Chia-Wei Woo (; 13 November 1937 – 2 March 2025) was a Hong Kong physicist and educator who was the inaugural president of the

Hong Kong University of Science and Technology The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) is a public research university in Sai Kung District, New Territories, Hong Kong. Founded in 1991, it was the territory's third institution to be granted university status, and the firs ...

. His work included raising funding and recruiting outstanding faculty for the university. With Chung Sze Yuen, Woo created an institution, including a top-ranked Business School, known as th
HKUST Business School
The school's MBA, EMBA and

Executive Education Executive education (ExEd or Exec. Ed) refers to academic programs at graduate-level business schools for executives, business leaders and managers, globally. These programs are generally non-credit and non-degree-granting, but sometimes lead to ...

programmes have been consistently ranked as Asia's top programmes, and in the World Top 50 MBA programmes by the ''

Financial Times The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and also published digitally that focuses on business and economic Current affairs (news format), current affairs. Based in London, the paper is owned by a Jap ...

'' of London. Woo retired in 2001 after 13 years of service and remained President Emeritus as well as University Professor Emeritus.

Education and academia

Born in Shanghai in 1937, Woo received his secondary education from Pui Ching Middle School in Hong Kong and went to the US in 1955, where he acquired his BS degree in Physics/Mathematics at Georgetown College in Kentucky, and his MA degree in Physics at

Washington University in St. Louis Washington University in St. Louis (WashU) is a private research university in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Founded in 1853 by a group of civic leaders and named for George Washington, the university spans 355 acres across its Danforth ...

. He went on to pursue his PhD at

under

Eugene Feenberg Eugene Feenberg (October 6, 1906 in Fort Smith, Arkansas – November 7, 1977) was an American physicist who made contributions to quantum mechanics and nuclear physics. Education In 1929, Feenberg graduated from the University of Texas at Austin ...

. Later, he taught at

Northwestern University Northwestern University (NU) is a Private university, private research university in Evanston, Illinois, United States. Established in 1851 to serve the historic Northwest Territory, it is the oldest University charter, chartered university in ...

and at the University of Illinois, served as Northwestern's chairman, Physics and Astronomy Department, then as Provost, Revelle College, U.C. San Diego (where he had pursued post-doctoral work). In 1983, at the age of 45, he became president of

San Francisco State University San Francisco State University (San Francisco State, SF State and SFSU) is a Public university, public research university in San Francisco, California, United States. It was established in 1899 as the San Francisco State Normal School and is ...

, the first Chinese American to head a major university in the United States. From 1964, Woo published 120 papers and books in various fields of physics, particularly in quantum

many-body theory The many-body problem is a general name for a vast category of physical problems pertaining to the properties of microscopic systems made of many interacting particles. Terminology ''Microscopic'' here implies that quantum mechanics has to be ...

statistical mechanics In physics, statistical mechanics is a mathematical framework that applies statistical methods and probability theory to large assemblies of microscopic entities. Sometimes called statistical physics or statistical thermodynamics, its applicati ...

liquid crystal Liquid crystal (LC) is a state of matter whose properties are between those of conventional liquids and those of solid crystals. For example, a liquid crystal can flow like a liquid, but its molecules may be oriented in a common direction as i ...

low temperature physics Low or LOW or lows, may refer to: People * Low (surname), listing people surnamed Low Places * Low, Quebec, Canada * Low, Utah, United States * Lo Wu station (MTR code LOW), Hong Kong; a rail station * Salzburg Airport (ICAO airport code: LOW ...

, and surface physics.

Political career

Woo served on Hong Kong Government's Industry and Technology Development Council and the Board of Overseers for the Institutes of Biotechnology, and was appointed by the Municipal Government of Shenzhen as Senior Adviser. He served on governing and advisory boards of the Business and Professionals Federation of Hong Kong, the Shanghai-Hong Kong Council for the Promotion and Development of Yangtze, the National Natural Science Foundation of China, Fudan University, Hua Qiao University, Zhongguancun Science Park (Advisory Committee), Ghulam Ishaq Khan Institute of Engineering Sciences and Technology (Pakistan), World Scientific Publishing Company (Singapore), and

China Europe International Business School China Europe International Business School (CEIBS ( ) ) is a business school headquartered in Pudong, Shanghai, China. CEIBS has campuses in Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen, Accra in Ghana, and Zurich in Switzerland. Established under an agreement ...

. From 1993–96, he was appointed by the Chinese government, first as a Hong Kong Affairs Adviser, then a Member of the

Preliminary Working Committee The Preliminary Working Committee (PWC) was a body set up by the Government of the People's Republic of China government for the preparation of the transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong. The first meeting of the PWC was held in July 1995 and ende ...

, and then a Member of the Preparatory Committee, and was elected to the Selection Committee for the HKSAR. He was appointed in 1998 to the Commission on Strategic Development of the HKSAR and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. In 2000, he was appointed to the Council of Advisers on Innovation and Technology of the HKSAR, and as Chairman of the Committee on Hong Kong – Mainland Technological Collaboration. He spoke multiple times at the World Economic Forum in

Davos, Switzerland Davos (, ; or ; ; Old ) is an Alpine resort town and municipality in the Prättigau/Davos Region in the canton of Graubünden, Switzerland. It has a permanent population of (). Davos is located on the river Landwasser, in the Rhaetian Al ...

Death

Woo died in San Francisco, California on 2 March 2025, at the age of 87.

Honours and awards

Woo received many honours and awards for professional achievement and civic contribution, including Fellowships of the

American Physical Society The American Physical Society (APS) is a not-for-profit membership organization of professionals in physics and related disciplines, comprising nearly fifty divisions, sections, and other units. Its mission is the advancement and diffusion of ...

and the

California Academy of Sciences The California Academy of Sciences is a research institute and natural history museum in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, that is among the largest List of natural history museums, museums of natural history in the world, housing over ...

; the Alfred P. Sloan Research Fellowship; Honorary Professorships at

Fudan University Fudan University (FDU) is a public university, national public university in Yangpu, Shanghai, Yangpu, Shanghai, China. It is affiliated with the Ministry of Education (China), Ministry of Education and is co-funded with the Shanghai Municipal ...

Chinese Academy of Sciences The Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS; ) is the national academy for natural sciences and the highest consultancy for science and technology of the People's Republic of China. It is the world's largest research organization, with 106 research i ...

(Institute of Physics),

Shenzhen University Shenzhen University (SZU, Traditional Chinese: 深圳大學, Simplified Chinese: 深圳大学, Pinyin: Shēnzhèn Dàxué) is a municipal public research university in Shenzhen, Guangdong, China. The university is funded by the Shenzhen Mu ...

, and

Peking University Peking University (PKU) is a Public university, public Types of universities and colleges in China#By designated academic emphasis, university in Haidian, Beijing, China. It is affiliated with and funded by the Ministry of Education of the Peop ...

; the

Eleanor Roosevelt Anna Eleanor Roosevelt ( ; October 11, 1884November 7, 1962) was an American political figure, diplomat, and activist. She was the longest-serving First Lady of the United States, first lady of the United States, during her husband Franklin D ...

Humanitarian Award by the United Nations Association; the Golden Key of the City of San Francisco; ''Chia-Wei Woo Day'' was declared by the

Mayor of San Francisco The mayor of the City and County of San Francisco is the head of the executive branch of the Government of San Francisco, San Francisco city and county government. The officeholder has the duty to enforce city laws, and the power to either appro ...

. He was National President of the National Association of Chinese-Americans during 1984–86. He was the US China Olympics Liaison for the

1984 Summer Olympics The 1984 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXIII Olympiad and commonly known as Los Angeles 1984) were an international multi-sport event held from July 28 to August 12, 1984, in Los Angeles, California, United States. It marked the ...

, held in Los Angeles. In 1991, he received a Distinguished Alumnus Award from his alma mater,

Washington University Washington University in St. Louis (WashU) is a private research university in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Founded in 1853 by a group of civic leaders and named for George Washington, the university spans 355 acres across its Danforth ...

. In 1995, Woo received an honorary Doctor of Letters degree from Georgetown College, and was named an Honorary Citizen by the Municipal Government of

Shenzhen Shenzhen is a prefecture-level city in the province of Guangdong, China. A Special economic zones of China, special economic zone, it is located on the east bank of the Pearl River (China), Pearl River estuary on the central coast of Guangdong ...

. In 1996, he received a Distinguished International Service Award from the University of Minnesota and an honorary Doctor of Science degree from Washington University; and was appointed a

Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(CBE) by

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

. In 2000, he was awarded the

Gold Bauhinia Star The Gold Bauhinia Star (, GBS) is the highest rank in Order of the Bauhinia Star, under the Order (distinction), honours system of Hong Kong, created in 1997 to replace the British honours system after the Handover of Hong Kong, transfer of sovere ...

by the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR). In 2001, he was awarded "Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur" by the President of the French Republic.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chiawei Woo 1937 births 2025 deaths 21st-century American physicists Chinese emigrants to the United States Hong Kong educators Hong Kong scientists Writers from Shanghai Presidents of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Northwestern University faculty Presidents of San Francisco State University University of California, San Diego faculty University of Illinois faculty Washington University in St. Louis alumni Washington University in St. Louis physicists Georgetown College (Kentucky) alumni Politicians from Shanghai Recipients of the Gold Bauhinia Star Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Scientists from Shanghai Members of the Preparatory Committee for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Members of the Selection Committee of Hong Kong Hong Kong Affairs Advisors Educators from Shanghai Fellows of the American Physical Society