Professor Bertram Emil SHI, PhD

Biography

Professor Bert SHI was appointed Acting Dean of HKUST Fok Ying Tung Graduate School on August 1, 2025.

Professor SHI received his Bachelor and Master of Science degrees in electrical engineering from Stanford University in 1987 and 1988 respectively. He went on to the University of California at Berkeley, earning his Ph.D. degree in electrical engineering in 1994. He then joined the Department of Electronic and Computer Engineering (ECE) at HKUST as an Assistant Professor, rising to Chair Professor in 2025.

Professor SHI’s research interests lie in developing models of human and animal behavior, which he integrates into engineered systems to improve their adaptability, robustness and performance. His research combines computational neuroscience, artificial intelligence, neural networks, neuromorphic engineering, robotics, and human-machine interfaces. He focuses particularly on modeling and automated analysis of facial expressions and eye movements. Together with his students, he has received best paper awards in international conferences and built top ranked systems for emotion recognition.  In recognition of his “contributions to the analysis, implementation and application of cellular neural networks”, he was elected Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) in 2001. He has been active in promoting technical advancement in his profession through roles such as Distinguished Lecturer of the IEEE Circuits and Systems Society, editorial board member of technical journals, such as the IEEE Transactions on Circuits and Systems, IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Circuits and Systems, and Frontiers in Neuromorphic Engineering, and chair of various technical committees and international conferences.

Over his years in HKUST, Professor SHI has gained substantial administrative experience at all levels of the university. He founded and then served as inaugural director of the MSc Program in Electronic Engineering in 2004. As Associate Head of the ECE Department from 2010-2013, he helped guide the department’s development of and transition to a new four-year undergraduate curriculum. From 2015-2021, he was Head of the ECE Department. After stepping down, he served as Acting Dean of Engineering in 2022. In his current role as Special Advisor to the Vice President for Research and Development, he provides strategic insights on the university’s research activities and leads its planning and preparation for the next Research Assessment Exercise (RAE). As current Director of Center for Aging Science and Associate Director of HKUST-HKSI Joint Center for Sports Science and Technology, he links faculty together across the university around topics related to human health.

With his extensive academic, research and administrative experience, Professor SHI is well positioned to advance postgraduate education at HKUST in his role as the Acting Dean of HKUST Fok Ying Tung Graduate School.