Professor Timothy W. Tong is President of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Prior to this, he was Dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Science at The George Washington University in the US.

Professor Tong has published more than 80 articles in international journals, and authored seven books and conference proceedings in the field of heat transfer.

For three consecutive years, from 1994 to 1996, Professor Tong was recognised as Teacher of the Year by the Arizona State University Chapter of Pi Tau Sigma, and received the Ralph R. Teetor Educational Award from the Society of Automotive Engineers in recognition of his innovative approaches to teaching. He is a fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, and was inducted into the Hong Kong Academy of Distinguished Engineers and the Engineering Hall of Fame By Oregon State University in 2001 and 2010 respectively.