ASTRI CEO to serve on IEEE Board

Dec. 30, 2009 - PRLog -- Dr Cheung Nim-kwan, Chief Executive Officer of Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute (ASTRI), has recently been elected to the Board of Directors by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). His two-year Board membership will commence on 1 January 2010.

Dr Cheung is the only person from Hong Kong to be represented on the current IEEE Board. A specialist in communication technologies, Dr Cheung is Fellow of IEEE and was President of the international IEEE Communications Society, a professional society of the Institute, in 2006 and 2007.

On 1 December, Dr Cheung was presented with the IEEE Communications Society Donald W. McLellan Meritorious Service Award during the IEEE Global Communications Conference, Exhibition & Industry Forum 2009 held in Honolulu, Hawaii for his sustained service and outstanding leadership in enhancing the Communications Society's operations and visibility.

“It is indeed my honour to be given the Award and a great privilege to be able to serve the Institute in the new role. I will contribute my knowledge, experience and business connection to this world-renowned institution,” Dr Cheung said.

IEEE is the world's leading professional association for the advancement of technology. Through its global membership, IEEE has become a leading authority on areas ranging from aerospace systems, computers and telecommunications to biomedical engineering, electric power and consumer electronics, among others. It now has more than 375,000 members in more than 160 countries.

At home, Dr Cheung was awarded Distinguished Alumni for Faculty of Science 70th Anniversary by the Hong Kong University (HKU) at the Faculty’s anniversary dinner on 15 November in recognition of his outstanding achievements in scientific research and significant contributions made to the community. He received his B.Sc (General) and B.Sc (Special) degrees, both with First Class Honours, in 1969 and 1970 respectively from HKU before he embarked on further studies in the US.

Earlier on, Dr Cheung was also appointed Member of the Research Grants Council (RGC) by the University Grants Committee (UGC) of Hong Kong. Starting 1 July this year, he has been offering expert advice to the Council on the needs of Hong Kong's higher education institutions in the field of academic research and for the distribution of funding for research projects undertaken by academics of those UGC-funded institutions. His Membership with RGC will last until 30 June 2011.

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The Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute (ASTRI) was founded by the Government of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in 2000 to enhance technological advances for Hong Kong through applied research. In 2006, ASTRI was designated the Hong Kong Research and Development Centre for Information and Communications Technologies by the Innovation and Technology Commission to perform leading-edge R&D for technology transfer to industry, develop technological human resources and act as a focal point bringing together industry and university R&D assets. During the past years, ASTRI has been conducting a spectrum of world-class and customer-focused R&D, and has built teams of excellent researchers, produced a volume of intellectual properties and created real economic impact by transferring technologies to its clients in Hong Kong, the Mainland and the region. For more information about ASTRI, please visit www.astri.org.