Yuen Ka Veng, Distinguished Professor in the Faculty of Science and Technology (FST) at the University of Macau (UM), has been awarded the 15th Guanghua Engineering Science and Technology Prize by the Chinese Academy of Engineering. Regarded as the most prestigious award in the field of engineering in China, the prize aims to commend Chinese engineering and technology experts who have made major breakthroughs and remarkable achievements in the fields of engineering technology and engineering management. Prof Yuen is the only Macao scholar to receive the award; it also represents a recognition of the dedication and outstanding contributions of Macao scholars in scientific research.
Prof Yuen’s research interests include Bayesian inference, uncertainty quantification, system identification, structural health monitoring, reliability analysis, and analysis of dynamical systems. He has developed a series of Bayesian identification methods without measurements of the external forces, which becomes a leading example in model class selection research. He has also invented a system identification using self-calibratable model classes. His single-authored book Bayesian Methods for Structural Dynamics and Civil Engineering has become a classic in the field. In addition, Prof Yuen has been awarded the Young Investigator Award of the International Chinese Association for Computational Mechanics (ICACM). He is also a Qian Weichang Programme Scholar of the KC Wong Education Foundation, and a recipient of Housner’s Fellowship. According to a citation ranking published in PLOS Biology in 2020, Prof Yuen ranked 36th among civil engineering scholars worldwide. According to Web of Science, he is ranked 4th in the world for the number of publications on Bayesian inference in engineering.
Prof Yuen is not only a Distinguished Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, but also co-director of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Joint Laboratory on Smart City and a leading scholar in the State Key Laboratory of Internet of Things for Smart City. He is also a member of the Science and Technology Commission of the Ministry of Education of China, and a member of the council of the Academy of Public Security Forces of Macao. In addition, Prof Yuen has previously held a number of important positions at UM, such as head of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, associate dean and interim dean of FST, registrar, and dean of the Graduate School, and has chaired several key committees within the university, demonstrating his profound influence in educational management and technological innovation.
The Guanghua Engineering Science and Technology Prize was established by the Chinese Academy of Engineering in 1996. It aims to encourage more professionals to engage in engineering science and technology research and development, as well as to promote the use and innovation of related applications. Only 41 experts in the country have been awarded this honour this year. Prof Yuen was nominated by the Science and Technology Development Fund of Macao and was selected after multiple rounds of review by academicians and experts in the relevant fields. The award ceremony took place during the 17th Plenary Session of the Chinese Academy of Engineering.
