Biography of Professor Tin-Pui Leung

Professor Tin-Pui Leung was born in Hong Kong on February 28, 1946. The second son of six children, he excelled in academics at an early age, and was accepted to the Faculty of Engineering, Hong Kong University in 1964. He graduated three years later, and was retained as a Demonstrator for his university. He was then sent to Hawker Siddeley Aviation in the United Kingdom as a CBI Scholar Engineer to study aircraft design. Becoming a Chartered Engineer in 1973, he pursued postgraduate studies, receiving his Master's degree in Automation from the Hong Kong University in 1982, and cumulating with two doctorates in 1990. The first was a PhD in System Sciences with the City University of London, while the second was a Doctor of Engineering from Tsinghua University in Beijing.

Professor Leung was an active member of his profession. He became a Fellow of the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers in 1983. During the next quarter-century, he attained Fellowship in the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, the Hong Kong Academy of Engineering Sciences, the Institution of Electrical Engineering, the British Computer Society, and the Institution of Measurement and Control. He also held a Membership in the Institution of Civil Engineers. As a leading figure in engineering and its education for nearly thirty years, Professor Leung served as the President of the Hong Kong Association for the Advancement of Science and Technology, the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers, and the Guangdong-Hong Kong Association for the Promotion of Technology Enterprise. He also was the Chairman of the Hong Kong Branch of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, as well as the Senior Vice-President of the Hong Kong Academy of Engineering Sciences.

Throughout his life, Professor Leung maintained strong ties with higher institutions in Hong Kong. He received his Bachelor's and Master's degree from the Hong Kong University, and joined the Hong Kong Polytechnic in 1972. For the next thirty-four years, he devoted himself to educating future generations. He was a Senior Lecturer, then Principal Lecturer, and finally Chair Professor and Head of Department of Mechanical and Marine Engineering in the Hong Kong Polytechnic. After the institute became The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, he was appointed as the Dean of Engineering Faculty and its Chair Professor, and later on as the Dean of Faculty of Communication as well as the Vice President of Student Development. Upon his retirement in February 2006, he became Professor Emeritus of the University and was conferred the title of University Fellow, in addition to being the Honorary Director of the Confucius Institute of Hong Kong.

Coming from a generation that believes in duty and service to country and society, Professor Leung dedicated much of his free time to public service. Over the decades, he held a number of public appointments with national and international organizations. He was a World Bank Consultant in professional education, as well as a Member of the Town Planning Board, the Hong Kong Council for Academic Accreditation, and the Quality Assurance Council of the University Grants Committee. He also was the Convenor of the University Grants Committee's Consultative Committee on Teaching and Learning Quality Process Review. Always on the cutting edge of technology, Professor Leung was a Member of the Daya Bay Nuclear Safety Consultative Committee, and he was part of an Experts Committee on Applied Science and Technology for Lunar Orbiting and Exploration under the Commission of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense.

It is therefore not surprising that Professor Leung received much recognition for his services and contributions. He was named a Non-official Justice of the Peace of Hong Kong in 1995. From 1997 onward, he was a three-time Member of the Selection Committee of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government. He had been a Member of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference since the Eighth National People's Congress in 1993, serving as a vital bridge between the central government and Hong Kong. As a token of its gratitude, the Special Administrative Region Government honored Professor Leung with the Bronze Bauhinia Star Medal in 2003.

As an academic, Professor Leung had written extensively, especially in the fields of automation and system sciences. He had published almost two hundred papers in internationally acclaimed journals. In recent years, he expanded his research to include design, arts, literature, history, and education, with the most recent books being Ebb and Flow of the Tide (2006), and Bridge (2007).

With such credentials and accomplishments, it is easy to forget that it was his humanity that endeared Professor Leung to students, colleagues, and friends alike. He was a faithful and gentle husband to his wife Justina; and a kind and loving father to his daughter Karen, and his son Kelvin. He enjoyed hiking, and had a keen interest in culture and history, which many found remarkable given his strong background in engineering. Colleagues and friends were often surprised and impressed by his knowledge and appreciation of matters cultural and historical. Professor Leung was an avid practitioner of Chinese calligraphy and painting. His works could be seen decorating his office and home. During festivals like Chinese New Year, he would delight many with gifts of his calligraphic writing of words and couplets. Some of which are still preserved to this day.

Professor Leung passed away on September 6, 2007. He was sixty-two.