The BUddy Post – HKBU Alumni Affairs Office

As the society is stepping into the digital era, the demand for talents with technological background is paramount. Professor Martin Wong, the newly appointed Provost of HKBU who is also a computer scientist, holds the view that humanities play a vital role in a technological society alongside science and technology. He emphasises the importance of nurturing talents with training in both technology and humanities, which he considers as one of his priorities in the capacity of Provost.

Challenges Pave the Way to Future Success

After completing his Form 5 studies in Hong Kong, Professor Wong continued his studies in Canada. He joined a nationwide Mathematics competition for high school students in Canada and earned the fourth place. He was then driven by his innate enthusiasm and the sense of recognition to focus his studies on the subject. After receiving a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics at the University of Toronto, he furthered his studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) where he obtained a master’s degree in Mathematics and a PhD in Computer Science. While his road to a promising academic career seemed to be hassle-free, Professor Wong shared the story behind, “Since I switched my area from Mathematics to Computer Science, it actually took me longer than my peers to complete my PhD. I experienced the change of several supervisors until I found my research interests. Although I went through challenging times during the PhD studies, I felt like I was mature enough that I was able to identify potential problems and tackle them on my own.” The hardships during his PhD studies prepared Professor Wong well for establishing his academic career in the US, including the University of Texas and UIUC. After spending over 30 years in the US, Professor Wong returned to his hometown in 2019 and assumed the role of Dean of the Faculty of Engineering at The Chinese University of Hong Kong. His career was further brought to the next level as he joined HKBU as Provost in August 2023.

Humanities for the Future of Technology

Professor Wong enjoys the working environment of HKBU, especially a friendly and trustworthy team he has been collaborating with. Despite being a Computer Science-trained scholar, he regards humanities as a significant trait for talents of future society. He explained, “Since our society is becoming more and more technologically advanced, technology will be applied commonly in our daily lives. It is therefore crucial for human beings to make proper use of technology to cater the needs of ours and facilitate our work and daily lives. What’s more important is the formulation of policies for ensuring the use of technology ethically. Subsequently, humanities is the key to complement the proper application of technology.” In this connection, Professor Wong mentioned that HKBU is in an advantageous position as it emphasises whole person education, so students are well trained to embrace humanistic qualities. He believed it is important to enhance training for HKBU students on the know-how of technology, such that students would be equipped with the essential knowledge in both humanities and technology so as to contribute to the future society.

Strengthening the Core Values

Starting his career as a scholar in research and teaching, Professor Wong transited gradually to administration positions in higher education. He frankly said that he did enjoy both types of work indeed. A world-renowned scholar in the area of electronic design automation (EDA), he immersed himself in research to fulfil his pursuit of knowledge and discovery in the field, which was comparatively more individualistic; in contrast, he has to view and think from a more macroscopic perspective in the capacity of senior leadership roles in universities. He compared the nature of the two types of work using an analogy, “Conducting research and teaching are like musicians in an orchestra who concentrate on playing their respective parts, while taking up a senior management position is like the conductor who directs and coordinates every part of the orchestra to play their part well in a good harmony.” As one of the major conductors, Professor Wong is of the view that HKBU should strengthen its brand values, as the University has built good reputation and heritage on several aspects including Communication, Chinese Medicine, Creative Arts and the integration between Computer Science and Arts. HKBU’s core competencies should be amplified by modernising the disciplines so as to keep up with the times. Moreover, he regards talents as an important asset of the University; besides students and staff, alumni can also contribute to the development of the University by providing their networks in their respected areas and offering learning opportunities to students like guest lectures and internships.

Strive Hard for Yourself

Currently focusing on administrative work, Professor Wong still participates in research related to EDA, though to a lesser extent than before. He has already published over 500 technical papers at top EDA journals and conferences, which is really impressive. His momentum on research was driven by his innate curiosity in the area. As he elaborated his scientific work, one could feel his joy and passion from within. Specialising in the physical design of silicon chips (to design the layout of how transistors were connected in a chip), he enthusiastically shared that a chip in the size of a fingernail could consist of 100 billion transistors, which was even more than the world population of 8 billion. The sophistication of the design in question was totally beyond one’s imagination, and it could easily be told that Professor Wong was fascinated by his own scope of work with the smile and excitement shown on his face when he shared his scientific findings and discoveries. On his advice to students/young alumni, he indicated that interest should always be in the top priority: “Follow your heart to pursue what you really love, such that you will be genuinely motivated by your passion and will strive hard endlessly to reach your goal, especially for those who aspire to become scientists. It is important for you to work for the sake of your own, rather than the organisation you serve.”