Kenneth Young

Prof. Kenneth Young is a professor of physics at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK). He obtained his BSc in Physics in 1969, and his PhD in Physics and Mathematics at the California Institute of Technology, USA. He took a position at CUHK in 1973, and embarked on a highly regarded career as a theoretical physicist. He has produced extensive research in elementary particles, field theory, high energy phenomenology and dissipative systems. Young has contributed greatly to the development of higher education in Hong Kong, administering grants, educational program development, and worked to develop both Chinese and international professional associations by assuming various responsibilities during their development. In the later stages of his career Young has moved away from administration roles in universities, and toward direct teaching of students. He reflects that "one has to have passion in one’s subject. You cannot disguise it and it would help tremendously if the students could feel and see you have it in you. It makes teaching all the more effective." He is also a proponent of contextual teaching in physics. He was elected PSHK Honorary Member in 2019 “for his outstanding contributions to the betterment of science and technology in Hong Kong."