Professor Way Kuo, President-designate of City University of Hong Kong (CityU), was elected a Foreign Member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE). The election recognises Professor Kuo’s “contribution to the field of reliability design for microelectronics products and system,” according to President Xu Kuangdi of CAE.

Professor Kuo is one of the three Foreign Members on CAE’s 2007 new members’ list announced on 29 December 2007. A membership in the Chinese Academy of Engineering is the highest academic title in engineering science and technology in China. He is also an elected member of US National Academy of Engineering, International Academy for Quality, and Academia Sinica in Taiwan.

The Chinese Academy of Engineering, established in 1994, is the most prestigious and authoritative advisory institution in China’s engineering science and technology fields. CAE elects new members every two years. Scholars and specialists with foreign citizenship who have made significant contributions to the cause of engineering and technology of China and enjoyed high academic standing internationally can be nominated and elected as Foreign Members. Currently, CAE has a total of 721 Members with six from Hong Kong and 34 world-wide Foreign Members.

“Professor Kuo’s election to the academy is a great honour for CityU as Professor Kuo, an internationally-recognized professional and academic, will lead our university to meet new challenges and scale new heights in the next five to 10 years,” said Professor Richard Ho Yan-ki, Acting President.

Professor Kuo said he is looking forward to joining CityU. He also expects to join the efforts of others in making contributions to research and the education of higher learning.

Professor Kuo is renowned for his work in designing and modeling reliability for electronics systems and products. He holds honorary (honorary chair) professorship at Tsinghua University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Xian Jiaotong University, Central South University, Beijing Aerospace and Aeronautics University, National Tsing-Hua University, National Taiwan University, and National Chiao-Tung University.

Professor Kuo, who will assume duty of CityU’s Presidency in 2008, is University Distinguished Professor and Dean of Engineering at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, US. Professor Kuo received his BS degree in Nuclear Engineering from National Tsing-Hua University in Taiwan in 1972. He received his PhD degree in Industrial Engineering in 1980 from Kansas State University.