Lingnan University appoints world-renowned mathematician Prof Raymond Chan Hon-fu as Vice-President (Academics) cum Provost

The Council of Lingnan University, in consultation with the Court, approved the appointment of Prof Raymond Chan Hon-fu as the Vice-President (Academics) cum Provost of Lingnan University for a term of five years, effective from 1 June 2024. As one of the world-renowned scholars recruited by the University’s recent “Lingnan-60 Global Talent Recruitment”, Prof Chan is appointed concurrently as Chair Professor of Scientific Computing, and will take the lead on the University’s strategic development on academic education and oversee the academic operations of the University, including the Faculty of Arts, Faculty of Social Sciences, Faculty of Business and the School of Interdisciplinary Studies. He will also oversee faculty affairs including recruiting, developing, and retention, and a number of academic support units, including the Office of Service-Learning (OSL), Lingnan Institute of Further Education (LIFE), the Library and the Information Technology Services Centre (ITSC) as well as the Office of Global Education (OGE) and the Teaching and Learning Centre (TLC) via the Associate Vice-President (Academic Quality Assurance and Internationalisation).

Lingnan University appoints world-renowned mathematician Prof Raymond Chan Hon-fu as Vice-President (Academics) cum Provost.

Lingnan University

The Council of Lingnan University, in consultation with the Court, approved the appointment of Prof Raymond Chan Hon-fu as the Vice-President (Academics) cum Provost of Lingnan University for a term of five years, effective from 1 June 2024. As one of the world-renowned scholars recruited by the University’s recent “Lingnan-60 Global Talent Recruitment”, Prof Chan is appointed concurrently as Chair Professor of Scientific Computing, and will take the lead on the University’s strategic development on academic education and oversee the academic operations of the University, including the Faculty of Arts, Faculty of Social Sciences, Faculty of Business and the School of Interdisciplinary Studies. He will also oversee faculty affairs including recruiting, developing, and retention, and a number of academic support units, including the Office of Service-Learning (OSL), Lingnan Institute of Further Education (LIFE), the Library and the Information Technology Services Centre (ITSC) as well as the Office of Global Education (OGE) and the Teaching and Learning Centre (TLC) via the Associate Vice-President (Academic Quality Assurance and Internationalisation).

 

Prof Chan said: “I am deeply honoured to be appointed as Vice-President (Academics) cum Provost at Lingnan University, collaborating with an outstanding cadre of faculty members and staff. Drawing my extensive experience and unwavering dedication to university education, my commitment to nurturing talents aligns seamlessly with Lingnan's motto 'Education for Service'. This shared dedication is the cornerstone of my decision to join Lingnan University. I am wholeheartedly dedicated to actively contributing to Lingnan’s vision as a distinguished liberal arts research institution in the digital era, while nurturing students with both knowledge and exemplary characters.”

 

Born in Hong Kong, Prof Chan is a proven leader in higher education and a distinguished scholar with global recognition. He is currently the Dean of College of Science and Chair Professor of Department of Mathematics of City University of Hong Kong (CityU) and the Co-Director and Chief Scientist of the Hong Kong Centre for Cerebro-cardiovascular Health Engineering (COCHE). He was the founding Dean of the College of Science at CityU between 2019 and 2021 and served as the Vice-President (Student Affairs) between 2021 and 2023. Before joining CityU, he has worked in University of Massachusetts at Amherst, The University of Hong Kong, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and The Chinese University of Hong Kong.

 

Prof Chan has published 160 journal papers and authored three books. His 2019 textbook “Financial Mathematics, Derivatives, and Structured Products” has 102,000 paid downloads on SpringerLink and was the highest-accessed mathematics textbook published by Springer in 2019. Prof Chan was in the ISI Science Citation List of Top Highly-Cited Mathematicians in the World (2001 List) and is listed in the Stanford study of the World’s top 2% scientists (top 1% in Numerical and Computational Mathematics) since the ranking started in 2019. He has successfully secured over HK$13 million in external grants as Principal Investigator, including one Collaborative Research Fund from the Hong Kong Research Grants Council, marking the first CRF awarded to a mathematician.

 

Prof Chan has garnered accolades throughout his career, including winning the Leslie Fox Prize for Numerical Analysis in 1989 given by the UK Institute of Mathematics and its Applications. He further received the Feng Kang Prize of Scientific Computing in 1997 and a Morningside Award in 1998, both in Beijing, China. His outstanding contributions were recognized with the 2011 Higher Education Outstanding Scientific Research Output Awards (First Prize) from the Ministry of Education in China. He was also elected a Fellow of the US Society of Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM) in 2013, a Fellow of the American Mathematical Society (AMS) in 2021, and a Fellow of the China Society of Industrial and Applied Mathematics (CSIAM) in 2022. Prof Chan was the first and remains the only one from an Asian university elected to the SIAM Council since its establishment in 1952, and he served for two terms from 2015 to 2020. He is now on the SIAM Board of Trustees. Since 2016, Prof Chan has held the position of Vice-President of the International Consortium of Chinese Mathematicians (ICCM).

 

Extending his congratulations to Prof Chan on his new appointment, Mr Andrew Yao Cho-fai, Council Chairman of Lingnan University, expressed his delight and said, "The Council is pleased to welcome Prof Chan to Lingnan for this pivotal role. With the passage of the Lingnan University (Amendment) Bill 2023 by the Legislative Council, the University is now empowered to appoint up to three Vice-Presidents, facilitating the formation of a stronger leadership team to further academic excellence. I look forward with great enthusiasm to welcoming Prof Chan to the family of Lingnan University. Please join me in giving Prof Chan our warmest welcome and support."

 

Prof S. Joe Qin, President and Wai Kee Kau Chair Professor of Data Science of Lingnan University, extended a warm welcome to Prof Chan. He said: With Possessing extensive teaching and managerial experience in both local and international contexts, Prof Chan exemplifies the qualities expected of a visionary leader. With his distinguished academic standing, he is well-suited for the position of Vice-President (Academics) cum Provost, which is crucial to Lingnan University's aspiration to excel as a liberal arts research institution in the digital era. I am confident that Prof Chan's leadership will significantly contribute to Lingnan’s commitment to academic excellence and global engagement."