respectively.

Other existing named professors at the School of Engineering are: Prof. Mansun CHAN, Alex Wong Siu Wah Gigi Wong Fook Chi Professor of Engineering; Prof. LI Zexiang, Colin Lam Ko Yin Professor of Engineering, Prof. Mohamed GHIDAOUI, Chinese Estates Professor of Engineering; Prof. Charles NG, CLP Holdings Professor of Sustainability; Prof. Khaled B. LETAIEF, New Bright Professor of Engineering; Prof. ZHANG Xin, Swire Professor of Aerospace Engineering; and Prof. ZHANG Qian, Tencent Professor of Engineering.

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