PeopleofSuperintelligence

Researcher

Ching Y. Suen

Also known as Ching Yee Suen

Ching Y. Suen is a Concordia researcher whose work on handwriting recognition and document understanding earned him the IAPR's King-Sun Fu Prize. In 1968 he studied for a doctorate at the University of British Columbia, where he worked on the Lexiphone, a computer that reads documents for blind people. He joined Concordia's faculty in 1972, became an IAPR fellow in 1994, and has chaired the IAPR's King-Sun Fu Prize Selection Committee since 2021. He is a professor of computer science and software engineering at Concordia, and he founded CENPARMI, which he directed for more than 30 years.

Timeline

  1. 1968

    The Lexiphone reading computer

    In 1968 he studies for a doctorate at the University of British Columbia, working on the Lexiphone, a computer that reads documents for blind people.

  2. 1972–1978

    Joining Concordia's faculty

    He joins Concordia's faculty in 1972, and in 1978 he presents a paper on handwriting recognition at the International Joint Conference on Pattern Recognition.

  3. 1994

    An IAPR fellowship

    He is named an IAPR fellow in 1994.

  4. 1995

    Royal Society of Canada fellow

    In 1995 he becomes a fellow of the Academy of Sciences of the Royal Society of Canada.

  5. 2020

    The 2020 King-Sun Fu Prize

    The IAPR names him the 2020 King-Sun Fu Prize recipient for work on handwriting recognition and document understanding.

  6. Since 2021

    Chairing the prize committee

    He takes on the chair of the IAPR's King-Sun Fu Prize Selection Committee in 2021.

  7. 2025

    A 2025 Research Impact Award

    Concordia names him a 2025 Research Impact Awards winner for work behind handwriting, fingerprint and document recognition.

  8. As of October 2026

    Professor and CENPARMI founder

    He is a professor of computer science and software engineering at Concordia, and he founded CENPARMI, which he directed for more than 30 years.

Sources and credits

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  1. Un professeur d’informatique et de génie logiciel de Concordia obtient le plus prestigieux honneur en reconnaissance des formes | Actualités - Concordia University concordia.ca. Checked 14 October 2026.
  2. Chronological List of IAPR Fellows – International Association for Pattern Recognition iapr.org. Checked 14 October 2026.
  3. Dr. Ching Yee Suen - Concordia University concordia.ca. Checked 14 October 2026.
  4. Distinguished Lecture Series, Department of Computer Science, Hong Kong Baptist University comp.hkbu.edu.hk. Checked 14 October 2026.
  5. King-Sun Fu Prize – International Association for Pattern Recognition iapr.org. Checked 14 October 2026.
  6. 2020 King-Sun Fu Prize – International Association for Pattern Recognition iapr.org. Checked 14 October 2026.
  7. Research Impact Awards | Research - Concordia University concordia.ca. Checked 14 October 2026.