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A First for Hong Kong and HKU: Professor Che Chi Ming takes the First Class Prize of the State Natural Science Award

27 Feb 2007

Professor Che Chi Ming, Hui Wai Haan Chair of Chemistry, Department of Chemistry of the University of Hong Kong (HKU), received the First Class Prize of the State Natural Science Award (SNSA) for 2006 from Premier Wen Jiabao in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing this morning (February 27).

Professor Che, with his research in "reactive metal-ligand multiple bonded complexes", is the first Hong Kong scientist to win the First Class prize of the State Natural Science Award since Hong Kong's participation in the awards began in 1989.

His research provides the key in developing innovative ground-breaking chemical reactions in terms of efficiency, selectivity and environmental friendliness. It will benefit the modern chemical industry, synthesized pharmaceuticals and the discovery of new molecular functional materials.

The State Natural Science Award is the highest award in natural sciences, with only First Class and Second Class prizes being awarded, and is highly respected by the science sectors both in China and overseas. The assessment process for the First Class Prize has a reputation for being rigorous and uncompromising, so much so that in 2004 and 2005, no projects were selected for this top award.

The First Class prizes of the State Natural Science Award have been awarded to pre-eminent scientists and scholars who are well-known in China and internationally. Past awardees include the mathematician Hua Luo-geng, the "father of China's ballistic missile force"; Tsien Hsue-Shen, chemist; Tang Aoqing, nuclear physics scientist Wang Ganchang; and architectural-preservation expert and educator Liang Sicheng and his wife Lin Huiyin. (For an introduction to the SNSA, see Appendix One)

Since 1989, when Hong Kong began to participate in the State Natural Science Award, 29 Hong Kong projects have received awards, 9 of them by HKU scholars. And the number of awards given to HKU is the highest among other universities. Professor Che is the first Hong Kong scientist to receive the First Class prize of the State Natural Science Award. (For a list of the awards taken by HKU, see Appendix Two)

A Home-grown Scientist and HKU Alumnus

Professor Che, 49, is a Hong Kong scientist and HKU alumnus. He was born and raised in Hong Kong, and completed his BSc and PhD in chemistry at HKU. He studied at the California Institute of Technology from 1980 to 1983, after which he returned to his alma mater, where he was appointed as a lecturer in chemistry in 1983, and Professor in 1990. Professor Che was made Chair Professor in 1992, the youngest academic to hold a Chair Professorship at HKU, and since 1999, has been the Hui Wai Haan Chair of Chemistry.

Early in 1995, at the age of just 38, Professor Che was elected to the Chinese Academy of Sciences and was the youngest academician and the first Hong Kong scientist to be so honoured at the time. (For Professor Che's Curriculum Vitae, see Appendix Three)

HKU Vice-Chancellor Professor Lap-Chee Tsui said: "I am delighted to see Professor Che take the First Class Prize of the State Natural Science Award. I believe that every member of the HKU Family can be justly proud of Professor Che's achievement. The advancement of science and technology benefits mankind and promotes the development of society. As a research-led university, HKU is proud of its role in training outstanding local scientists and in helping to strengthen Hong Kong's international status in science and technology.”

Professor Che said: "Firstly, I would like to thank my scientific peers, especially scientists from mainland, for their support of my research. The First Class prize is great encouragement for me and the chemistry sector both on the Mainland and in Hong Kong. It is not an easy choice for the members of the Evaluation Committee, who come from different fields, to decide to place a high degree of importance on fundamental research."

"I also want to say thank you to my students and colleagues who have participated in the project, and to HKU for their long-term support. I can say that without HKU, I could not have achieved what I have today," he continued.

Professor Che also thanked the University Grants Committee for selecting and funding his project as one of the Areas of Excellence, as well as Dr Hui Wai-Haan for her support to the Department of Chemistry.

Striving to Reach Nobel Laureate Level

Professor Che is dedicated to his research. He says that "to me, research is like food, I need it everyday and it is so much a part of my life and where my interest lies. For me, a happy moment is when you are able to explain some chemical reactions, or when you are able to control them."

Professor Che said: "I believe that first-class research can be done in Hong Kong. Today, in Hong Kong, there are scientists who have reached the same high standards as those of their counterparts at leading US universities, and many of them are at HKU. Their determination to open new frontiers in chemistry, their enthusiasm for original research and their dedication to their discipline impress me deeply, and remind me not to slow down. I will strive even harder to open new vistas in research."
(For Professor Che's relationship with some renowned academics, see Appendix Four)

Professor Che said he would continue to train local students to internationally competitive levels. He hopes that the government will provide increased and stable funding for research, and allocate more funds to universities to renew old equipment and facilities. "I can say that it is not impossible for Hong Kong to see a local scientist reaching the same levels as a Nobel laureate in chemistry," said Professor Che.
(For Professor Che's explanation of why he has stayed in Hong Kong to continue his research, see Appendix Five)

Supervisor: He's a World Leader in Chemistry

Dr Hui Wai Haan, now in Canada, whose donation helped establish the Hui Wai Haan Chair of Chemistry, said: "I'm so delighted to hear this good news. Professor Che is really a distinguished young scholar. As an alumna and former Chemistry teacher of HKU, I regard it as an honour to be able to support the pursuit of academic excellence."

Dr Hui taught in HKU after her graduation in chemistry at HKU. She has supported the works of the Department of Chemistry since her retirement. Her family has donated more that ten million HK dollars to the HKU Foundation, and helped to launch many departmental research programmes.

Professor Harry B. Gray of the Department of Chemistry at the California Institute of Technology, who supervised Professor Che between 1980 and 1983, said: "I have followed Che Chi Ming's progress very closely since his time with me at Caltech. He has made deep and lasting contributions to several areas of inorganic, organometallic, and bioinorganic chemistry, in work characterized by great originality and thoroughness. He is a world leader who will continue to dazzle us with his discoveries at the frontier of science."

Professor Che's project "Reactive Metal-Ligand Multiple Bonded Complexes" is among the foundations of metal-catalyzed organic reactions, bioinorganic chemistry and photochemistry. In simple terms, it aims to create new compounds by controlling the transfer of atoms/groups in a highly efficient and selective manner. Professor Che pioneered the chemistry of reactive ruthenium-ligand multiple bonded complexes, which he subsequently used to elucidate the mechanisms of atom and group transfer reactions with organic substrates. He discovered a series of biomimetic chemical reactions applicable to the synthesis of pharmaceuticals and fine chemicals. He also pioneered the photochemistry of phosphorescent metal complexes and synthesized, by photochemical means, novel types of reactive molecules that exhibit unique properties and reactivities unreachable by ground state molecules. The project provides a solution to a number of important difficult problems in chemistry, such as biomimetic organic catalysis.
(For a brief introduction to Professor Che's research areas, see Appendix Six)

HKU won not only the First Class prize of the State Natural Science Award for Hong Kong, but its scholars from the Department of Surgery also won the First Class prize of the State Scientific & Technological Progress Award for 2005. The project, entitled "Adult-to-adult Right Lobe Live Donor Liver Transplantation", was carried out by Professor Fan Sheung-tat, Professor Lo Chung-mau, Professor Liu Chi-leung and Dr Chan See-ching of the Department of Surgery.