In 2005, the University celebrated the inauguration of the first 8 Endowed Professorships,
a milestone in the University's history.
To date, a total of 120 Endowed Professorships have been established.
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Dr Wilson Wong and Dr Philip Wong

Philip Wong Wilson Wong Professorship in Chemistry and Energy

"Chemistry is fundamental to our lives. Advances in chemistry have revolutionised the way we live and how long we live. The study of the intricate relationship between chemistry and energy will enable more efficient use of energy and transform the ways we can achieve environmental and social sustainability." 

Dr Wilson Wong and Dr Philip Wong

Vivian W W Yam

Vivian W W Yam

Appointed in 2010

The Department of Chemistry is recognised globally as a world-class centre for research and quality teaching. The Department was ranked the top facility of its kind in Hong Kong for seven consecutive years and has won numerous prestigious awards for its scientific achievements. In addition to traditional research programmes of analytical, inorganic, organic and physical chemistry, the Department is also engaged in applications and interdisciplinary studies culminating in active research in materials science, chemical biology, sensors research and environmental science amongst other fields.

Professor Vivian Yam is currently Chair Professor of Chemistry. Professor Yam obtained her Bachelor and PhD degrees from The University of Hong Kong in 1985 and 1988 respectively. She then joined the Department of Chemistry in 1990 as a lecturer, rising through the academic ranks to be appointed Chair Professor in 1999.

Her main area of research is in inorganic / organometallic syntheses and photochemistry related to luminescence and solar energy conversion. The major focus is on the molecular design and synthesis of novel inorganic and organometallic metal complexes that may find potential applications as functional metal-based molecular materials. Professor Yam’s seminal works on luminescent polynuclear metal complexes and clusters, and light-emitting carbon-rich organometallics have gained her international recognition.

She was elected a Member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2001 at the age of 38 as the youngest member of the Academy, and a Fellow of TWAS, the Academy of Sciences for the Developing World in 2006. She was the first Chinese scientist to be honoured with the RSC Centenary Lectureship and Medal for 2005-06.

Among her many awards, Professor Yam has won the 2005 State Natural Science Award, 2008 Hong Kong Outstanding Women Professionals and Women Entrepreneurs Award, the Hong Kong Fulbright Distinguished Scholar in 2007, the 2002 Ten Outstanding Young Persons of Hong Kong, the Croucher Senior Research Fellowship in 2000, the Japanese Photochemistry Association Lectureship Award for Asian and Oceanian Photochemist (Eikohsha Award) in 2006, and received the HKU Distinguished Research Achievement Award for 2006-07.

She currently serves as the Associate Editor of the international SCI journal, Inorganic Chemistry, which is the top journal in the field of Inorganic Chemistry published by the American Chemical Society. She is the first Asian inorganic chemist, as well as the first inorganic chemist outside the United States, to be invited to serve as Associate Editor of the journal since its first publication in 1962.

Her work has attracted widespread interest and has led to a cover story in Chemical and Engineering News, the official magazine of the American Chemical Society, and numerous invitations to deliver plenary and keynote lectures at international conferences.

Professor Yam has published over 275 journal articles in international SCI journals. A number of her works have been highlighted in Chemical & Engineering News, Science, and as cover pages in leading international journals. According to the ISI Essential Science Indicators and Web of Science, she is listed among the top 1% most cited scientists.