Mathematics
Tony Chan
Mathematician and university president
Born 1952
Photo: Konrad Jacobs · CC BY-SA 2.0 de
Tony Chan works on image processing mathematics, including methods for removing noise and restoring damaged images that are now standard. As president of HKUST he oversaw its rise into the world's top fifty universities.
Key achievements
- President of HKUST, 2009–2018
- Pioneered total variation methods for image restoration
- Headed the US National Science Foundation mathematics directorate
Universities
Hong Kong, Clear Water Bay
President of HKUST from 2009 to 2018, expanding its research and building a second campus in Guangzhou.
Pasadena, California
Took his bachelor's and master's degrees in engineering.
Los Angeles, California
Professor of mathematics and later dean of physical sciences before returning to Hong Kong.
Facts
- He led the US National Science Foundation's mathematics and physical sciences directorate before taking the HKUST presidency.
- His work on total variation image restoration is used in medical and satellite imaging.
- He was the first Hong Kong-born president of the university.