BRIDGING ENGINEERING SCHOLARSHIP AND REAL-WORLD IMPACT

Artificial Intelligence,  cyber security, control, and robotics are among the most consequential topics today, and Professor Ling Shi is deeply involved with all four fields. Prof. Shi graduated with a B.S. from HKUST's Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering (ECE) in 2002 and now teaches at the same department as a professor. His outstanding research on cyber-physical security and privacy has earned him one of the most prestigious honors: he was named a World Economic Forum Young Scientist, awarded to one of 25 leading researchers worldwide under age 40.

Prof. Shi remarks: "I am grateful to HKUST for providing an ideal academic platform without which this award is impossible." As AI and data become increasingly prominent in our lives, particularly in infrastructure and logistics, Prof. Shi's work on cyber-physical security is indispensable. "When I examine how well protected a system is, I look for weaknesses, and think to myself, if I were hacker, where would I attack that would inflict the most damage," Prof. Shi says.

The power of AI is also transforming cyber security, enabling researchers like Prof. Shi to build sophisticated models, root out threats and shore up entire systems. At a time when the physical and digital worlds are constantly interacting, safeguarding that connection not only saves businesses from potentially devastating financial losses, but more importantly, our lives too.

Apart from his teaching and research responsibilities, Prof. Shi has served as  an associate editor for a number of leading international journals, was an editorial board member for the European Control Conference and American Control Conference, and he served as the General Chair of the 2018 International Symposium on Mathematical Theory of Networks (MTNS). It is fitting the World Economic Forum's selection criteria which recognizes individuals for research excellence and outstanding contribution to the society—Professor Ling Shi's achievements at his age are nothing short of exemplary.