University Review
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A stronger management team
In January 2020, Professor Guo Yike, a leading computing science expert, joined HKBU from Imperial College London as the new Vice-President (Research and Development). With a remit that includes the development of the University’s overall research strategy, research infrastructure and postgraduate education, Professor Guo has revolutionised the University's approach to research in a short space of time, and he is instrumental in establishing HKBU's six new interdisciplinary research labs.
Ms Christine Chow joined HKBU as the new Vice-President (Administration) and Secretary in July 2020 following a distinguished career at The Hong Kong Jockey Club and other leading companies. Heading five administrative offices, Ms Chow provides administrative leadership in the University, proactive support to the University’s fit-for-purpose governance, overall effective risk management, and assistance to the Council and the Court.
Professor Arthur Mak started at HKBU in August 2019 as the new Associate Vice-President (Student Experience). An engineer by training, Professor Mak is focused on student development and helping students reach their potential. His responsibilities include overseeing the co-curriculum and service- learning, as well as student support and wellness.
As the Dr. Hung Hin Shiu Endowed Professor in Music and Head of the Department of Music, Professor Johnny Poon was appointed Associate Vice-President (Interdisciplinary Research) in June 2020. He takes the lead in promoting interdisciplinary research, with a focus on building the University's clusters of research strengths, the six interdisciplinary research labs and strategies for acquiring collaborative research grants.
In May 2020, the University appointed Dr Alison Lloyd as the Associate Vice-President (Institutional Research and Strategic Planning). In particular, Dr Lloyd plays an instrumental role in supporting the advancement of the University and she also leads efforts to spearhead the use of analytics and business intelligence to foster a culture of data-informed decision-making, and support a number of planning-related initiatives.
Our esteemed enlighteners
The University conferred Honorary University Fellowships upon eight distinguished persons in recognition of their significant contributions to society and their staunch support of the University.
The eight recipients were Ms Mabel Chan, founder of Mabel Chan & Co; Mr Cheng Chak-kuen, Chairman of Dongguan Xingye Trade Development Company Limited; Mr Hung Kwong-yee, Founder, Chairman, Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of Ten Pao Group Holdings Limited; Mr Kenneth Kwok, Director of Eagle Wide Limited; Ms Cecilia Lee, partner of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu; The Hon Ma Fung-kwok, member of the HKSAR Legislative Council for the Sports, Performing Arts, Culture and Publication constituency; Mr Warren Mok, Founder and Artistic Director of Opera Hong Kong; and Dr Herman Yau, renowned film director, cinematographer and writer.
The University also conferred Honorary Doctoral Degrees upon six distinguished persons for their outstanding professional achievements and remarkable contributions to society. Dr Cheng Yan-kee, a distinguished consulting civil and structural engineer, Dr Liu Chak-wan, Chairman of Liu's Commerce and Industry Limited, and Mr Stanley Yim, the founder, Chairman and Managing Director of S.A.S. Dragon Holdings Limited, were awarded the degree of Doctor of Business Administration, honoris causa. Professor Jeremy K Nicholson, a pioneer in biomedicine, and Professor Sir Fraser Stoddart, Nobel Laureate in Chemistry, were bestowed the degree of Doctor of Science, honoris causa. Professor Zhong Binglin, a renowned educator, received the degree of Doctor of Social Sciences, honoris causa.
The University conferred Honorary University Fellowships upon eight distinguished persons in recognition of their significant contributions to society and their staunch support of the University.
The eight recipients were Ms Mabel Chan, founder of Mabel Chan & Co; Mr Cheng Chak-kuen, Chairman of Dongguan Xingye Trade Development Company Limited; Mr Hung Kwong-yee, Founder, Chairman, Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of Ten Pao Group Holdings Limited; Mr Kenneth Kwok, Director of Eagle Wide Limited; Ms Cecilia Lee, partner of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu; The Hon Ma Fung-kwok, member of the HKSAR Legislative Council for the Sports, Performing Arts, Culture and Publication constituency; Mr Warren Mok, Founder and Artistic Director of Opera Hong Kong; and Dr Herman Yau, renowned film director, cinematographer and writer.
The University also conferred Honorary Doctoral Degrees upon six distinguished persons for their outstanding professional achievements and remarkable contributions to society. Dr Cheng Yan-kee, a distinguished consulting civil and structural engineer, Dr Liu Chak-wan, Chairman of Liu's Commerce and Industry Limited, and Mr Stanley Yim, the founder, Chairman and Managing Director of S.A.S. Dragon Holdings Limited, were awarded the degree of Doctor of Business Administration, honoris causa. Professor Jeremy K Nicholson, a pioneer in biomedicine, and Professor Sir Fraser Stoddart, Nobel Laureate in Chemistry, were bestowed the degree of Doctor of Science, honoris causa. Professor Zhong Binglin, a renowned educator, received the degree of Doctor of Social Sciences, honoris causa.
Prime achiever in teaching
The University has long prided itself on its educational excellence, and it received some timely recognition in October 2019 when Dr Tushar Chaudhuri, Senior Lecturer in European Studies of the Department of Government and International Studies, received the University Grants Committee Teaching Award in recognition of his outstanding teaching performance and achievements.
Dr Chaudhuri is at the forefront of diversifying and internationalising students' learning experiences through the development of extremely innovative teaching programmes and international projects which use cutting-edge technology proactively and creatively. A shining example of Dr Chaudhuri's innovative curriculum design has been his online telecollaborative project, which enables students to engage in real- life communication in German with overseas partners, and such tools are even more important now that online learning has become more common due to the pandemic.
Future innovators
AI Phoenix, a team whose core members are students and alumni from the Department of Computer Science and Department of Mathematics, represented the startup A.I. Phoenix Technology Company Limited at the BOCHK Hackathon 2019, and they won the Silver Award for their innovative fintech solutions. The team proposed an application based on federated learning, an artificial intelligence (AI) technique which enabled them to standardise and combine the models of collaborative organisations and banks.
An HKBU startup team received the First Runner-up prize in the A.I. Future Tense InnoTech Solutions Pitching competition, which was organised by The Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups as part of the HSBC Future Skills Development Project. The team, which included students from the School of Chinese Medicine, the Department of Economics and the Department of Communication Studies, used their knowledge to design the winning project, an application called "Foodi" which uses AI to make personalised food recommendations.
Creative Talent
At the 14th Hong Kong Arts Development Awards, HKBU scholars and alumni were recognised for their creativity. Dr Chow Yiu-fai, Associate Professor of the Department of Humanities and Creative Writing, and Mr Ying Liang, Senior Lecturer of the Academy of Film (AF), won the Award for Arts Education (Non-School Division) and Artist of the Year (Film) respectively. Dr Mui Kwong-chiu, an alumnus of the Department of Communication, was named Artist of the Year (Music), and Ms Oliver Chan, an alumna of AF, received the Award for Young Artist (Film).
Miss Norris Wong, a graduate of the AF's Master of Fine Arts in Film, Television and Digital Media programme, was named the Best New Director at the 39th Hong Kong Film Awards for her debut feature film My Prince Edward. The film has also racked up a number of other awards, including the NETPAC Award, which was co-presented by the Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival and the Network for the Promotion of Asia Pacific Cinema. Norris was also given the Best Screenplay award and the Recommended Film honour by the Hong Kong Film Critics Society, as well as the Best New Director award by the Hong Kong Film Directors' Guild.
Ms Chu Hoi-ying, an alumna of the same programme, won the award for Best Live Action Short Film at the 56th Golden Horse Awards for her film 3 Generations 3 Days. The work also garnered her the Fresh Wave Award and the Best Director Award at the 13th Fresh Wave International Short Film Festival in Hong Kong, and the Best Fiction Short Film award at the South Taiwan Film Festival.
Two teams of Public Relations and Advertising Year 4 students from the School of Communication won the Silver and Bronze levels of the 2019 HK4As Students' Award for their creative integrated branding campaigns on the theme "Meatless Meat" at the annual Kam Fan Awards, which is organised by the Association of Accredited Advertising Agencies of Hong Kong.
