A clear vision, moral courage, and a noble heart to serve are the essential attributes of a leader. These we find in abundance in Professor Tony Chan, and much more.

Professor Chan is a rare breed among academics. A seasoned administrator, an eminent scientist with a broad background in natural science covering Mathematics, Computer Science, and Engineering, he is the complete leader to guide HKUST in its journey towards transforming Hong Kong into a knowledge society, and in the process, spurring its economic development.

As a man of vision, Professor Chan found his life-long vocation early in life. Way ahead of his peers, he was inspired during his matriculation years in Hong Kong when reading about Professor Richard Feynman and Professor Murray Gell-Mann, both new Nobel Laureates in Physics then, to pursue further studies at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), receiving his BS and MS in Engineering there. His interest in the then new field of Computer Science led him to Stanford, where he obtained his PhD in Computer Science in 1978.

Professor Chan follows his heart to realize his dreams. His teaching career spanned several disciplines at some of the most prestigious universities. He taught Computer Science at Yale University before joining UCLA as Professor of Mathematics and was later appointed Chair of the Department of Mathematics. He also holds honorary joint appointments with the UCLA’s BioEngineering and Computer Science departments. From 2001 to 2006, he served as the Dean of Physical Sciences at UCLA, overseeing seven academic departments.

Among Professor Chan’s many achievements are his being one of the world’s most cited mathematicians and winning two Best Paper Awards from IEEE and International Symposium on Physical Design. He has published over 200 refereed papers.

His vision extends beyond his own vocation. As an advocate of collaboration among Mathematics, General Science and Engineering, he was one of the principal investigators who made the successful proposal to the US National Science Foundation (NSF) to establish the Institute for Pure and Applied Mathematics (IPAM) at UCLA, serving as Director from 2000 to 2001.

He has yet more to offer. As an able administrator, he managed an annual research budget of HK$10 billion at NSF, where he was most recently Assistant Director in charge of its largest directorate – the Mathematical and Physical Sciences Directorate. He was the first Asian American to have been appointed to that position. In 2007, he became one of only five mathematicians elected as Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Professor Chan might have spent four decades abroad, but he has maintained strong roots in Hong Kong, having attended the Salesian English School and Queen’s College here. In 2002, he was named CUHK United College Distinguished Lecturer along with Nobel Laureate Professor Yuan-Tseh Lee. He has served as visiting professor and external examiner at four local universities, in addition to making over 30 academic visits to the Mainland.

In the face of new challenges including the 3-3-4 educational reform and the financial crisis, Professor Chan now applies himself to creating new opportunities for the university and our students, attracting global talents and fostering collaboration between mainland institutions.

Living up to the student-friendly tradition of his predecessors, Professor Chan can be seen challenging students and faculty to a game of tennis. Promoting the well-being of students is his top priority.

Today, we are proud to have this most cited mathematician, first-rate administrator and visionary scholar to take over the helm of HKUST.

Mr Chancellor, I have the honor to present to you the new President of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Professor Tony Chan.