Distinguished Professors and Academic Leaders

The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) counts among its academic ranks internationally renowned professors across all schools. What follows is a record, organised by school and research field, of representative figures who have won major awards, been elected to national academies, or made significant scholarly contributions in their disciplines.

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# 1. School of Science

# 1.1 Kam-Biu Luk — Particle Physics

Current post: Chair Professor of Physics (IAS Paul C W Chu Professorship); Director, Centre for Fundamental Physics (from 2021)

Research: Specialises in neutrino oscillation experiments. In 2003^※ he initiated and co-led the Daya Bay Reactor Neutrino Experiment, which in 2012^※ produced the first measurement of the neutrino mixing angle θ₁₃ — the first precise determination of the smallest neutrino mixing angle in particle physics.

Major honours:

# 1.2 Mingjie Zhang — Molecular Neuroscience

Current post: Chair Professor of Life Science (Kerry Holdings Professorship); Senior Fellow, Institute for Advanced Study

Research: Investigates the structural and biochemical basis of synaptic signal transduction complexes. He discovered that postsynaptic density proteins can self-assemble into highly condensed signalling networks through phase separation^※, establishing a new research paradigm for synaptic biology. The findings carry potential significance for the diagnosis and early intervention of psychiatric disorders, including stroke and hereditary deaf-blindness syndromes.

Major honour: Elected member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2011^※.

# 1.3 Nancy Ip — Neuroscience (see also "Top Scholars")

Current post: Morningside Professor of Life Science (and fifth Vice-Chancellor and President of HKUST, from 2022)

Nancy Ip is both HKUST's current Vice-Chancellor and a core research figure in its life science division. Since joining HKUST in 1993^※, she has published over 330 papers^※ on neurotrophic factors and Alzheimer's drug development. Her fellowship memberships and major awards are detailed in the "Top Scholars" article.

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# 2. School of Engineering

# 2.1 Ching W. Tang — Father of the OLED

Current post: IAS Bank of East Asia Professor at the Institute for Advanced Study (joint appointment across Electronic and Computer Engineering, Chemistry, and Physics)

After earning his PhD in physical chemistry from Cornell University in 1975^※, he spent over three decades at Kodak Research Laboratories, where he invented the high-efficiency OLED in 1987. He is the first Chinese recipient of the Wolf Prize in Chemistry (2011)^※ and the first Chinese recipient of the Kyoto Prize in Advanced Technology (2019). He joined HKUST in 2013^※. For a full biography, details of his breakthrough technology, and a complete honours list, see his dedicated profile^※.

# 2.2 Kei-May Lau — Photonics and Electronics

Current post: Professor Emerita, Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering; Founder, Photonics Technology Centre (2000)

Research: Silicon-based integration of III-V semiconductor photonics and electronics; micro-LED displays for AR/VR applications; high-performance III-V device integration on silicon substrates using metal-organic chemical vapour deposition (MOCVD). Elected to the US National Academy of Engineering in 2024^※, the only newly elected member from Hong Kong that year. She is also an IEEE Fellow^※, Optica Fellow^※, and Fellow of the Hong Kong Academy of Engineering Sciences^※.

# 2.3 Khaled Ben Letaief — Wireless Communications

Current post: New Bright Professor of Engineering, Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering (at HKUST since 1993); former Dean of Engineering

Research: OFDM, MIMO, cooperative communications, and high-spectral-efficiency systems — technologies that form the core of 4G cellular systems^※. He has published over 630 journal and conference papers^※, holds 15 patents^※ (including 11 US patents^※), and has made six technical contributions to IEEE standards^※. Former President of the IEEE Communications Society^※. Elected International Fellow of the US National Academy of Engineering in 2021^※.

# 2.4 Zexiang Li — Robotics and Entrepreneurship

Current post: Colin Lam Ko Yin Professor of Engineering, Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering

Research: Robotics, automation, and control of unmanned systems. In 2019^※, he and HKUST alumnus Frank Wang jointly received the IEEE Robotics and Automation Award. Co-founded Googol Tech, DJI, and ePropulsion^※, and is known for cultivating engineering start-ups. In 2020^※, he was named one of 40 model innovators and entrepreneurs marking the 40th anniversary of the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone.

# 2.5 Tongyi Zhang — Multi-field Coupling Mechanics

Current post: Former Chair Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering (no longer at HKUST)

Research: Hydrogen embrittlement, multi-field coupled material fracture failure, and micro- and nano-mechanics. Elected member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2011^※.

# 2.6 Ping Cheng — Heat Transfer Engineering

Current post: Professor Emeritus, Department of Mechanical Engineering

Research: Porous-media heat transfer, radiative heat transfer, and microscale heat transfer. Elected member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2011^※.

# 2.6.5 Yike Guo — Provost of the Academy of Engineering

Current post: Provost, HKUST; Chair Professor, Department of Computer Science and Engineering and Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering

Research: Data science, artificial intelligence, and big data analytics. Elected an International Member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering in 2025^※, the latest addition to HKUST's engineering academy roster.

# 2.6.6 Tianshou Zhao — Electrochemical Energy Storage

Current post: Professor, Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering

Research: Electrochemical energy storage and fuel-cell technologies. Elected member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences^※ for his contributions in this field — one of HKUST's recent academy members in the energy-engineering area.

# 2.7 Jiaya Jia — Computer Vision and AI

Current post: Chair Professor, Department of Computer Science and Engineering; Dean, von Neumann Research Institute

Research: Computer vision, multimodal AI, generative methods, and vision-language models. Over a career spanning more than two decades, he has published over 200 top-tier papers^※, with over 100,000 citations^※ and an H-index exceeding 120^※. Elected ACM Fellow and IEEE Fellow in 2025^※. Recipient of the SIGGRAPH Asia Test-of-Time Award (2023 and 2024)^※.

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# 3. School of Business and Management

# 3.1 Sir Christopher Pissarides — Labour Economics, Nobel Laureate

Current post: Chair Professor, HKUST Institute for Advanced Study (the first full-time Nobel laureate faculty member)

Sir Christopher Pissarides, Regius Professor Emeritus at the London School of Economics, specialises in labour-market economics and search-friction theory. In 2010^※, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences awarded him the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences for his contributions to the theory of search and matching in labour markets. In 2025^※, HKUST conferred upon him an honorary Doctor of Social Science degree. His current research interests include the impact of AI on employment and other frontier topics.

# 3.2 A Portrait of Chair Professors in Finance and Economics

The School of Business and Management has in recent years recruited a number of chair professors in finance and economics. Dong Lou, Head and Chair Professor of the Department of Finance, currently also serves as Associate Dean of the School (Strategic Planning and Research), and holds the Citi Professor of Business and Management title as well as the directorship of the Financial Research Institute^※. Chu Zhang, Chair Professor of the Department of Finance, serves concurrently as Director of the Investment Research Centre^※; Chair Professor Yingying Li specialises in asymptotic statistics, financial econometrics, financial risk management, and high-frequency data analysis^※. The Department of Economics covers research interests spanning economic theory, econometrics, macroeconomics, and applied fields including trade, industrial organisation, development economics, labour economics, health economics, and environmental economics.

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# 4. ACM Fellows and Computer Science

In 2025^※, four scholars from HKUST's computer science field were elected ACM Fellows:

Note: Tim Cheng concurrently serves as HKUST's Vice-President for Research and Development.

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# 5. Composite Honours and Named Professorships

HKUST maintains a range of named professorships, each endowed in the name of a benefactor or distinguished scholar. A view of the HKUST Named Professorship page^※ reveals several chair professors holding such positions:

• Morningside Professor of Life Science: Nancy Ip (current Vice-Chancellor, who also holds a concurrent research role)
• Kerry Holdings Professor of Science: Mingjie Zhang
• IAS Paul C W Chu Professor of Physics: Kam-Biu Luk
• New Bright Professor of Engineering: Khaled Ben Letaief
• Colin Lam Ko Yin Professor of Engineering: Zexiang Li

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