Youders’ Story – Prof. Christopher Chao 趙汝恆教授
Recipient of Sir Edward Youde Memorial Fellowships for Overseas Studies in 1990/91
尤德爵士紀念基金海外研究生獎學金1990/91年得獎者
Whilst most of us yearn for a long life of adventure and exploration when we are young, we often decide to settle within our comfort zones as we get older. The story of Professor Christopher Chao, however, is wildly different. Since receiving the Sir Edward Youde Memorial Fellowships for Overseas Studies in 1990/91, the Vice President (Research and Innovation) and Chair Professor of Thermal and Environmental Engineering at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University has continued to embrace challenges and step outside of his comfort zone. The scholarship had lasting ripple effects on his career and life choices, as he made significant strides in academia through exploring advanced engineering research in combustion science and thermal engineering, and continuously pushed his professional and personal boundaries throughout his life.
Prof. Chao has been interested in a variety of topics from a young age. Although he was more interested in physics and mathematics, he enthusiastically read philosophy, social sciences, and literature. Knowing that he wanted to make a difference in Hong Kong and China, he decided that engineering was a great way to realize his talents and dreams. In 1988, he received his undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Hong Kong (HKU). After graduation, he started working at Swire Bottlers Ltd. (now Swire Coca-Cola HK Ltd.). Although the practical work was exciting at first, boredom soon began to settle in as his work lacked intellectual stimulation. With hopes of gaining more exposure from other countries and pursuing a career in research, Prof. Chao decided to apply for the Sir Edward Youde Memorial Fellowship for Overseas Studies. In 1990, he received the scholarship, and used it to support his Master’s and Doctoral degree in Mechanical Engineering at the University of California (UC), Berkeley. At Berkeley, he majored in heat transfer and minored in fluid mechanics and air pollution.
His decision to go to UC Berkeley was inspired by a film called ‘The Graduate’, which featured the Berkeley campus and captured his imagination. The school is also renowned for its liberal and humanistic culture, in addition to its world class engineering school. After Prof. Chao graduated with a PhD in 1994, he returned to Hong Kong to contribute to the betterment of the city, fulfilling his commitment to the scholarship. He began his academic career as a lecturer and later on as an Assistant Professor at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU), which had just been granted University status. In 1997, he switched to working at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST). Over the next 20 years, Prof. Chao participated in various research programmes, engaged in entrepreneurship with students, and got promoted from Assistant Professor to Head and Chair Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at HKUST. In 2018, he decided to take on the Deanship of Engineering and Chair Professorship of Mechanical Engineering at HKU, using his talents to serve his Alma mater.
In September 2021, Prof. Chao made a return to PolyU, assuming the role of Vice President (Research and Innovation). In this senior leadership position, he is in charge of the planning and development of research and innovation at the university. He admitted that while it was not an easy decision to leave HKU, his new position offered opportunities to be involved in management decisions at the institutional level and to engage staff and students from different disciplines to develop their research careers. Previously, at HKU, he was just managing a single faculty, which focused on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). He also noted that Hong Kong has insufficient supply of local research talent, since the best students tend to move into Medicine or Finance, instead of Engineering or advanced scientific research. If Hong Kong wants to develop itself into a research hub, talent is the key factor. Therefore, he strives to create a culture that stimulates local students to be involved in advanced research. For example, he is currently finetuning a funding matching system to streamline the way research teams obtain funding from the university.
The Sir Edward Youde Memorial Fellowships for Overseas Studies facilitated not only his advanced studies and innovations in mechanical engineering, but also encouraged him to embrace challenges and contribute his talents to Hong Kong. A few years ago, he started to serve as a Council Member of the Sir Edward Youde Memorial Fund, assisting with interviewing and selecting the brightest minds to receive the Council’s prestigious awards. He described feeling “deja vu”, as he witnessed young scholars take on the same journey as he did back then. It has been 30 years since Prof. Chao was awarded the scholarship, and while he has already made great achievements in academia, he has never stopped giving back. In addition to serving as a member of the Fund Council, he is also a member of several government advisory committees, contributing his professional knowledge to society.
小時候，我們都會嚮往冒險和探索的生活，但隨著年歲的增長人們會渴望在自己的舒適圈中生活。然而，尤德爵士紀念基金海外研究生獎學金1990/91年得獎者，香港理工大學副校長(研究及創新)趙汝恆教授的故事卻大相徑庭。他不斷挑戰自己，走出舒適圈，從畢業後不久毅然離開安逸的工作決定赴美升學，到在學術界取得巨大的成就，不斷地在人生旅途上突破自己的專業和個人界限。
趙教授自幼就對不同的課題產生興趣。儘管他在中學時已醉心於物理和數學，他亦對哲學、社會科學、文學有著濃厚的興趣。當時，中國正經歷改革開放，趙教授希望所學的知識與技能可以幫助國家的發展，所以他最終選讀機械工程。他於1988年完成香港大學的機械工程學士學位，之後短暫地到太古可口可樂工作。起初，他對工作感到興奮，但慢慢地他對重複性的工作失去了興趣，感到不能再豐富自己的學識。為了擴闊視野和方便日後的研究事業，約兩年後，他申請尤德爵士紀念基金的獎學金到美國加州大學柏克萊分校深造，主修熱力學並副修流體力學及空氣污染，並分別完成了機械工程碩士和博士學位。
提到選擇柏克萊分校的原因，趙教授受到一齣名為《畢業生》的電影中的校園鏡頭啟發，加上該校以自由開放的校風而聞名，使趙教授一心要到該校感受一下濃烈的人文氣息。當然，該校的工程學科在世界上名列前茅亦是趙教授的考慮因素之一。他於1994年畢業，由於獎學金要求得獎者回港工作，貢獻社會，他決定於剛剛升格為大學的香港理工大學擔任講師及助理教授，開展自己的學術生涯。兩年後他轉職至香港科技大學。20年間，趙教授參與不同的研究，亦曾與學生一起創業，並擔任各級行政職務，由助理教授一路晉升至機械與航空航天工程系主任和講座教授。在2018年，他回到香港大學出任工程學院院長和機械工程講座教授，發揮自己的才能，為母校服務。
到2021年，趙教授重返理工大學，出任副校長(研究及創新)和熱能及環境工程講座教授。他主管大學研究與創新方面的策劃和發展。他坦言，離開香港大學並不是一個容易的決定，但相比起在工程學院中專注數理和工科方面(STEM)的科研，他在新崗位上需要從院校層面決策，幫助不同學系的教職員和學生發展他們的研究事業。他認為，長期以來香港學生在研究的參與度不足，成績最好的學生都傾向選擇醫學或金融領域，而不是工程或科學研究。如果香港要發展成科研中心，人才是當中最重要的一環。因此，他希望在理工大學創造一種氛圍，透過不同措施鼓勵學生投身研究事業。例如，他最近優化了大學的資金匹對系統，讓研究團隊能更有效地得到院校的研究經費。
趙教授於1991年獲得尤德爵士紀念基金海外研究生獎學金。對他來說，獎學金不僅促使他對機械工程進行更深入的研究，還鼓勵他去迎接挑戰，及回饋社會。幾年前，他他更成為尤德爵士紀念基金會的委員，遴選一眾獎學金申請人。他形容，看著年輕人踏上跟自己當年一樣的旅程，感覺似曾相識。得獎至今30年，趙教授在學術界取得巨大的成就，但他亦不曾停下腳步，除了在基金會擔任委員外，他亦是多個政府諮詢委員會的委員，為社會貢獻自己的專業知識。