Welcome to the 33rd edition of CUHK in Focus.
The CUHK Library was deeply thankful for the generous donation of valuable documents and publications of the late Mr Hilton Cheong-Leen, the first Chinese Chairman of the Urban Council and co-founder of the Hong Kong Civic Association. The substantial collection, spanning 1962 to 2012, comprises official records and documents, correspondence between Mr Cheong-Leen and key governmental bodies, speeches, photos and exclusive interviews with Mr Cheong-Leen. The University was honoured to be graced with the presence of Ms Flora Cheong-Leen, Mr Cheong-Leen’s daughter, at a special ceremony to mark the signing of the donation agreement to signify CUHK’s commitment to preserving this treasured past and enriching the study of Hong Kong’s history. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the Cheong-Leen family for their trust and support. The donated artefacts will be meticulously preserved in the Special Collections of the University Library and will be available for public viewing early next year.
QS Asia University Rankings 2024
CUHK has risen two places to 10th in the latest Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) Asia University Rankings 2024. This outstanding result is testament to the University’s international leadership in research and education, which has been the result of the collective effort of the entire CUHK community. With an unwavering commitment to quality education and high-impact research, CUHK will continue to strive for excellence with purpose and responsibility in everything we do.
In further exciting news, our Faculty of Medicine was ranked 1st in Asia and 16th globally in the field of clinical medicine in the latest Academic Ranking of World Universities. This important result places us as the only Asian medical faculty to be ranked in the world’s top 50, and is an incredible achievement for a faculty which has only been in existence for a little over four decades.
Recognition for brilliant work
I was thrilled to see the hard work of our colleagues once again being recognised. I would like to congratulate Professor Siew Ng, Croucher Professor in Medical Sciences, on becoming the first and only Hong Kong scholar in the field of biology and biomedical sciences to be selected as a 2023 New Cornerstone Investigator under The New Cornerstone Investigator Programme initiated by Tencent. I am also pleased to express my appreciation for the great work of the Language and Gesture Lab of the Faculty of Education on developing the AutiBot Pro, a robot-based eye gaze and motion detection system for autism assessment and early screening, which was presented the Smart Living (Smart Healthcare) Certificate of Merit at the Hong Kong ICT Awards 2023.
Next week, we will be celebrating the inauguration of Professor Barbara Chan of the School of Biomedical Sciences as the “Au Chik Ko and Au Leung Shook Yin Professor of Biomedical Engineering / Regenerative Medicine”, an endowed professorship named after the parents of our devoted alumna Ms Betty Au in support of the cutting-edge research at CUHK on tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Please allow me to extend my warmest wishes to Professor Chan, and my heartiest gratitude to Ms Au, as well as the wider community, for their abiding interest in the development of CUHK as a civic institution to bring tangible benefits to society through our education and research endeavours.
We are also proud to celebrate the exciting news of a CUHK student research team winning the International Sustainability Award in the James Dyson Award for their invention “E-COATING”, which has been inspired by the students’ concern for environmental issues at hand, including global warming and urban solid waste problems. This marks the first time a team from the Greater China region has won this international award. Congratulations to the team members, Chan Hoi Fung Ronaldo (BEng in Energy and Environmental Engineering, Year 4) and Xiao Can (PhD in Mechanical and Automation Engineering, Year 2), on achieving such a remarkable success, which well demonstrates the creative and research capabilities of the talented CUHK community.
Congratulations to postgraduates on Shenzhen campus
It gave me great pleasure to virtually address the class of 2023 at the 8th Graduation Ceremony for Postgraduate Students of The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen in my capacity as the Chairman of the University’s Governing Board.
Congratulations to all graduates on reaching a new milestone in life. With our Shenzhen campus commencing its 10th anniversary year in early 2024, the graduation of the class of 2023 truly comes at a momentous time. I hope all graduates will remain closely connected with their alma mater and join its strong network of alumni in shaping the world for the better. I look forward to seeing the motto of CUHK, “Through Learning and Temperance to Virtue”, be a guiding principle in their career building and lifelong learning.
I look forward to sharing more stories with you in the next edition.
Best wishes,
Professor Rocky S. Tuan
Vice-Chancellor and President
The Chinese University of Hong Kong
