CityUHK to confer honorary doctorates on three distinguished persons
City University of Hong Kong (CityUHK) will confer honorary doctoral degrees on three distinguished individuals in recognition of their significant contributions to education and societal well-being. The recipients, Mr Lester G. Huang, Professor Anna Fontcuberta and Professor Hesheng Chen, will receive their awards at the Honorary Awards Ceremony on 30 October.
Mr Lester G. Huang, Co-Chairman and Partner of P. C. Woo & Co., will receive an Honorary Doctor of Laws.
A practising solicitor with over 40 years of experience, Mr Huang holds a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Hong Kong, and a Master of Education from Chinese University of Hong Kong.
Taking a particular interest in issues concerning young people, Mr Huang has served in the Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups, the Dragon Foundation and La Salle College. He was appointed as the Council Chairman of CityUHK from 2018 to 2024. Prior to that, he was a Council Member of the University of Hong Kong and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.
Mr Huang has a strong commitment to public service, having served on a wide array of government boards and committees, including the Securities and Futures Commission, the Urban Renewal Authority, the Hospital Authority, the Examinations and Assessment Authority, the Transport Advisory Committee, the Monetary Authority’s Exchange Fund and the Mortgage Corporation, and the Public Service Commission, the Education Commission and the Social Welfare Advisory Committee. Mr Huang is currently the Deputy Chairman of the Hong Kong Jockey Club and of the Board of Trustees of its Charities Trust.
Professor Anna Fontcuberta, President of EPFL (École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne), Switzerland, will receive an Honorary Doctor of Science.
Professor Fontcuberta earned her Bachelor’s degree in physics at the University of Barcelona, followed by a doctorate from the École Polytechnique in France, and a postdoc fellowship at CalTech, and a Habilitation at the TUM Walter Schottky Institute in Germany.
A renowned materials scientist and researcher, Professor Fontcuberta has established her semiconductor laboratory a world leader in sustainable nanotechnologies. She co-founded Aonex Technologies, a startup that developed substrates for LEDs and solar cells.
Since joining EPFL’s Institute of Materials Science in 2008, Professor Fontcuberta was appointed president in 2025 and leads the Laboratory of Semiconductor Materials, an esteemed research group in nanotechnology and the development of sustainable semiconductor materials. She has received several awards for her achievements in materials science and engineering, including a teaching award from the Faculty of Engineering Sciences and Techniques at EPFL, the Marie Curie Excellence Grant in 2005, the Starting Grant from the European Research Council in 2009, the Back-up schemes Consolidator Grant from the Swiss National Science Foundation, and the Emmy Noether Prize from the European Physical Society in 2015.
Professor Hesheng Chen, Senior Fellow of Hong Kong Institute for Advanced Study at CityUHK and Member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), will receive an Honorary Doctor of Science.
Professor Chen graduated from Peking University with a major in nuclear physics and earned his PhD in physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
A renowned particle physicist, Professor Chen has made significant contributions to various major international physics research projects, including the Mark-J experiment at the Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron in Germany and the L3 experiment at the European Organization for Nuclear Research. He led the upgrade project of the Beijing Electron Positron Collider, advancing China’s research in charm physics. In addition, he spearheaded the construction of the permanent magnet system of the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, the first large magnet to enter space, in Beijing. Both projects were honoured by the National Science and Technology Progress Award. He also led the construction of the China Spallation Neutron Source, which is the first pulsed neutron source in the country and the fourth in the world. Professor Chen’s achievements have earned him numerous prestigious honours, including the CAS Outstanding Achievement Award and the Helmholtz International Fellow Award.
Professor Chen is dedicated to advancing neutron scattering development in Hong Kong. He currently serves as co-director of the Joint Laboratory on Neutron Scattering, established by CityUHK and the CAS, the only laboratory in Hong Kong for research into neutron scattering.
Media enquiries:
Venus Doon, Communications and Institutional Research Office, CityUHK (Tel: 3442 6377)
Mr Lester G. Huang, Co-Chairman and Partner of P. C. Woo & Co., will receive an Honorary Doctor of Laws.
A practising solicitor with over 40 years of experience, Mr Huang holds a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Hong Kong, and a Master of Education from Chinese University of Hong Kong.
Taking a particular interest in issues concerning young people, Mr Huang has served in the Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups, the Dragon Foundation and La Salle College. He was appointed as the Council Chairman of CityUHK from 2018 to 2024. Prior to that, he was a Council Member of the University of Hong Kong and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.
Mr Huang has a strong commitment to public service, having served on a wide array of government boards and committees, including the Securities and Futures Commission, the Urban Renewal Authority, the Hospital Authority, the Examinations and Assessment Authority, the Transport Advisory Committee, the Monetary Authority’s Exchange Fund and the Mortgage Corporation, and the Public Service Commission, the Education Commission and the Social Welfare Advisory Committee. Mr Huang is currently the Deputy Chairman of the Hong Kong Jockey Club and of the Board of Trustees of its Charities Trust.
Professor Anna Fontcuberta, President of EPFL (École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne), Switzerland, will receive an Honorary Doctor of Science.
Professor Fontcuberta earned her Bachelor’s degree in physics at the University of Barcelona, followed by a doctorate from the École Polytechnique in France, and a postdoc fellowship at CalTech, and a Habilitation at the TUM Walter Schottky Institute in Germany.
A renowned materials scientist and researcher, Professor Fontcuberta has established her semiconductor laboratory a world leader in sustainable nanotechnologies. She co-founded Aonex Technologies, a startup that developed substrates for LEDs and solar cells.
Since joining EPFL’s Institute of Materials Science in 2008, Professor Fontcuberta was appointed president in 2025 and leads the Laboratory of Semiconductor Materials, an esteemed research group in nanotechnology and the development of sustainable semiconductor materials. She has received several awards for her achievements in materials science and engineering, including a teaching award from the Faculty of Engineering Sciences and Techniques at EPFL, the Marie Curie Excellence Grant in 2005, the Starting Grant from the European Research Council in 2009, the Back-up schemes Consolidator Grant from the Swiss National Science Foundation, and the Emmy Noether Prize from the European Physical Society in 2015.
Professor Hesheng Chen, Senior Fellow of Hong Kong Institute for Advanced Study at CityUHK and Member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), will receive an Honorary Doctor of Science.
Professor Chen graduated from Peking University with a major in nuclear physics and earned his PhD in physics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
A renowned particle physicist, Professor Chen has made significant contributions to various major international physics research projects, including the Mark-J experiment at the Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron in Germany and the L3 experiment at the European Organization for Nuclear Research. He led the upgrade project of the Beijing Electron Positron Collider, advancing China’s research in charm physics. In addition, he spearheaded the construction of the permanent magnet system of the Alpha Magnetic Spectrometer, the first large magnet to enter space, in Beijing. Both projects were honoured by the National Science and Technology Progress Award. He also led the construction of the China Spallation Neutron Source, which is the first pulsed neutron source in the country and the fourth in the world. Professor Chen’s achievements have earned him numerous prestigious honours, including the CAS Outstanding Achievement Award and the Helmholtz International Fellow Award.
Professor Chen is dedicated to advancing neutron scattering development in Hong Kong. He currently serves as co-director of the Joint Laboratory on Neutron Scattering, established by CityUHK and the CAS, the only laboratory in Hong Kong for research into neutron scattering.
Media enquiries:
Venus Doon, Communications and Institutional Research Office, CityUHK (Tel: 3442 6377)