University Officers
Professor Alexander Ping-kong WAI, JP
President and Vice-Chancellor
Professor Alexander Ping-kong Wai took office as the sixth President and Vice-Chancellor of Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) in February 2021.
Professor Wai received a bachelor’s degree, majoring in Physics, from The University of Hong Kong in 1981, followed by a master’s degree and a doctoral degree in Physics from the University of Maryland, College Park in the US in 1985 and 1988, respectively. Before returning to Hong Kong, his research at the University of Maryland focused on fibre optic communication, and transoceanic transmission in particular. Early in his career, he joined the Science Applications International Corporation in the US where he worked as a research scientist on the Tethered Satellite System (TSS) mission, a joint US-Italy Space Shuttle project.
Professor Wai joined The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) in 1996. During his 25 years at PolyU, he served in various university administration and leadership positions, including as Head of Department, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, Associate Vice-President, Vice-President (Research Development), Deputy President and Provost as well as Chair Professor of Optical Communications.
Professor Wai is known for his commitment to pioneering innovative technology and translational research, and for his outstanding contributions to education. While at PolyU, he made great strides in several important research areas, which included collaborating with world-renowned partners on international and national High-Speed Rail projects, lunar space exploration, and launching the Aviation Services Research Centre with Boeing Corporate to enhance Hong Kong’s position as a world-class aviation maintenance hub. He also collaborated with the UK’s Royal College of Art to establish a research laboratory in Hong Kong that champions the integration of artificial intelligence and design.
Since he assumed office in February 2021 as the President and Vice-Chancellor of HKBU, Professor Wai has led the University to pioneer the development of arts and technology. One of the most significant initiatives under his leadership was a farsighted art-tech project that has received funding from the Innovation and Technology Support Programme under the Innovation and Technology Commission (ITC) of the HKSAR Government. This was the art-tech project funded by ITC with the largest approved amount. Professor Wai also established the overarching research cluster of Humanities and Cultures for the University to support the development of the “East-meets-West Centre for International Cultural Exchange” in Hong Kong.
Professor Wai has spared no effort in promoting the application of technology and digitalisation in Chinese medicine, and championing the standardisation and internationalisation of Chinese medicine to bring Hong Kong’s Chinese medicine service and scientific research to the world stage. In early 2022 when Hong Kong was hard hit by the fifth wave of the pandemic, Professor Wai led a team of Chinese medicine experts and supporting personnel at HKBU to launch the “Free Online Consultation Service for COVID-19 Patients”, providing free online health consultations, medicine delivery and emotional support resources to over 41,000 patients, close contacts and carers. In addition, Professor Wai led Chinese medicine practitioners and social work experts from the University to support the operation of around 400 beds in the Kai Tak Holding Centre, serving the resident elderly COVID-19 patients with mild symptoms. These initiatives not only eased much of the pressure on the public healthcare system and demonstrated HKBU’s commitment to safeguarding public health, but also provided the University with invaluable experience in running Hong Kong’s first Chinese Medicine Hospital when its operation commences in phases in 2025.
With academic interests in the field of optical fibre communications, Professor Wai has a rich array of impactful and patented research achievements to his name. He was elected as a Fellow of the Optical Society of America in 2009, a Fellow of the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers (FHKIE) in 2010, a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) in 2012, and a Fellow of the Hong Kong Academy of Engineering Sciences in 2012. With the approval of the State Ministry of Science and Technology, he has been selected for the “National Science and Technology Programmes Expert Database” since 2012.
Professor Wai served as Chairman of the Society of Hong Kong Scholars between 2014 and 2018, and he was named President of the Council of The Hong Kong Association for the Advancement of Science and Technology in 2014/15. He served as a member of the Research Grants Council between 2016 and 2021 and a member of the University Grants Committee from 2020 to 2021. He was appointed as a Justice of Peace by the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in July 2022, and has become a member of the 14th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference since 2023.
