Bulletin Winter 1999

Profiles Professor Geo r ge J. F a n Administrative Dean of the Engineering Pro gramme and Professor of Information Engineering The U n i v e r s i ty has appointed Dr. George J. Fan, who is now on sabbatical from I BM to take up thisappointment, as administrative dean of engineering and professor of information engineering effective 21st September, 1989. Professor Fan is entrusted to guide the development of engineering studies and research at the University. An outstanding scientist and administrator, Professor Fan received his bachelor and master degrees in electrical engineering f r om Stanford University in the 1950s and his doctorate in applied physics from New York University in 1963. His broad research interests include magnetic recording, magnetics, magneto-optics, optics, optical storage, inkjets, telecommunications, storage subsystems, microcomputers and workstations. He was the first to conduct research on solid-state lasers as transducer for optical storage in the late sixties when others were still using bulky gas lasers for this application. He also pioneered in gas panel, inkjet, fibre-optric, as well as thermoprinter and matrix-printer technologies in the seventies. He holds 21 patents and has authored or coauthored more than 30 patent/technical publi- cations. Professor Fan was director of nume r i cal intensive computing (NIC) project office with I BM before j o i n i ng the University. In that capacity, Professor Fan works with senior executives at I BM on plans to develop the NIC area, which covers super- computer, minisuper, supermini, advanced work- station, and PC. Prior to that Professor Fan was engaged in research work at the I BM Thomas Watson Research Center for nearly 20 years. His executive assignment during that period included heading the research planning organization for worldwide I BM research laboratories, and overseeing technical and financial plans for laboratories in Yorktown Heights, San Jose, Zurich, and Tokyo. He also served as director of microsystem at I BM, when he was responsible for the most advanced microprocessor work and design system and tools. Apart from being a distinguished scientist and research administrator, Professor Fan is also well- known as a patron of the arts and connoisseur in oriental pottery and porcelain. He was elected Fellow for Life of the Metropolitan Museum of Arts, New York, in 1981. Professor S.-Y. R o b e rt L i Professor of Information Engineering Professor L i was raised in Taiwan. He majored in mathematics at National Ta i wan University and received his BS degree in 1970. After a year of compulsory military ser- vice on his native island, he enrolled in the gradu- ate school of the University of California, Berkeley. There he held a University Fellowship and, at one time, also worked as a research associate at the Electronics Research Laboratory. In 1974, he received the Ph.D. degree. Subsequently, he was an instructor in applied mathematics at Massachusetts Institute of Technology until 1976 and an associate professor of mathematics, statistics, and computer science at the University of Illinois, Chicago, until 1981. During a leave from teaching in 1979 ， he joined the Be ll Telephone Laboratories as a member of the technical staff. After the divesture of the American Telephone and Telegraph Company in 1984, he became a research member of Bell Communications Research. On 1st 19