Installation of President Professor Nancy Ip

Abstract

[evdate 2022-11-26] Order of Proceedings 典禮程序 _e Council Chairman declares the Ceremony open 大學校董會主席宣佈典禮開始 _e Acting Provost introduces the new President 署理首席副校長介紹新任校長 _e Council Chairman installs the new President 大學校董會主席主持就職儀式 Treasurer of the University presents a copy of the University Ordinance and the Seal of the University to the President 大學司庫將大學條例及大學印章交予新任校長 _e President delivers the installation speech 校長致就職講辭 校長就職典禮 Installation of President November 26, 2022 二零二二年十一月二十六日 Introduction of Professor Nancy IP, the President _e Hon. Andrew LIAO Cheung-Sing, GBM, GBS, SC, JP, HKUST Council Chairman elming an internationally recognized university such as HKUST, which thrives on the cutting edge of education, research, and knowledge transfer, is a momentous role at the best of times. Amid today’s challenging and competitive environment, identifying a determined and passionate leader who can guide the University to the next level of excellence, harness new opportunities, champion higher education, and drive forward innovation and technology locally, nationally, and globally becomes an even more daunting task. Given these strenuous prerequisites, I am very proud to present Prof. Nancy Ip to you today as the University’s Fifth President. As the first woman to be appointed as head of a university supported by the University Grants Committee, her presidency marks a major milestone in Hong Kong. An HKUST-grown leader, Prof. Ip has played an integral role in building the foundation of excellence that has propelled the University into a leading position in just 30 years. She possesses all the vital capabilities and many more, as a one-of-a kind combination of world-renowned molecular neuroscientist and seasoned university administrator. Born and educated in Hong Kong, Prof. Ip gained a full scholarship to pursue her undergraduate education in biology and chemistry at Simmons College in the United States, graduating with distinction. She went on to receive her PhD in Pharmacology from Harvard University, and later joined a biotech startup, Regeneron, which today is among the top biotechnology companies in the world. In 1993, she left her successful industry career to join the then fledgling HKUST as an early-career faculty. Over the past three decades, Prof. Ip has grown into a world-renowned neuroscientist. She is internationally recognized for her seminal discoveries and significant contributions to the field, most recently expanding the understanding of Alzheimer’s disease. Her tireless efforts have reshaped the local research landscape, as she has almost single-handedly established molecular neuroscience as a major strategic area, both at HKUST and in Hong Kong. While building her research career, Prof. Ip has simultaneously held numerous administrative roles at HKUST, including Head of the H 3 Department of Biochemistry, Dean of Science, and Vice-President for Research and Development. During this time, she enhanced the University’s impact in innovation, technology, and entrepreneurship by establishing new research directions, increasing external research collaborations in the Greater Bay Area and beyond, and deepening partnerships with industry and across the wider community. Her efforts have catalyzed many frontier projects and brought in fresh collaborative opportunities. It is not only HKUST and Hong Kong that have benefited from Prof. Ip’s strategic leadership and advocacy. She has also contributed to the development of higher education, research, and its social impact, locally, and internationally, through active participation in numerous leading committees and organizations. Moreover, she works tirelessly to encourage and inspire talent from different backgrounds and cultures to achieve their potential. Mentoring younger generations and nurturing their interest in science is especially close to her heart, and she strongly advocates for the advancement of women in science. A prolific researcher, Prof. Ip has published 328 papers and holds 70 patents. Her accomplishments have been widely recognized through numerous prestigious awards and honors including the L’OREAL-UNESCO for Women in Science Award, the State Natural Science Award, and 10 Science Stars of China by Nature. Many of these accolades are the highest recognition in their fields. As a further testament to her distinguished achievements, she has been elected to six Academies, including the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the US National Academy of Sciences, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. In all aspects, Prof. Ip is the ideal person to helm the University. A distinguished and outstanding leader, her extraordinary talents as a researcher and administrator are well-recognized. She is well-connected, open to new ideas, and exceptionally people-oriented. Her colleagues and staff will attest to her remarkable ability to inspire others to achieve their best. More than that, she shows a strong affection for HKUST and the university community, and is deeply committed to the future development of both. I therefore have every confidence that as President, Prof. Ip will steer the University with great wisdom, foresight, and integrity and unite and energize our community to attain fresh heights of achievement, with greater societal contributions, in the years ahead. President Nancy IP’s nstallation Speech am deeply honored and excited to be here today, the highlight of an exhilarating journey that began almost 30 years ago. I joined HKUST as a junior faculty member in 1993, only two years after its founding. Back then, HKUST was a small institution, barely known within Hong Kong and virtually unknown outside. Normally, one is drawn to an established and prestigious university to build a career, but HKUST presented the opportunity to contribute on a vastly different scale. The University had been established with a clear mission — to be Hong Kong’s first research-intensive university, with a future-oriented pedagogy, to nurture generations of talent to drive and support Hong Kong’s transformation into a knowledge-based economy. I was incredibly intrigued by the opportunity to be a part of the research, technology, and innovation movement in my hometown. The early years, while demanding and challenging, were equally exciting and invigorating. The HKUST community essentially became an extended family. While still building our own credibility as educators and researchers, we worked long and hard to lay the groundwork for future research and education excellence. Inspired to action, I gravitated towards administrative leadership. Over the next three decades, I went on to serve in different capacities, gaining keen insights into university administration along the way. At the same time, I have had the privilege to work with incredible leaders and mentors — including all four of our former presidents, as well as our past and current Council chairs. I would like to take this opportunity to extend my most sincere thanks to our founders and previous leaders for their stewardship and dedication in establishing such strong foundations to build upon. Thank you also to our talented community, past and present, for your unremitting efforts in building a world-class university from the ground up. In the short span of 31 years, HKUST has developed into a globally recognized and vibrant academic and research institution. Our faculty include academicians and world-class scholars nurtured within the University. And we have cultivated a campus-wide entrepreneurial culture and a strong network consisting of local, regional, and international industrial and governmental partners. However, building excellence on our three pillars — education, research, and knowledge transfer — is an ongoing endeavor. During my tenure, my goal is to strengthen the University’s position as an academic, I research, and innovation powerhouse by widening our talent base, empowering our community, and fostering collaboration and innovation across campus, thus paving the groundwork for HKUST to become the most innovative university in Asia. The key determinants of innovation are people and culture — the two areas that I am most passionate about. People are at the heart of our success, and to attract and retain world-class talent, we need a vibrant environment where everyone can excel. My immediate priority is to foster a highly inclusive and collaborative culture where our students, faculty, and staff are empowered to share ideas, communicate openly, and work together. Stronger engagement will also cultivate a sense of belonging and ownership among our community and build trust. With the right talent and culture, we will be well positioned to spark innovation, affect change, and drive the University’s advancement. To develop truly impactful innovations that address societal needs, however, we must instill a deep understanding of humanity and human values. Advancing the humanities on campus to nurture empathy and compassion among our community is thus vital. This joint emphasis on innovation and humanities, while distinguishing us from our peers, has a larger purpose — to extend a humanism mindset beyond our campus. When faculty and staff move on and students graduate, not only will they bring knowledge, skills and a strong network to their companies and communities, but also the wisdom to engage in work that has a beneficial impact on society. Since its inception, HKUST has been at the vanguard of innovation. We were the first university in Hong Kong to emphasize entrepreneurship across the campus, and our efforts to establish a strong foundation for entrepreneurial education, training, and support are reaping tremendous benefits. To date, we have more than 1,600 active startups and 9 unicorns, with 7 IPOs in Hong Kong. I believe there are many more to come as long as we continue to nurture our creativity and can-do spirit, and inspire each other to take greater risks in research and education to drive innovation. We must also strengthen the innovation pipeline from discovery to market and make our research breakthrough more accessible to the community. Innovation is important for making our mark as a global research university. In an increasingly complex world, we must take a leadership role in enacting 5 positive change. This requires strengthening interdisciplinary collaboration to develop innovative game-changing and people-oriented solutions to pressing global issues such as aging population, pandemics, and the climate crisis. To help address these grand challenges, we need to partner with renowned international institutions and forge deeper levels of engagement and mutually beneficial collaborations with government, industry, and other areas of society. Earlier this year, we opened HKUST(Guangzhou), expanding our reach in the Greater Bay Area and signifying a new stage of development. HKUST(Guangzhou) complements the strengths of our existing Clear Water Bay campus and brings our vision of higher education, international outlook, and signature world-class programs to the Mainland. The new campus also brings exceptional opportunities to the entire HKUST community. This new synergistic platform will strengthen our integration and engagement in the Greater Bay Area, facilitating greater levels of collaboration. We will be well positioned to pioneer cross-disciplinary solutions to address global challenges and bring our education, research, knowledge transfer, and entrepreneurial endeavors to a new level. Thirty-one years ago, HKUST was just a fledgling university. Today, it is a vibrant and flourishing center of activity, where individuals from multiple backgrounds are collaborating to expand frontiers of knowledge, nurture future leaders and innovators, and create new ideas and innovations, to advance humanity. I am honored to have witnessed HKUST’s amazing growth, proud to have contributed to it, and am now incredibly excited to work with the entire HKUST community to steer the University to a higher level of excellence. I will dedicate all my efforts to ensure that the flame of innovation continues to burn bright at our university, and to build a harmonious and collaborative community where everyone can achieve and exceed their potential. By embracing the HKUST spirit and culture, together we can take the University to new horizons of excellence. 香港科技大學 校長就職典禮 校董會主席廖長城先生GBM,GBS, SC, JP 港科技大學( 科大) 在教學、研究及知識轉移等領域一直走在前沿， 卓越成就備受國際肯定。要領導如此頂尖學府，即使在和平安定的 時勢，已殊不簡單。當今社會挑戰重重，競爭激烈，要物色一位熱誠與毅 力俱備的有能之士，帶領科大再創佳績，並充分把握機遇、驅策高等教育， 以及在本地、全國以至全球推動創新科技發展，更是一項艱巨的任務。 能夠勝任以上條件的領袖殊不容易。今天，我很高興向大家介紹這位卓爾 不凡的領袖——科大第五任校長葉玉如教授。葉教授同時是大學教育資助 委員會轄下所有資助學府中首位女校長，創香港教育史之先河。 作為一位科大悉心栽培的出色領袖，葉教授為大學在短短30 年間，從一所 新晉院校逐步蛻變成為世界頂級學府奠下重要基礎，貢獻舉足輕重。葉教 授既是享譽國際的分子神經科學家，也是經驗豐富的大學管理人員，具備 領袖的一切重要特質，堪稱楷模。 葉教授在香港土生土長和接受教育，年青時獲全費獎學金負笈美國西蒙斯 學院攻讀生物學及化學本科課程，以頂級成績畢業。她於哈佛大學取得藥 理學博士學位後，加入當時尚屬初創、現為國際生物科技巨擘的Regeneron 工作。 1993 年，她毅然離開在業界建立的成功事業，選擇加入創校未久的 科大，成為大學最早一批教學人員之一。 過去30 年來，葉教授躍升為名聞遐邇的神經科學家。其嶄新研究在相關領 域影響深遠，近年更增進了科學界對阿爾茲海默症的認識，成就廣獲國際 認可。她永不言倦，幾乎以一人之力，將分子神經科學確立為科大以至香 港的重點研究範疇，重塑本地科研的策略領域。 香 9 埋首研究之餘，葉教授在科大先後出任多項管理要職，包括生物化學系系 主任、 理學院院長， 以及副校長( 研究及發展)。期間，她制定新的研究方 向、加強大學在大灣區及其他地方的對外合作交流，以及深化與業界及社 會的夥伴關係，有效提升科大在創新、科技及初創方面的影響力。她的付 出和努力，成功為大學推動前沿研究項目及開闢全新合作機會。 葉教授策略性的領導及倡議能力，不但惠及科大與香港，她更積極參與多 個重要委員會及機構，促進高等教育及研究發展，為本地以至國際社會帶 來積極影響。她重視多元共融，鼓勵來自不同背景與文化的人才盡展潛能， 亦熱心啟導後學，培養他們對科學的興趣，同時致力開拓女性在科學界發 展的機會。 葉教授勤於研究工作，至今已累積發表328 篇論文，並擁有多達70 項專利， 成就斐然。她獲獎無數，當中不少屬有關領域的最高榮譽，例如歐萊雅聯 合國教科文組織「世界傑出女科學家成就獎」、 國家自然科學獎， 以及《自 然》科學雜誌「十大中國科學之星」。另外， 她亦獲六所中外學院選為院士， 包括中國科學院、美國國家科學院，以及美國人文與科學院，進一步印證 其無與倫比的非凡成就。 由此觀之，葉教授實乃科大校長的不二之選。作為傑出領袖，她在科研和 管理的過人才華早已獲各界認同。她不僅人脈廣闊，樂意接受新事物，更 時刻以人為念，積極啟廸同儕和員工盡展所長。她對大學和科大人懷有深 厚感情，一直堅定不移地推動兩者的成長和發展。我深信葉教授將以遠見 卓識和忠誠務實的態度領導大學，並團結科大社群，為它注入動力，在未 來的日子引領大學再闖高峰，為社會作出更大貢獻。 葉玉如校長 就職講辭 在科大的旅程始於30 年前，今天站在這個台上致辭，我深感 榮幸。 我在1993 年加入科大。 當時大學剛成立兩年， 規模小， 沒有很高的知名 度。很多學者或會選擇加入歷史悠久的名牌大學發展，但我看到科大給予 了截然不同的發展機會。科大成立之初已有明確的使命，就是要成為香港 第一所研究型大學，採用前瞻的教學法培養新一代人才，推動香港走向知 識型經濟。在香港土生土長的我，那時看見有機會為這裡的創新科技發展 作出貢獻，實在感到興奮。 回想早年，儘管我們的工作充滿挑戰，但校園充滿活力，全校同仁猶如一 個大家庭。作為一所新院校，我們一眾教研人員共同拼搏，建立科大在研 究和教學的聲譽。我在這種氛圍下積極參與行政工作，在這30 年間出任了 不同職位，對大學行政有了深入的了解。我有幸與多位前輩及領袖包括前 任及現任校董會主席，以及四位前任校長共事，獲益良多。在此，我向他 們表示最摯誠的感謝，他們出色的領導才華，以及無私的奉獻精神，為科 大的發展奠定了堅實的基礎。我也要感謝所有現職或昔日科大同事，全賴 你們的才幹和努力，科大才得以發展成為今天這所世界級學府。 科大在短短 31 年間發展成為享譽全球、充滿活力的學術和研究機構，培育 了多位院士和國際級學者。我們並在校內建立起創業文化，在本港、區內 以至全球建立了廣闊的網絡，與各地政府及業界協作。然而， 我們未敢自 滿，科大必定竭盡所能，繼續在我們的三大核心支柱——教育、研究和知 識轉移方面精益求精。我在任內將會致力延攬更多人才、鼓勵協作、創新， 鞏固大學在創新教學和研究的領導地位，目標是推動科大成為全亞洲最具 創新力的大學。 我深信人才和文化是創新的關鍵。要吸引和挽留世界一流的人才，我們必 須保持充滿活力的校園氛圍，讓每個人發揮所長。我的首要任務是培養兼 我 容並蓄、互信包容的文化，鼓勵我們的師生、職員多交流，多協作，希望 大家通過積極參與，讓每一位科大成員感受到他們是這裡的主人翁，培養 對大學更大的歸屬感和信任感。憑著合適的人才和文化，我們將會激發更 多創意，發揮影響力，推進大學更上一層樓。 另一方面，我們對人情世事有所認識，才能開發出真正滿足社會需求的創 新產品。因此科大必須推廣人文教育，培育同理心和關愛精神。我們對創 新學科與人文學科同樣重視，這除了是我們的優勝之處，更重要的是要將 人文關懷延伸到校園之外，無論我們的教員去到哪裡工作，或是畢業生投 身社會哪個崗位，各人都可以運用他們在科大獲得的知識、技能和人脈， 在各個機構或社群發揮所長，以他們的睿智貢獻社會。 自成立以來，科大一直走在創新的前沿。我們是香港首間把創業視為重點 發展方向的大學，一直致力於有關創業的教學、培訓和各種支援，而我們 的努力已經獲得豐碩的成果 。迄今科大已培育了逾1,600 間初創企業，當 中包括9 間獨角獸和7 間上市公司，我相信未來的數目必定會陸續增加。 我們必須繼續保持這種「凡事皆可為」的精神，並鼓勵師生在研究和教學 上大膽前進、推動創新。我們還要擴充技術轉移的渠道，使研究成果得以 轉化落地，讓社會大眾更容易接觸及採用我們的發明。 作為世界級的研究型大學，創新對我們至關重要，我們務必發揮領導角色， 為日益複雜的世界帶來積極改變。這有賴於更緊密的跨學科合作，為各種 問題提供以人為本的嶄新解決方案，以應對全球人口老齡化、流行病和氣 候危機等等迫在眉睫的挑戰。為此我們必須與國際知名機構、各地政府以 及社會各界建立更深層次的互惠合作關係。 早前港科大（廣州）開校，加強了我們與大灣區的連繫，亦標誌著科大新 的發展篇章。港科大（廣州）將會與清水灣校園優勢互補，將我們對高等 教育的願景、國際視野和世界頂尖課程推廣到內地。新校園亦會為科大社 11 群開闢更多機會，提供新的協作平台，深化我們在大灣區的融合和參與度， 促進更高層次的合作。我們將會在開創跨學科研究方面更顯優勢，藉以應 對全球挑戰，並將我們的教育、研究、知識轉移和創業的努力提升至更高 層次。 三十一年前，科大才剛剛成立。今天，它已是一間生機盎然、人才匯萃的 學府，無論在求知探新、 作育英才，以至服務社會各方面，均卓有成就。 我很榮幸見證了科大這段非凡的成長過程，並參與其中，為大學貢獻。我 期待與整個科大社群一起，繼續攜手創造更優異的成績。我將會全力以赴， 讓大學繼續高舉創新之火，建設和諧協作的社群，讓每位成員都能發揮和 超越潛能。讓我們秉承科大的精神和文化，共同努力開闢卓越新境界。