W A world-changing impact elcome to the new-look In Focus, which is evolving in content and design in line with the School of Engineering’s own advances. As reported in this edition, we have initiated major developments in the School in past months. These signi cant changes have seen the realignment of departments and divisions to ensure our engineering education and research remain at the forefront globally. The moves have embraced exciting emerging elds: integrative systems and design; decision analytics; and biological engineering. All will have key roles to play, regionally and beyond, and this Fall we will be launching four undergraduate majors in these and other timely areas to foster the talent pool required. Among them is Hong Kong’s rst practicum-led, project-driven bachelor program, deployed with new pedagogical approaches, which seeks to train the next generation of innovators and entrepreneurs. The School aspires not only to be an international leader in the academic arena but also to make a world-changing impact on society. As a relatively compact quality engineering school in terms of numbers, strategic focus is a must. But with core strengths in pivotal drivers, such as robotics and autonomous systems, arti cial intelligence and big data, smart cities, and energy, we are well positioned to enhance our footprint globally. To do so, we expect to foster more alumni-built or faculty-enabled high-impact companies such as DJI, now the global market leader in easy-to-use consumer drones. We will be continuing our active co-operation with industry and engagement with the community, as well as expanding our presence through joint collaborations and strategic partnerships. We will be growing our faculty team by about % in the next two to three years. And are committed to gender and multicultural diversity, and a multidisciplinary mindset, among faculty and students. Already, I am happy to report, our assistant professor team of young rising stars is % female. Such concrete steps, along with more physical experimental areas for faculty and shared space for students from di erent disciplines to engage in discussions, will provide an environment that naturally lends itself to innovation, developing a robust culture for the long term. It all indicates an exhilarating future and I hope you will share it with us. Read on to nd out more! Prof Tim Kwang Ting Cheng Dean of Engineering 01 IN FOCUS Dean’s View
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