[May 2022 issue]
Professor Henry N.C. Wong, Former College Head, Emeritus Professor of Chemistry and Research Professor at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), was appointed an Honorary Fellow of the University on 16 May. Our heartfelt congratulations!
In 1973, Prof. Wong received a Bachelor degree in Science with first class honours from CUHK and pursued higher education in the United Kingdom. He returned to CUHK and started teaching in the Department of Chemistry since 1983, and served as the Department Chairman between 1995 and 1997. He had held the positions of Pro-Vice-Chancellor/Vice-President of CUHK from 2009 to 2013, and the Dean of Science from 2012 to 2018. He contributed to the promotion of collaborations with non-local universities and research facilities, offering valuable learning opportunities for students to broaden their vision.
Prof. Wong took up the position of Head of the New Asia College from 2002 to 2010, as well as from 2014 to 2020. With his leadership and administrative experience, the College has achieved all-round performance. He is committed to promoting humanities and sciences by establishing the “Yu Ying-shih Lecture in History” and “Yen Kwo-Yung Lecture in Life Sciences” to disseminate knowledge to student and the public. He emphasized the importance of preserving College history and strived to liaise with the Urban Renewal Authority in building a memorial park at Kweilin Street, founding site of the College. With Prof. Wong’s efforts, the fundraising work of the College has made great progress, with new scholarships and bursaries established, and donations received for the New Asia Concourse expansion project and the fifth student hostel construction.
Prof. Wong attaches great importance to the inheritance of New Asia spirit. During his tenure, he strongly supported the College Mentorship Programme to encourage the impartation of career and life experience from mentors to mentees, and organized various reunion activities to strengthen the ties between New Asians. Understanding the financial and mental stress posed by COVID-19, Prof. Wong offered financial support and counselling service to students in urgent need.
Prof. Wong has long dedicated himself to scientific research and science education in Hong Kong and the Mainland. He is Chairman of the Management Committee of the Shanghai-Hong Kong Joint Laboratory in Chemical Synthesis, Shanghai Institute of Organic Chemistry of The Chinese Academy of Sciences, and has been supervising graduate students of the Laboratory. He had served as an advisor of the School of Science and Engineering at The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen for developing the Chemistry and Physics programmes, and is appointed the Distinguished Presidential Chair Professor of the School of Science and Engineering at the University. Prof. Wong has received a number of honors in the scientific field, including the 2nd Class State Natural Science Award of China (1997), Croucher Senior Research Fellow (1999 to 2000), and was elected to the Chinese Academy of Sciences, The World Academy of Sciences for the Advancement of Science in Developing Countries, and the Hong Kong Academy of Sciences.
