PeopleofSuperintelligence

Researcher

Kwong Sak Leung

Also known as 梁廣錫, Kwong-Sak Leung

Kwong Sak Leung is a computer scientist in Hong Kong who works on genetic programming, machine learning and data mining, with applications in bioinformatics and drug discovery. He earned his BSc (Eng) and PhD at the University of London in 1977 and 1980, worked five years in England, and joined the Chinese University of Hong Kong in 1985, where he chaired the Department of Computer Science and Engineering from 1999 to 2005. With Man Leung Wong, he published the book Data Mining Using Grammar Based Genetic Programming and Applications in 2000, and from 2014 to 2021 he directed the Urban Informatics Programme at CUHK's Institute of Future Cities. Stanford's 2021 metrics ranked him among the world's top 2% most-cited scientists in artificial intelligence and bioinformatics. Since 2022, he is a Distinguished Professor of Applied Data Science at Hong Kong Shue Yan University and an emeritus professor at CUHK.

Now at
Hong Kong Shue Yan University and Chinese University of Hong Kong
Badges

Timeline

  1. 1977–1985

    A London PhD and CUHK

    He earns a BSc (Eng) in 1977 and a PhD in 1980 at Queen Mary College, University of London. After five years in England as a senior engineer at ERA Technology and a system analyst at the Headquarters computer centre of the Central Electricity Generating Board, he joins the Chinese University of Hong Kong in August 1985 as a lecturer in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering.

  2. 1990–2005

    Chairing CUHK computer science

    He becomes a senior lecturer at CUHK in 1990 and a reader in 1996. From August 1999 to July 2005, he chairs the Department of Computer Science and Engineering.

  3. 1995–2000

    Genetic programming for data mining

    With Man Leung Wong, he publishes the Genetic Logic Programming System in 1995, a system that induces logic programs with genetic algorithms. Their book Data Mining Using Grammar Based Genetic Programming and Applications appears from Kluwer Academic Publishers in 2000.

  4. 2000

    Distinguished Fellow of HKCS

    The Hong Kong Computer Society elects him a Distinguished Fellow in 2000.

  5. 2011–2021

    Trans-omics and Future Cities roles

    He is a professor in the CUHK-BGI Innovation Institution of Trans-omics from 2011 to 2018, and holds a chair professorship in computer science and engineering at CUHK until 2018. From 2014 to 2021, he directs the Urban Informatics Programme at CUHK's Institute of Future Cities, which announces a plug-and-play air pollution monitoring system and a wearable particulate matter monitor in 2019. His research interests cover bioinformatics, drug discovery, genetic algorithms and programming, and machine learning.

  6. 2021

    Top 2% most-cited scientists

    Stanford University's 2021 metrics rank him among the world's top 2% most-cited scientists in the subfields of artificial intelligence and bioinformatics, in both the career-long and single-year categories.

  7. Since 2022

    Distinguished Professor at Shue Yan

    In 2022, he becomes Distinguished Professor in the Department of Applied Data Science at Hong Kong Shue Yan University, and he is an Emeritus Professor of computer science and engineering at CUHK. His team uses computer-aided technology to discover several cancer drugs and has improved algorithms in genetic programming.

  8. Since 2026

    A sleep research grant

    He is a Co-PI of an RGC Theme-based Research Scheme project on sleep and circadian rhythm as a window for preventing mental disorders in adolescents, which runs from January 2026 to December 2030.

Career

  1. Since 2022Hong Kong Shue Yan UniversityDistinguished Professor
  2. Since 1985Chinese University of Hong KongLecturer, Senior Lecturer
  3. 2011–2018CUHK-BGI Innovation Institution of Trans-omicsProfessor
  4. ERA TechnologySenior Engineer
  5. Central Electricity Generating BoardSystem Analyst

Education

  1. 1980University of LondonBSc (Eng), PhD

From the biography.

  1. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology trained or employed 44 of the 187 AI major-prize winners, more than any other universityIncludes Chinese University of Hong Kong. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology trained or employed 44 of the 187 AI major-prize winners, more than any other university. We compare doctorate and 5+ year employment links, career timing and current workplaces for 187 major-prize and 1,111 best-paper winners.
  2. Universities keep AI researchers for a median of 6 years, compared with 2 years at frontier labsIncludes Chinese University of Hong Kong. Across 15,811 dated work stays (6,529 people), median role tenure runs from 6 years at universities to 2 years at frontier labs. We compare all five organization types, starting decades from the 1970s to the 2020s, and the organizations that keep people longest.
  3. The United States employs an estimated 48% of people shaping AIIncludes Chinese University of Hong Kong. We estimate where the people shaping AI work today, how universities, companies and research institutes split across countries, and how country shares have changed since the 1960s.
  4. More people shaping AI studied at Massachusetts Institute of Technology than at any other institutionIncludes Chinese University of Hong Kong. We estimate where the people shaping AI studied and where their careers led. Massachusetts Institute of Technology leads with 467 former students, including 291 recorded doctorates.

Colleagues

People with dated positions at the same organization in the same years.

Sources and credits

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  1. Prof. Kwong Sak, LEUNG | Department of Data Science and Digital Innovation, Hong Kong Shue Yan University adsci.hksyu.edu. Checked 21 October 2026.
  2. Bulletin Autumn‧Winter 2002 iso.cuhk.edu.hk. Checked 21 October 2026.
  3. LEUNG, Kwong-Sak, CUHK CS cse.cuhk.edu.hk. Checked 21 October 2026.
  4. Genetic Programming Bibliography entries for Kwong-Sak Leung gpbib.cs.ucl.ac.uk. Checked 21 October 2026.
  5. CUHK Institute of Future Cites Provides Feasible Applications for Building Smart Cities Cluster in Greater Bay Area cpr.cuhk.edu.hk. Checked 21 October 2026.
  6. Research Excellence – Five HKSYU Distinguished Scholars listed among World’s Top 2% Scientists ro.hksyu.edu. Checked 21 October 2026.