OREANDA-NEWS. December 04, 2013. Professor Ching W. Tang has been officially appointed as the first holder of the Institute for Advanced Study (“IAS”) Bank of East Asia Professorship (“the Chair”) at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (“HKUST”) during a naming ceremony.

The Chair has an endowment of HKD30 million, which has been created from donations by BEA and grants received from the Hong Kong Government. These funds will support Professor Tang’s ongoing academic and research activities at the University.

A native of Hong Kong, Professor Tang previously served as the Doris Johns Cherry Professor of Chemical Engineering and Professor of Chemistry at the University of Rochester in New York. In addition to being the first Chinese Wolf Prize Laureate in Chemistry, Professor Tang is
widely regarded as the “father of the OLED” (Organic Light Emitting Diodes), which is the technology used in electronics display applications ranging from mobile phones to large-area high-definition television screens.

Professor Tang’s work is in line with the spirit of the Chair, as it holds commercial promise. “I am truly honoured to be appointed to the IAS Bank of East Asia Professorship at HKUST, and to have the opportunity to continue my research here in my home town,” said Professor Tang. “I hope to inspire future generations of researchers, and to further build Hong Kong’s reputation as a centre of innovation and discovery.”

“At BEA, we recognise the importance of advanced research, and have supported the development of IAS at HKUST since its inception. We are deeply honoured that Professor Tang has accepted the IAS Bank of East Asia Professorship, and we take great please in congratulating him on joining the Faculty of IAS,” said Dr David K.P. Li, Chairman & Chief Executive of BEA.

Throughout its 95-year history, BEA has supported a wide range of educational initiatives in Hong Kong. In 2009, the Bank established The Bank of East Asia Charitable Foundation, which manages a scholarship programme for students of tertiary institutions in Hong Kong. In addition,
BEA has supported a number of educational activities including the Parent-Child Reading Programme, which was launched in September 2013. For more information, please refer to the Bank’s homepage at www.hkbea.com (Corporate Information / Corporate Social Responsibility).