Professor Raymond Yeung Wai-ho, Choh-Ming Li Professor of Information Engineering, and co-director of the Institute of Network Coding at CUHK, has been elected a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI) for his consistent, profound contributions to the field of information theory and network coding. Professor Yeung will be inducted at the Fellows Induction Ceremony at NAI’s 12^th annual meeting in June 2023.

He says, “I am humbled by this recognition specifically for my research works that have led to real-world applications. Network communication has become an integral part of our daily life, and I am most excited to be part of the advancement and evolution of our global network. My team will continue to explore new wireless network protocols, particularly in the applications of BATS code in 5G and 6G, and many other applications for the benefit of society.”

Professor Yeung is a leading expert in the information theory community and a co-founder of the field of network coding, making a significant impact on a variety of practical scenarios such as data storage and network communications. The Institute of Network Coding that he co-founded has evolved into a key contributor to Hong Kong that explores and deploys the promises of network coding in practical scenarios. He had invented the BATched Sparse code (BATS code) that improved the network transmission rate of networks with packet loss. His current research focuses on applying information theory and network coding ideas to develop better coding algorithms.

He has received numerous international awards for his fundamental contributions to information theory and pioneering work in network coding and its applications, including the 2022 Claude E. Shannon Award, the 2021 Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Richard W. Hamming Medal, the 2018 ACM SIGMOBILE Test-of-Time Paper Award and the 2016 IEEE Eric E. Sumner Award. He is a Fellow of the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers, the Hong Kong Academy of Engineering Sciences, and the IEEE. He also holds 10 patents on BATS code.

The NAI Fellows Programme highlights academic inventors who have demonstrated a spirit of innovation in creating or facilitating outstanding inventions that have made a tangible impact on the quality of life, economic development and welfare of society. NAI Fellow is the highest professional distinction awarded to academic inventors. The 2022 Fellow class hails from 110 research universities and governmental and non-profit research institutes worldwide. They collectively hold more than 5,000 U.S. patents. Among the new class of Fellows are members of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine, Fellows of the AAAS and other prestigious organisations, Nobel laureates, recipients of other honours and distinctions, as well as senior leaders from universities and research institutions.