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| UM Rector Prof. Wei Zhao |
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| Prof. Philip Chen |
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| Prof.Montgomery |
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| Prof. Yang Yi |
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| Prof. Jacky So |
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| William H.Mobley |
The quality of the teaching staff underpins the development of a university. This is true for all universities and the University of Macau (UM) is no exception. To enhance the overall teaching and research quality and thereby realize the goal of becoming a world-class university, UM has been stepping up effort in recent years to obtain excellent professors through international recruitment, which, combined with the innovative management mode and a series of initiatives aimed at enhancing the research quality, has yielded impressive results.
Research achievements
In recent years UM has been stepping up efforts to obtain high-level teaching staff members, especially chair professors, through international recruitment. Chair Professor is the highest professional rank a professor can achieve. Only distinguished individuals with world renown in either the academic or research field will be considered for this position. So far UM has obtained through international recruitment eight chair professors, including UM Rector Prof. Wei Zhao. Prof. Wei Zhao is a world-renowned expert on computer and information sciences. Lately a major research project on the Internet of Things headed by him in the capacity as the project’s chief scientist was approved by the Ministry of Science and Technology of the People’s Republic of China as a project under the “973 Programme” (“973 Programme” is otherwise known as the “National Key Fundamental Research Development Programme”. It was launched by the Chinese government in March 1997, hence the name “973”) . Besides, He has been elected Deputy Editor of Science China: Information Sciences, one of the most influential academic journals in China, reflecting widespread recognition of his academic status.
Prof. Philip Chen, dean of the Faculty of Science and Technology (FST) at UM and an expert on computational intelligent systems, is another chair professor obtained by UM through international recruitment. Not long after he took office as the dean of UM’s FST, he was elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) for his academic accomplishments and contributions in the field of engineering science. Recently he was elected President of the IEEE (The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) Systems, Man and Cybernetics (SMC) Society, becoming the first scholar from Macao to have ever been elected to this position. Before joining UM, Prof. Chen was the associate dean of the College of Engineering at the University of Texas at San Antonio, a visiting research scientist at the Materials Directorate, US Air Force Wright Lab, and a research faculty fellow at NASA Glenn Research Center. In 2008 he received the “Outstanding Contribution Award” from the IEEE SMC Society.
UM Vice Rector (Research) Prof. Rui Martins enjoys world renown for his outstanding achievements in microelectronics research. In July 2010, he was unanimously elected Corresponding Member of the Portuguese Academy of Sciences, in the class of Sciences, 7th section of Engineering Science and other Applied Sciences. This title is equivalent in rank to Member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Currently the Portuguese Academy of Sciences only has 11 corresponding members in that class, and Prof. Martins is the only national member (Portuguese) in Asia. Prof. Martins has served as the vice rector of UM in charge of the research area for 13 years now. He has established a laboratory in microelectronics, and has gained international recognition for his numerous research achievements.
The home-grown Prof. U Seng Pan is another core member of UM’s microelectronics research team. Recently he was awarded the Prize for Scientific and Technological Innovation 2010 of The Ho Leung Ho Lee Foundation, becoming the first scholar from Macao to have ever won this prize. The prize aims to reward outstanding individuals who have attained remarkable achievements in science and technology, have created businesses or famous brands with proprietary intellectual property through technology and management innovation, and thus have created enormous economic and social benefits for society.
Prof. Wang Yitao, director of UM’s Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences (ICMS), now serves as a chief researcher at China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences. He participated in the establishment of China’s first state key discipline in Chinese medicine, the first post-doctoral research centre in Chinese medicine, the first state Chinese medicine specialists training centre, and the first cooperation centre of the World Health Organization (WHO) in traditional medicine (Chinese medicine). He has led more than 20 projects, including a key project funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, a project under the “973 Programme”, and a major project under the “National Technology R&D Programme”. In 1999 he was appointed by the Ministry of Science and Technology of the People’s Republic of China as one of the two chief scientists for the first Chinese medicine project under the “973 Programme”.
Prof. Iu Vai Pan of FST is a specialist in structural mechanics. He is the first scholar from Macao to be appointed Fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers. Prof. Iu used to serve as the associate dean and dean of FST, as well as rector of UM. In 2008 he received the Medal of Excellent Service with Public Service from the Macao SAR government. Prof. Iu also plays an important role in the pilot residential college programme launched by UM in this academic year. He was appointed head of the East Asia College.
Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities
As a modern, comprehensive university, UM adheres to the principle of “placing equal emphasis on natural sciences and the humanities”. It is committed to providing a liberating, enriching academic environment so as to attract top scholars of humanities from around the world to conduct study and research at UM.
Prof. Hao Yufan is a professor of politics and the dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities (FSH) at UM. He used to serve as McArthur Fellow at Harvard University Center for International Affairs, and a professor of political science at Colgate University in the United States. In recent years he invited a group of elite academics in Macao to complete the editing of the first blue book on Macao, Blue Book of Macao: Annual Report on Economy and Society of Macao, showing his deep awareness that in addition to teaching and research, a university academic also has social responsibilities to fulfill. Recently, he wrote an article in which he proposed that China should “change its passive stance in diplomatic affairs by devising a Grand Strategy”, attracting widespread attention and sparking heated discussion on the Internet.
Prof. Martin Montgomery, head of the Department of English, FSH, is another chair professor at UM. Prof. Montgomery is an internationally recognized expert on linguistics, media studies, and cultural studies. His book Introduction to Language and Society is a core textbook in sociolinguistics. His latest book The Discourse of Broadcast News was short-listed for the British Association of Applied Linguistics (BAAL) 2008 book prize.
Prof. Yang Yi of the Department of Chinese, FSH, is another chair professor at UM. Prof. Yang is the “master of the history of novels and literature”, one of China’s best literary historians in the 20th century, and a recognized expert on Chinese literature. He has published, both at home and abroad, more than 30 kinds of works containing more than six million words. He has attained impressive achievements in various fields, from modern literature to classical literature, from narratology to poetry studies. He has been invited to give lectures at numerous universities in the United Kingdom, the United States, France, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and mainland China.
Prof. Tang Kaijian of the Department of History is dedicated to the study of the history of Macao, the history of Christianity in China, the history of the cultural exchange between China and western countries, the history of Western Xia, and the history of frontier minority groups in China. He received 12 academic prizes in social sciences at regional and national levels. In 2009 he received the Knighthood in the Order of Academic in Palms from the Ministry of Education of France in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the study of French history and literature.
Faculty of Business Administration
Prof. Simon Ho, UM’s Vice Rector (Academic Affairs), is a world-renowned expert on corporate governance. He joined UM in 2008. His works on corporate governance, ownership and family control in the region have received widespread attention and numerous awards. In recognition of his contributions to corporate governance and corporate social responsibility, he was awarded the 2008 Faculty Pioneer Award, (described as Oscar of the business school world by the Financial Times), by the Aspen Institute, USA. Further, he was elected as one of the 100 Most Influential People in Business Ethics 2008 by Ethisphere, one of the world's most recognized bodies in business ethics and anti-corruption.
Prof. Jacky So took up office as the dean of the Faculty of Business Administration (FBA) at UM on 1 January 2010. Prof. So is a chair professor at UM and a council member of the Asian Finance Association. He is an outstanding expert and renowned scholar in finance with over 21 years of academic and administrative experience. He has conducted thorough research in such subjects as “non-normal distribution” and “business cycle”. More than ten years ago he published influential papers on Renminbi’s ability to appreciate, which is now a red-hot topic.
Prof. William H. Mobley of FBA is another chair professor at UM. He is Professor Emeritus of China Europe International Business School (CEIBS) and President Emeritus of Texas A&M University. He used to serve as the dean of the Mays Business School, system chair and president of the Texas A&M University. He taught at numerous universities, including the Carnegie Mellon University, the University of South Carolina, National Taiwan University, and Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. His research interests include leadership development, the art of cross-cultural leadership, staff turnover rate, strategic human resource management, organizational culture, etc. In addition to teaching and research, he also worked as a consultant for many transnational companies. Prof. Mobley’s joining UM will substantially improve UM’s teaching and research in the field.
Recruit scholars internationally, adhere to research innovation, promote society’s progress in various fields
The fact that UM teachers and students have received numerous prizes and honours at the international level in recent years is a reflection of the success of UM’s effort in internationalization and research innovation. UM Rector Wei Zhao notes that UM will continue to follow the innovation-based management mode and its long-term objectives. According to Rector Wei Zhao, UM will continue to obtain excellent teaching staff through international recruitment, and will increase funding for research in order to consolidate UM’s strength in teaching and research. Construction of the new UM campus is expected to be completed by the end of 2012. The new campus will allow UM to establish open research bases and offer a better learning environment for students, thereby further improving the quality of teaching and research. While pursuing the goal of becoming a world-class university with excellence in teaching, learning and research, UM will also step up efforts to promote the close cooperation between Macao and the Pan-Pearl River Delta region in various fields, in order to nurture future leaders with international perspectives and contribute to society’s progress in scientific, technological, economic and humanities arenas.
(This article was published in the Macao Daily News at B03 on 11 November, 2010)
