Nobel Laureate in Physics Prof Samuel C.C. Ting appointed Honorary Director of Lingnan University Institute for Advanced Study

Lingnan University is proud to announce the appointment of illustrious physicist and Nobel laureate, Prof Samuel C.C. Ting, as Honorary Director of the Lingnan University Institute for Advanced Study (LUIAS). Prof Ting was given an Honorary Doctorate (Doctor of Science, honoris causa) by Lingnan University and visited the campus to host the University Assembly last year, where he lectured on his ongoing space experiments, inspiring the faculty and students alike with his dedication to scientific inquiry and the pursuit of knowledge.

Prof Ting replied, “I am very honoured to accept this position” when Prof S. Joe Qin, President and Wai Kee Kau Chair Professor of Data Science of Lingnan University, extended a warm welcome to him, saying "We are honoured to have globally respected Prof Samuel C.C. Ting as the Honorary Director of LUIAS. His extensive life experiences and profound scientific knowledge will not only contribute to the strategic development of the Institute, but also inspire and motivate our researchers and students to persist in their academic studies, thereby cultivating future talents at Lingnan."

Prof Ting is a distinguished physicist and Nobel laureate who has dedicated his life to unravelling the mysteries of the universe. He has made groundbreaking contributions to the fields of particle physics and astrophysics in a career spanning several decades, and is a member of such prestigious scientific institutions as the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, the Soviet Academy of Science and the Russian Academy of Science, the Royal Spanish Academy of Science, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and is the Thomas Dudley Cabot Professor of Physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

In 1974, Prof Ting led an experiment that discovered a new form of matter, known as the J Particle. This discovery contradicted the prevailing theory of the basic building blocks of Nature and was known as the November Revolution. For this work, he was awarded the Nobel Prize two years later.

Throughout his career, Prof Ting has received accolades and honours in recognition of his exceptional contributions to science. He holds honorary doctorates from the University of Michigan, Columbia University, University of Bologna, Moscow State University, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong Baptist University, and many others.

LUIAS was established in March 2024 in order to attract leading scholars and well-known experts from different academic fields worldwide. In crossing the disciplinary boundaries of the arts and sciences, promoting interdisciplinary collaboration, and integrating cutting-edge technology with whole-person education, LUIAS focuses on interdisciplinary data analysis and aims to publish research with important social impact. LUIAS will also hold conferences, workshops, and forums, providing a platform for researchers and experts to exchange knowledge.

The eminent scholars who have already joined LUIAS include Prof Tang Tao, a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and President of Nanfang College Guangzhou; Prof Zhang Dongxiao, a member of the US National Academy of Engineering, Provost and Executive Vice President of the Eastern Institute of Technology, Ningbo (EIT); Prof Zhou Min, an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and a Distinguished Professor of Sociology and Asian American Studies and Walter and Shirley Wang Endowed Chair in US-China Relations & Communications at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA); and Prof Alain Bensoussan, former Chairman of the European Space Agency (ESA) Council, Lars Magnus Ericsson Chair and the Director of the International Centre for Decision and Risk Analysis (ICDRiA) at the University of Texas at Dallas, who have become Lingnan Fellows.

In addition, internationally renowned comparative policy research scholar Prof Joshua Mok Ka-ho, Provost and Vice-President (Academic and Research) Designate at The Hang Seng University of Hong Kong, and Prof Tsui Kwok-leung, Professor of the Grado Industrial and Systems Engineering of the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech), were named Senior Lingnan Scholars in recognition of their important achievements and scholarly accomplishments.