Professor Sir Charles K. Kao
(1933-2018)
Nobel Laureate in Physics 2009
Founder and Honorary Professor of the Faculty of Engineering, CUHK
Welcome to this memorial website of Professor Sir Charles Kao.
Professor Kao was an outstanding scholar, a wonderful scientist, an innovator, a visionary and above all, a kind and upstanding person. He served as Founding Chairman of the Department of Electronics (later the Department of Electronic Engineering) in 1970, and then Vice-Chancellor of the Chinese University of Hong Kong and established the Faculty of Engineering in 1991. Till this day, the Engineering Faculty is profoundly shaped and greatly motivated by his vision, his lasting achievements and his exemplary leadership. His statue located on the 5th floor of the Ho Sin Hang Engineering Building is a constant reminder of the proud history underlying our Faculty. The news of his passing is received with great sadness.
One way or another, our lives have been touched by Professor Charles Kao -- our alumni who learned from his teachings; colleagues who have worked in partnership with him; friends who experienced the warmth of his personality and faculty, staff and students who continued to be inspired by his legacy. His research on optical fibre communication revolutionized the means of information transmission, brought the Internet and smart phones to the world and ushered all of us into the era of big data and IoT. He has fundamentally changed the way we live and work through information and communication technologies.
This website is dedicated to sharing of our remembrance of this great man. Contributors are invited to share anecdotes about Professor Kao, your personal encounters with him, old photographs and your sentiments on how he has touched your life. Inputs gathered at this website will be organized and saved as part of the Charles Kao Collection at the CUHK University Library, a copy of which will also be delivered to Mrs. Kao for her keepsake. We welcome everyone to join in the sharing process.
May we together bring forth our lasting memories of our dear Professor Charles Kao.
Prof. Yam Yeung,
Interim Dean,
Faculty of Engineering, CUHK