Joseph Hun-wei Lee

Joseph Hun-wei Lee (Chinese: 李行偉) is a Chinese civil engineer, currently serving as President of the Macau University of Science and Technology.^[1]

李行偉 Joseph Hun-wei Lee
Lee in 2016
Macau University of Science and Technology President (2021- ) International Association for Hydro-Environment Engineering and Research（IAHR）President (2019-2023)
Personal details
Nationality	Chinese
Alma mater	Massachusetts Institute of Technology (BS, SM, PhD)

Education and career

Lee received a BSc, a MSc, and a PhD in Civil engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.^[2] He has been elected President of the International Association for Hydro-Environment Engineering and Research (IAHR),^[3] the first Chinese to head the IAHR in its over eight decades of history.^[4] He is a past President of the Hong Kong Academy of Engineering Sciences (HKAES), past Chairman of Hong Kong Research Grant Council (RGC)^[5] as well as the Assessment Panel of the Hong Kong Public Policy Research Scheme. He was the founding Editor-in-chief of the Journal of Hydro-environment Research (JHER).^[6]

He joined the faculty of the University of Delaware as an Assistant Professor, and moved to the University of Hong Kong in 1980. At the University of Hong Kong, he was Dean of Engineering from 2000-2003,^[7] and Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President (Staffing) from 2004-2010. During 2010-2016, he took office as Vice-President for Research and Graduate Studies at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.

Research

Joseph Lee's research is about the use of hydraulics in application to environmental problems, specifically the theory of buoyant jets and its environmental applications, eco-hydraulics related to dynamics of algal blooms and red tides, AI and real time water quality forecasting systems and urban flood control for climate change. He is also the Director of the Croucher Laboratory of Environmental Hydraulics since 2004.^[8] He is listed in Stanford University top 2% of scientists globally, Sep. 2022.^[9][10]

He developed the theoretical modelling and engineering prediction of the mixing and dilution of turbulent buoyant jets in an ambient current and proposed the Lagrangian integral jet model - JETLAG,^[11][12][13] a general tool that enables the first engineering prediction of the 3D trajectory and the initial dilution of an arbitrarily inclined buoyant jet in stratified ambient current. The method forms the basis of the VISJET modelling system^[12] that is widely used internationally for impact assessment and outfall design. His work on buoyant jet theory has also been applied to unravel the transmission and spreading mechanisms of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in Hong Kong in 2003.^[14][15]

Professor Lee has pioneered the development of early warning system of Harmful Algal Blooms (HAB)^[16] and helped advance smart environmental management for water resilience.^[17] In 2008 he proposed Project WATERMAN – a real-time coastal water quality forecast and management system. The system has been adopted for environmental impact assessment, emergency response, and daily beach water quality forecasting^[18] and scientific management of marine fish culture by the Hong Kong Government.^[19][20]

He has served as consultant on major hydro-environmental projects, contributing to the Hong Kong Harbour Area Treatment Scheme, Yuen Long Bypass Floodway^[21] and Tai Hang Tung Storage Scheme.^[22] His theory on supercritical vortex intakes has been adopted in the design of Hong Kong West Drainage Tunnel^[23][24] and urban drainage infrastructures in other cities such as the Thames Tideway Tunnel in London.^[25]

As independent expert appointed by the Hong Kong SAR Government, he has also helped resolve complex high profile public investigations of environmental episodes of social importance – including the “Excess lead in drinking water of public housing” in 2015,^[26][27][28] the mysterious disastrous Tai Po River debris flooding in 2010,^[29][30] and the Environmental Impact Assessment Appeal (EIA) of a railway line through the Long Valley Wetland EIA in 2001.^[31][32] He also led a CAE-HKAES study which assisted the national policy of developing the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area into an international innovation and technology hub.^[33]

His life and work were featured in a one-hour episode of the RTHK science documentary “Our Scientists”.

Honours and awards

• 2023 Honorary Fellow, The Hong Kong Institution of Engineers^[34]
• 2002 Fellow, Hong Kong Academy of Engineering Sciences^[35]
• 2008 Fellow, Royal Academy of Engineering, United Kingdom^[36]
• China State Scientific and Technological Progress Award (First and Principal Investigator, 2010, Second Class)^[37]
• ASCE Hunter Rouse Hydraulic Engineering Award (2009)^[38]
• Honorary Membership, International Association for Hydro-environment Engineering and Research (IAHR) (2015)^[39]
• Senior Research Fellowship Award of the Croucher Foundation (1998)^[40]
• Croucher Laboratory of Environmental Hydraulics (2004)^[41]
• Karl Emil Hilgard Hydraulic Prize of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) (2013)^[42]
• Distinguished IAHR-APD Membership Award (2010)^[43]
• Alexander von Humboldt Research Fellow, University of Karlsruhe, Germany (1992-1993)^[44]
• Innovation Award (Sustainability), the Hong Kong Construction Industry Council (2017)^[45]
• Innovation Award for Construction Industry of the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers (2002)^[46]
• Dai Yu Science & Technology Medal of Chinese Hydraulic Engineering Society (Second class) (2018)^[47]

External links

• Journal of Hydro-environment Research (JHER)
• The Honorary Fellow 2023 - Ir Prof Joseph Lee Hun Wei - A life of hydraulic research for sustainable development
• Travelling with Water - Joseph LEE (I) -English version
• Travelling with Water - Joseph LEE (II)-English version
• Policy Study on the Integrative Development of Innovation and Technology in the Guangdong-Hong Kong – Macao Greater Bay Area [1]

References

1. "MUST Announces its New Appointment of President".
2. (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2021-07-27. Retrieved 2023-08-11.
3. "IAHR Council". from the original on 2021-12-22. Retrieved 2021-08-23.
4. "中国发布丨中国香港学者李行伟连任国际水利与环境工程学会主席_新闻中心_中国网". news.china.com.cn. Retrieved 2023-08-14.
5. "Appointment of Research Grants Council Chairman". from the original on 2021-03-08. Retrieved 2021-08-23.
6. Lee, Joseph Hun-wei; Seo, Il-won (2007-12-04). "Editor's Note". Journal of Hydro-environment Research. 1 (2): 79. doi:10.1016/j.jher.2007.11.001. ISSN 1570-6443.
7. "List of Deans (1912-)". from the original on 2021-11-30. Retrieved 2021-08-23.
8. "Director, Croucher Laboratory of Environmental Hydraulics". from the original on 2020-02-26. Retrieved 2021-08-23.
9. Ioannidis, John P.A. (2022-10-10). "September 2022 data-update for "Updated science-wide author databases of standardized citation indicators"". Elsevier Data Repository. doi:10.17632/btchxktzyw.4. Retrieved 2023-08-14.
10. "澳科大36位学者入选"全球前2%顶尖科学家榜单"". 澳門科技大學. 2022-11-01. Retrieved 2023-08-14.
11. Lee, Joseph H. W.; Cheung, Valiant (1990). "Generalized Lagrangian Model for Buoyant Jets in Current". Journal of Environmental Engineering. 116 (6): 1085–1106. doi:10.1061/(ASCE)0733-9372(1990)116:6(1085). ISSN 0733-9372.
12. Joseph H. W. Lee, Vincent H. Chu (2003). Turbulent Jets and Plumes: A Lagrangian Approach. Vol. 2003 (1st ed.). New York: Springer New York, NY. pp. 1–359. doi:10.1007/978-1-4615-0407-8. ISBN 9781402075209 – via Springer.
13. Lee, Hun-wei Joseph (2012). "Mixing of Multiple Buoyant Jets". Journal of Hydraulic Engineering. 138 (12): 1008–1021. doi:10.1061/(ASCE)HY.1943-7900.0000560. from the original on 2021-08-23. Retrieved 2021-08-23 – via ASCE Library.
14. "Outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) at Amoy Gardens, Kowloon Bay, Hong Kong, Main Findings of the Investigation" (PDF). (PDF) from the original on 2021-02-25. Retrieved 2021-08-23.
15. "WHO experts consulted university engineers on identifying 'at-risk' buildings in Hong Kong" (PDF). Convocation Newsletter (1): 11. 2003.
16. Lee, Joseph H.W.; Huang, Yan; Dickman, Mike; Jayawardena, A.W. (2003). "Neural network modelling of coastal algal blooms". Ecological Modelling. 159 (2–3): 179–201. doi:10.1016/S0304-3800(02)00281-8.
17. Harrison, Paul J.; Yin, Kedong; Lee, J.H.W.; Gan, Jianping; Liu, Hongbin (2008). "Physical–biological coupling in the Pearl River Estuary". Continental Shelf Research. 28 (12): 1405–1415. doi:10.1016/j.csr.2007.02.011.
18. "Beach Water Quality Forecast System launched". www.info.gov.hk. Retrieved 2023-08-16.
19. "Project WATERMAN". from the original on 2021-08-23. Retrieved 2021-08-23.
20. "WATERMAN project website". from the original on 2021-08-16. Retrieved 2021-08-23.
21. "Yuen Long Bypass Floodway (YLBF)". from the original on 2021-08-23. Retrieved 2021-08-23.
22. "Tai Hang Tung Stormwater Storage Scheme – Tai Hang Tung Stormwater Storage Scheme". Drainage Services Department. Retrieved 2023-09-17.
23. "Proposed Drainage Tunnel Schemes for Flood Protection" (PDF).
24. "Hong Kong West Drainage Tunnel". Drainage Services Department. Retrieved 2023-09-17.
25. "Vortex-Flow Intakes". www.iahr.org. Retrieved 2023-09-18.
26. "Three Hong Kong public housing tenants join tainted water probe". South China Morning Post. 2015-10-21. Retrieved 2023-08-22.
27. "Expert Report by Professor Joseph Lee, Expert of the Commission" (PDF). www.coi-drinkingwater.gov.hk. 2016-02-05. Retrieved 2023-08-22.
28. Chan, Shu Ning; Chang, Lu; Choi, King Wah; Lee, Joseph H. W.; Fawell, John K.; Kwok, Kelvin Y. T. (2020-11-17). "Unraveling the Causes of Excess Lead in Drinking Water Supply Systems of Densely Populated High-Rise Buildings in Hong Kong". Environmental Science & Technology. 54 (22): 14322–14333. doi:10.1021/acs.est.0c03232. ISSN 0013-936X.
29. "Investigations into flooding at Sha Po Tsai Village completed (with video)". www.info.gov.hk. Retrieved 2023-08-22.
30. Lee, Joseph Hun-wei (2010-10-12). "Review of Investigation Report on the Flooding in Sha Po Tsai Village, Tai Po on 22 July 2010" (PDF). www.devb.gov.hk. Retrieved 2023-08-22.
31. "ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT APPEAL BOARD NO. 2 OF 2000". www.epd.gov.hk. Retrieved 2023-08-22.
32. "LETTERHEAD OF ADVISORY COUNCIL ON THE ENVIRONMENT" (PDF). www.legco.gov.hk. 2001-12-10. Retrieved 2023-08-22.
33. "Hong Kong must 'innovate or die', new study warns". South China Morning Post. 2018-05-14. Retrieved 2023-08-14.
34. "HKIE - The Hong Kong Institution of Engineers Announced the Awardees of Four Engineering Awards". www.hkie.org.hk. Retrieved 2023-09-17.
35. "Fellows | HKAES". www.hkaes.org. Retrieved 2023-09-17.
36. . Royal Academy of Engineering. Archived from the original on 2021-08-31. Retrieved 2021-07-21.
37. "HKUST Vice-President Prof Joseph Lee Wins State Scientific and Technological Progress Award". from the original on 2022-10-06. Retrieved 2021-08-23.
38. "Hunter Rouse Hydraulic Engineering Award Past Award Winners". www.asce.org. Retrieved 2023-09-17.
39. "IAHR Honorary Membership Award". from the original on 2021-08-18. Retrieved 2021-08-23.
40. "Joseph Lee Hun Wei, The Croucher Foundation scholars". from the original on 2021-08-16. Retrieved 2021-08-23.
41. "Croucher Laboratory Naming Ceremony". from the original on 2021-07-27. Retrieved 2021-08-23.
42. "Karl Emil Hilgard Hydraulic Prize Past Award Winners". www.asce.org. Retrieved 2023-09-17.
43. "2010 IAHR APD Distinguished Membership Award". from the original on 2021-07-21. Retrieved 2021-08-23.
44. "Prof. Dr. Joseph Hun-Wei Lee Profile". www.humboldt-foundation.de. Retrieved 2023-09-17.
45. "CIC Construction Innovation Award 2017 | CIC Construction Innovation Expo 2022". ciexpo.cic.hk. Retrieved 2023-09-17.
46. "Innovation Awards for Construction Industry 2001/02". www.hkengineer.org.hk. Retrieved 2023-09-17.
47. "Happy Valley Underground Stormwater Storage Scheme Awarded 2018 Dai Yu Science & Technology Medal of Chinese Hydraulic Engineering Society". Drainage Services Department. Retrieved 2023-09-17.