Through global recruitment and a rigorous selection process, the University of Macau (UM) has decided to appoint Prof Ge Wei, an expert in reproductive biology, as its vice rector (research), and the historian Prof Billy So as its vice rector (student affairs), for a five-year term and a three-year term, respectively. Both of them will assume office on 18 February.
With over 20 years of experience in research, teaching, and university administration and management, as well as outstanding achievements in reproductive endocrinology, particularly in comparative endocrinology, Prof Ge Wei is a recognised leader in the field. Prof Ge joined UM in 2013 as a chair professor and interim dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences, and was later promoted to associate dean of the same faculty. Currently he is the head of the Centre of Reproduction, Development and Aging, and interim dean of the Graduate School at UM. Prof Ge has organised or chaired many international academic conferences, through which he has garnered a wealth of experience in organising large-scale events. Prior to joining UM, Prof Ge was a professor in the School of Life Sciences at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, where he founded the Cell and Molecular Biology Programme and served as the first programme director. UM is confident that Prof Ge will draw on his rich experience in teaching, research and administration to enhance the quality of the university’s research and its international reputation.
Prof Billy So specialises in Chinese legal and business history in global perspective, with rich experience in university administration and student affairs. Prior to joining UM, Prof So held various senior positions at several universities in Hong Kong, including chair professor of humanities and head of the Division of Humanities at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology; chair professor of history, associate pro-vice-chancellor, registrar, director of the Centre for East Asian Studies, and chairman of the Department of History at the Chinese University of Hong Kong; and dean of students at Hong Kong Shue Yan University. Through these positions, Prof So has accumulated more than 30 years of experience in teaching and research. Prof So has published extensively in leading international journals. He is the author or co-author of five books, including Prosperity, Region, and Institutions in Maritime China: The South Fukien Pattern, 946-1368 and Studies in the Legal History of Tang and Song China. He is also the editor or co-editor of seven books. Prof So is committed to promoting the globalisation of higher education. He was a visiting scholar at Toyo Bunko, Fudan University, the University of Oxford, the University of Cambridge, and Harvard University. He is currently a member of the Research Grants Council and a non-official member of the Advisory Committee on Built Heritage Conservation in Hong Kong. UM is confident that Prof So will further enrich students’ life on campus as part of the whole-person education and assist the university in the implementation of the ‘4-in-1’ model of education.
