CSE MPhil Student Michael Chan Chi Fung Gains PhD Place at Stanford and Prestigious Overseas Fellowship

Michael Chan Chi Fung, first-class honors graduate of Computer Engineering Program and first year Computer Science and Engineering postgraduate student, is to pursue his PhD studies at Stanford University’s renowned Computer Science Department. He also gained acceptance to PhD programs at Princeton and the University of California, San Diego, two other leading universities, before deciding to take up Stanford’s offer when he completes his HKUST studies this summer. Stanford’s Computer Science Department has produced many outstanding graduates, including Vint Cerf, father of the Internet, Charles Simonyi, inventor of Microsoft Word and former chief architect at Microsoft, and the founders of Google, Sergey Brin and Larry Page.

Michael has also been awarded an Overseas Fellowship by the Sir Edward Youde Memorial Fund to support his studies in the US. He was among 10 recipients selected from 190 applicants to win the award. A presentation ceremony was held at Hong Kong City Hall on April 12, officiated by Lady Youde, Dr Philip Wu, and Mr John Chan Cho-chak, and other members of the fund’s Board of Trustees and Council.

It had not been easy to decide which university to attend, Michael said. “The computer science programs at all three universities are among the best in the field and all the offers came with attractive financial packages. In the end, I decided to go for Stanford because of its strong entrepreneurial spirit, pragmatic focus, and close proximity to Silicon Valley .”

Michael was admitted to the School of Engineering’s Computer Engineering Program through the Joint University Programmes Admissions System (JUPAS) in 2004. He is due to complete his MPhil in August 2008, taking one year instead of the usual two. His thesis focuses on improving peer-to-peer streaming through devising an algorithm that can effectively and efficiently identify sources on the wireless network that have content that others want to find. His interest in peer-to-peer computing was sparked by his thesis advisor and mentor Prof Gary Chan, Director of the Computer Engineering Program.

During his undergraduate and graduate studies at HKUST, Michael has found faculty members constantly challenged students to excel and push themselves beyond their expectations. This was achieved through stimulating course delivery and lectures and by motivating students to find solutions independently. In addition, he thinks the “open door” policy of many of HKUST’s world-class faculty members was a key factor in his academic and personal development “Whenever I needed expert advice or brilliant minds to bounce my new ideas off, I could always knock on the door of my professors,” he said.