Inauguration of PolyU Endowed Professorships and Endowed Young Scholars to celebrate strong town-and-gown partnerships for advancing innovative research

13 Sep 2024

Events Office of Institutional Advancement

PolyU held “The Fifth Inauguration of Endowed Professorships cum The Second Inauguration of Endowed Young Scholars” to honour the outstanding endowed professors and young scholars, and to express the University’s deepest gratitude to the donors.

A group photo of PolyU Council Chairman Dr Lam Tai-fai (front row, 1st from left) and President Prof. Jin-Guang Teng (front row, 1st from right), with donors and their representatives including Mrs Angel LAU (front row, 2nd from left), Mr Benedict SIN (front row, 3rd from left), Mr Steven HO (front row, 4th from left), Ir Dr Otto POON (front row, 3rd from right), and Ms Vinita CHONG (front row, 2nd from right), as well as the appointees of Endowed Professorships (back row from left) Prof. Yang Tong, Prof. Li Gang, Prof. Wang Zuankai, Prof. Erin Cho, Prof. Li Ping, Prof. He Mingguang, Prof. Janelle Yorke, Prof. Marco Pang, and Prof. Wang Liqiu.

A group photo of PolyU Council Chairman Dr Lam Tai-fai (front row, 1st from left) and President Prof. Jin-Guang Teng (front row, 1st from right), with donors and their representatives including Ir Dr WONG Tit-shing (front row, 2nd from left), Mr Steven Ho (front row, 3rd from left), and Mr Charles TO (front row, 2nd from right), as well as the appointees of Endowed Young Scholars (back row from left) Prof. Tommy Wei, Prof. Zhao Xin, Dr Eva Ho, Ir Dr Zheng Pai, Dr Crystal Kwan and Dr Hsu Chun Liang.

The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) held “The Fifth Inauguration of Endowed Professorships cum The Second Inauguration of Endowed Young Scholars” at the Jockey Club Auditorium on campus yesterday. It was an occasion to honour distinguished scholars for their remarkable academic and research achievements, and to pay tribute to the University’s philanthropic partners for their support. The event marked the inauguration of five new Endowed Professorships, four successive Endowed Professorships, five new Endowed Young Scholar positions and one successive Endowed Young Scholar position.

Dr LAM Tai-fai, PolyU Council Chairman, remarked that the Endowed Professorship Scheme and the Endowed Young Scholars Scheme were hallmarks of PolyU’s commitment to “Partnership for Impact”, exemplifying the dynamic collaboration between the University and philanthropists, united in the quest for knowledge and pioneering research to benefit society.

Prof. Jin-Guang TENG, PolyU President, expressed his heartfelt gratitude to all donors and benefactors, and congratulated the endowed professors and young scholars. He said that he was proud to see that the Schemes had developed by leaps and bounds, and that the diversity of research topics had expanded to encompass many new critical domains for addressing evolving societal needs. With the continuous support of donors, scholars and the wider community, he is confident that PolyU will reach even greater heights in advancing cutting-edge research for the benefit of Hong Kong, our Nation and the world.

PolyU established the Endowed Professorship Scheme in 2012 to propel research excellence by attracting and retaining top scholars, and engaging the support of the community. Recognising the importance of nurturing promising early-career academics, the University further launched the Endowed Young Scholars Scheme in 2021. These Schemes have provided the endowed professors and young scholars with extra resources to facilitate them in embarking on innovative projects with societal impact.

To date, PolyU has established a total of 39 Endowed Professorships, two Named Professorships and ten Endowed Young Scholar positions. The newly conferred Endowed Professorships and Endowed Young Scholars are listed below.

Endowed Professorships	Appointees
Sin Wai Kin Foundation Endowed Professorship in Humanities and Technology	LI Ping
Limin Endowed Professorship in Integrated Strategies and Leadership in Fashion	Erin CHO
Kuok Group Endowed Professorship in Mathematical Science	YANG Tong
Kuok Group Endowed Professorship in Nature-Inspired Engineering	WANG Zuankai
Sir Sze-yuen Chung Endowed Professorship in Renewable Energy	LI Gang

Successive Endowed Professorships	Appointees
Henry G. Leong Endowed Professorship in Elderly Vision Health	HE Mingguang
Angel S.P. Chan Lau Endowed Professorship in Health and Longevity	Janelle YORKE
Shun Hing Education and Charity Fund Endowed Professorship in Rehabilitation Sciences	Marco PANG
Otto Poon Charitable Foundation Endowed Professorship in Smart and Sustainable Energy	WANG Liqiu

Endowed Young Scholars	Appointees
Kuok Group Endowed Young Scholar in Aging and Neuroimaging	HSU Chun Liang
Limin Endowed Young Scholar in Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering	ZHAO Xin
Kuok Group Endowed Young Scholar in Child and Adolescent Health	Eva HO
Limin Endowed Young Scholar in Colour and Imaging Science	Tommy WEI
Wong Tit Shing Endowed Young Scholar in Smart Robotics	ZHENG Pai