Deputy President and Provost

Professor Wing-tak Wong is Deputy President and Provost (DP) and Chair Professor of Chemical Technology of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU). He also serves as Chairman of the Hong Kong Council for Testing and Certification (HKCTC).

Professor Wong received a Bachelor of Science degree with first-class honours in 1986 and a Master of Philosophy degree in 1988 from The University of Hong Kong. He then furthered his study in the UK and obtained his PhD degree and Doctor of Science degree from the University of Cambridge in 1991 and 2000 respectively. Prior to joining PolyU, Professor Wong was Chair Professor in the Department of Chemistry, The University of Hong Kong, where he began his career as a Lecturer in Chemistry in 1991 and was later promoted to Senior Lecturer, Professor and then Chair Professor. 

Since 2009, Professor Wong has held various leadership and management positions at PolyU. He served as Head of the Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology (2009 - 2015), Dean of the Faculty of Applied Science and Textiles (2015 - 2020), Director of the University Research Facility in Chemical and Environmental Analysis (2015 - 2020), and Deputy Dean of PolyU’s Shenzhen Research Institute (2015 – 2021). He was a key driver in the establishment of four university research facilities, including the University Research Facility in Big Data Analytics, University Research Facility in Chemical and Environmental Analysis, University Research Facility in Life Sciences, and University Research Facility in Materials Characterization and Device Fabrication. Under his leadership, the Food Safety and Technology Research Centre and Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Food Biological Safety Control were set up in 2011 and 2014 respectively to address societal needs for professional advice on food-related issues. The Department of Food Science and Nutrition was later formed in 2022. 

Professor Wong’s research interests lie in the design and synthesis of molecular probes and nanomaterials for chemical imaging, early detection and treatment of cancer, and in vitro detection of ions and toxins. Additionally, he focuses on the design and development of new chiral catalysts for asymmetric organic catalytic reactions. Professor Wong has published more than 570 papers in various prestigious academic journals like Nature Communications, PNAS, and Chemical Sciences, with an H-index of 62. He has been granted five patents and has authored/edited six book chapters. 

Professor Wong’s academic achievements are well recognised internationally, earning him the Croucher Senior Research Fellowship in 2004, Outstanding Achievement Awards in Scientific Research for Institutions of Higher Education of China (Second-Class) in 2012 and 2021, and a Gold Medal at the 43rd International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva in 2015.