HKUST Announces Appointment of Prof. Tim CHENG as Vice-President for Research and Development
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) announced today the appointment of Prof. Tim CHENG Kwang-Ting as the new Vice-President for Research and Development (VPRD), starting April 1, 2022.
Prof. Cheng, currently Dean of Engineering and a Chair Professor at both the Department of Electronic & Computer Engineering and the Department of Computer Science & Engineering, is a leading scholar in the fields of electronic design automation (EDA) and computer vision. During his academic career, he took up multiple key leadership roles and has been very active in offering professional advice and services to the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), of which he is a Fellow. His works are of high impact with due recognition from the field, including 12 best paper awards and one Distinguished Paper Citation in major conferences and journals.
Prof. Cheng has made significant contributions to the educational and research programs of the School of Engineering in the past five years, and he has a clear vision in advancing research and knowledge transfer. Most recently, he led the founding of an AI Chip Center with Stanford University and other leading institutions. With an initial funding of HK$443.9 million from the Hong Kong government’s InnoHK Clusters initiative, Prof. Cheng will lead the advancement of IC design to help realize ubiquitous AI applications in society.
Mr. Andrew LIAO Cheung-Sing, Chairman of HKUST Council, extended his warm congratulations. “As an accomplished researcher with a prolific and impressive research track record, Prof. Cheng is keen in making aggressive engagement and collaboration with industry and society, exploring ways to further develop the University’s R&D profile, and strengthen the R&D structure and strategies to not only better integrate HKUST with HKUST(GZ) for synergetic development, but also better position HKUST R&D for greater societal impact.”
Prof. Wei SHYY, President of HKUST, also congratulated Prof. Cheng on his new position. “Tim is a sincere and personable leader with a transparent and open style of management. He can bring people together to work on research frontier and issues relevant to grand challenges. With his direct knowledge of the HKUST atmosphere and good connection to both the academic community and key stakeholders of the University, Tim is well positioned in his new capacity to make immediate contributions to the University.”
Mr. Liao and Prof. Shyy have also taken the opportunity to thank Prof. Nancy IP, who will continue to lead multiple endeavors at HKUST, for her dedicated leadership, comprehensive efforts and substantial contributions to the University in the past years.
Before joining HKUST, Prof. Cheng had served AT&T Bell Laboratories and the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), where he took up many leadership roles including Distinguished Professor and the Associate Vice-Chancellor for Research, in which he helped oversee the research development, infrastructure, and compliance of UCSB’s research enterprise with over US$200 million extramural research funding. He has published more than 500 technical papers, co-authored five books, held 12 US patents, and transferred several of his inventions into successful commercial products.
Prof. Cheng’s appointment is the result of a rigorous global search. To facilitate a smooth transition for him, Prof. Ip’s appointment as VPRD will be extended up to March 31, 2022.
(This news was originally published by the HKUST Public Affairs Office here.)