HKBU to confer honorary doctoral degrees upon five distinguished individuals

(From left) Professor Michael Batty, Dr Bernard Charnwut Chan, Ms Yang Yang, Dr Ronnie C Chan and Professor Tan Weihong

Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) will confer honorary doctoral degrees upon five distinguished individuals in recognition of their outstanding professional accomplishments and remarkable contributions to society.

Professor Michael Batty, Dr Bernard Charnwut Chan and Ms Yang Yang will receive the degree of Doctor of Social Sciences, honoris causa; Dr Ronnie C Chan will be bestowed the degree of Doctor of Business Administration, honoris causa; and Professor Tan Weihong will be conferred the degree of Doctor of Science, honoris causa. The Conferment Ceremony is scheduled to take place on November 18,2024.

Professor Michael Batty (Doctor of Social Sciences, honoris causa)

Professor Michael Batty is a pioneer in the advanced research and methodology of mapping and visualising cities using computational methods. He is also an urban designer and town planner who has steadily advanced the transdisciplinary nexus of urban planning, geography and data science.

From 1995 to 2010, Professor Batty was the Founder and Director of the Bartlett Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis at University College London, where he still serves as the Emeritus Bartlett Professor of Planning. He was the Professor of City Planning and Dean of the School of Environmental Design, University of Wales at Cardiff from 1979 to 1990; and Director of the National Center for Geographic Information and Analysis, State University of New York at Buffalo from 1990 to 1995.

Professor Batty’s attainments were widely recognised through multiple awards including being elected Fellow of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2023; a Fellow of the Geographical Society of China in 2022; the Gold Medal from the Royal Town Planning Institute in 2016; the Founder’s Medal from the Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers) in 2015; an Honorary Doctor of Laws from the University of Leicester in 2015; le Prix International de Géographie Vautrin Lud, known as the Nobel Prize for Geography, in 2013; an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from the State University of New York in 2008; a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences and of the British Academy in 2001; and a Fellow of the Royal Society in 2009.

Dr Bernard Charnwut Chan (Doctor of Social Sciences, honoris causa)

Dr Bernard Charnwut Chan is a distinguished leader whose impact spans multiple sectors, including business, governance, the arts, and education. Recognised for his visionary leadership, Dr Chan is instrumental in navigating the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead for Hong Kong.

Dr Chan is the Chairman and President of Asia Financial Holdings, and Chairman of Asia Insurance and the Hong Kong-Thailand Business Council. He is dedicated to enhancing the cultural and social fabric of Hong Kong, and serves as the Chairperson of the Hong Kong Council of Social Service and a Steward of the Hong Kong Jockey Club. He also chairs M Plus Museum Limited and Tai Kwun Culture and Arts Company Limited, and serves as the Vice Chairman of the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority and the Chairman of Our Hong Kong Foundation.

Among the diverse public offices he has held, Dr Chan was as a Hong Kong Deputy to the National People’s Congress of the People’s Republic of China from 2008 to 2023; a Non-Official Member of the Executive Council of the HKSAR from 2004 to 2009 and from 2012 to 2022; the Convenor of the Non-Official Members of the Executive Council of the HKSAR from 2017 to 2022; and a Member of the Legislative Council from 1998 to 2008. Dr Chan’s strong commitment to educating the future generation is revealed by his role as the Lingnan University Council Chairman from 2008 to 2014. He has also been a trustee emeritus of Pomona College, and an active contributor to HKBU’s development and education endeavours over the years.

Ms Yang Yang (Doctor of Social Sciences, honoris causa)

Ms Yang Yang is a veteran short track speed skater of international renown who used sports as a channel for personal, community and societal transformations. After retiring from her sporting career, she dedicated herself to services in international sports organisations as well as public welfare and physical education.

Ms Yang has claimed all the major honours in the skating arena, clinching 59 world championship titles as well as numerous other accolades. She made history in 2002 in Salt Lake City, USA, when she became China’s first-ever Winter Olympics gold medallist. She was elected Member of the International Olympic Committee in 2010 — the first time for a Chinese athlete to assume this prominent role on the global stage. She became the very first female Council Member of the Speed Skating branch of the International Skating Union in 2016, a Global Ambassador for Special Olympics, the first-ever Chinese Vice-President of the World Anti-Doping Agency in 2020, and the Chairperson of the Athletes’ Commission for the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games. In 2024, she was appointed a Goodwill Ambassador of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. 

With the belief that the excellence of athletes serves as a source of inspiration and encouragement to young people who are the future and hope of humanity, Ms Yang established the Champion Foundation, which focuses on youth sports education as well as career development for retired athletes in China. She also founded the Feiyang Skating Centre to promote sports on ice, and took up public service positions in youth development.

Dr Ronnie C Chan (Doctor of Business Administration, honoris causa)

Dr Ronnie C Chan is a highly regarded business leader and visionary philanthropist, renowned for his contributions to Hong Kong, Mainland China and around the world. Driven by his profound love for humanity, Dr Chan is devoted to building cross-cultural bridges between the East and the West through his exemplary leadership and wide range of philanthropic endeavours.

During his tenure as Chair, he spearheaded Hang Lung’s expansion into Mainland China, establishing a commitment to excellence and upholding the highest standards in corporate governance, social responsibility, and sustainable development.

Dr Chan is actively involved in institutions that shape policy discussions and facilitate international and cross-cultural dialogues, including The Better Hong Kong Foundation, the Hong Kong Development Forum, Asia Society, Council on Foreign Relations, the National Committee on United States-China Relations, and the Committee of 100.

Dr Chan is also deeply committed to enriching lives through healthcare, technology, education, and cultural preservation. He co-founded the Morningside Group, which contributes significantly to the development and transfer of technological and medical knowledge. Dr Chan has made transformative gifts to prestigious institutions worldwide through the Morningside Foundation. He has led restoration projects in Beijing and in Hong Kong, and pioneered the study of philanthropic giving across Asia, driving positive systemic change and fostering a sustainable future.

Professor Tan Weihong (Doctor of Science, honoris causa)

As a molecular scientist, Professor Tan Weihong has made pioneering contributions to aptamer research and applications, bioanalysis, and molecular medicine. His seminal publications have shed light on problems in bioanalytical chemistry, bionanotechnology, and molecular medicine once thought to be intractable.

Professor Tan received his PhD in Physical Chemistry at the University of Michigan. He joined the University of Florida in 1995, where he earned distinctions such as the University of Florida Research Foundation Professorship in 2004, the V.T. and Louis Jackson Chair Professorship in 2008, and the title of University of Florida Distinguished Professor in 2012. With the advent of his Cell-SELEX technology and the progress made in Aptamer-Drug Conjugate (ApDC) application and Aptomics (using aptamers for biotechnology advancements), Professor Tan has revolutionised the approach to such study fields as biomedicine, bioanalysis, proteomics, and theranostics, contributing profoundly to the understanding and treatment of diseases, particularly cancer, at the molecular level.

Professor Tan currently leads research groups in the Hangzhou Institute of Medicine of Chinese Academy of Sciences (as the Inaugural Director), the Institute of Molecular Medicine at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and serves as Vice President of the Chinese Chemical Society. Throughout his career, Professor Tan has received numerous accolades, including being named an Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2015 and the World Academy of Sciences in 2016. He is a core member of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area International Research Platform for Aptamer-based Translational Medicine and Drug Discovery, and a partner with the School of Chinese Medicine at HKBU on an aptamer project.