RCATech People

Kenneth N. K. Fong is Professor and Associate Head (Research, Innovation, and Knowledge Transfer), Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, and Director of the Research Centre for Assistive Technology at PolyU. His background training is in occupational therapy. He is also the management committee member of the Research Institute in AIoT, and management committee member of the University Research Facility in Behavioral and Systems Neuroscience (UBSN), chairman of University Ethics, Diversity and Inclusion Committee, and elected member of Senate, PolyU. He had been programme leaders of the BSc(Hons)OT, MOT, and MOT(China) programmes. He is now the Editor-in-Chief of Hong Kong Journal of Occupational Therapy (HKJOT), member of Community Chest, and honorary advisors of several NGOs and supporting organizations for people with chronic diseases and disabilities in Hong Kong. He is member of the Supplementary Medical Professions Council, Hong Kong SAR, member of the Occupational Therapists Board, Hong Kong SAR, and chairman of the Education Committee and Examination Committee of the Occupational Therapists Board.   

He received the Department Outstanding Teaching Award in 2011, the Department Outstanding Team Teaching Award in 2018, and the Faculty Team Teaching Award of the Faculty of Health and Social Sciences in 2010 and 2019 respectively. He has completed supervision for 8 PhD students before; currently, he is supervising 4 PhD students and 5 DHSc students as chief supervisor, and co-supervising 7 PhD students at present. His undergraduate and postgraduate students have received numerous awards in the design of assistive technology products in both local and international events including the Global Students Innovation Challenge, i-CREATe, in Asia. Recently he received the best paper award from UBSN of PolyU in 2024, and is awarded the World's Top 2% Scientists (Rehabilitation) by Stanford in 2024.

His competitive public research grants in the last 5 years as Principal Investigator include:

Research Impact Fund (RIF) (R5028, 2021-), Research Grants Council, University Grants Committee, Hong Kong

General Research Fund (GRF) (15105919M, 2019-22), Research Grants Council, University Grants Committee, Hong Kong

Innovation and Technology Fund – Mid-stream Research Programme for Universities (MRP/011/17X, 2018-21), Innovation and Technology Commission, Hong Kong

Beat Drugs Fund (BDF190052, 2019-2023), Narcotics Division, Security Bureau, Hong Kong

• Certificate in Child Mental Health, University of Hong Kong
• Professional Diploma in Occupational Therapy, Hong Kong Polytechnic
• Professional Diploma in Occupational Safety and Health, Hong Kong Baptist University
• Postgraduate Diploma in Biomechanics, University of Strathclyde
• Bachelor of Science (Health Studies), University of Paisley
• Master of Science in Health Care (Occupational Therapy), The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
• Doctor of Philosophy (Education), University of Hull

• Registered Occupational Therapist (Part I)
• Occupational Therapist Registered