Milestone
AMA Milestone
1937 -1972
1972
By the time the Hong Kong Polytechnic was formally established on 1 August 1972, the Department of Mathematics & Science was one of the 8 academics departments. The Acting Head Mr. Wai Kee KAM led a team of enthusiastic staff providing service teaching of Mathematics, Science, and Statistics for Engineering and Commerce students.
1976
In July, the Department of Mathematical Studies was established as a result of the reorganization of the Department of Mathematics and Science, and set up its office in the first new building the Polytechnic - The Tang Ping Yuan Building (now Cores CF) in October.
1977
Dr. Irving Che-hong Tang (2nd from left) was appointed as the first Head of the Department of Mathematical Studies with effective date 16 January 1977. Dr. Tang held the position until his retirement in May 1989.
1978
In addition to a full-time Higher Diploma programme, the Department offered a number of day-time and evening short courses and 4 part-time credit-based evening programmes including:
- Part-time Associateship course in Applied Statistics (evening 2-year)
- Part-time Endorsement Certificate course in Applied Statistics (evening 1-year)
- Part-time Higher certificate course in Mathematical Studies
- Certificate course in Mathematical Studies
1983
The Department introduced its first degree programme: BSc (Hons) in Combined Studies in Mathematics and Science (mixed mode) in conjunction with the Department of Applied Science. It was one of the first batch of five degree programmes offered by the Polytechnic.
1984
The Department expanded rapidly by recruiting staff from all over the world. In 1984, it had more than 55 staff and its office was relocated from The Tang Ping Yuen Building (CD wing) to Core J (now The Stanley Ho Building).
1988
The Polytechnic held its first Graduation Ceremony for both full-time and part-time graduates at the Hong Kong Coliseum.
1989 - 1991
Dr Alfred Yu (later Prof. Alfred Yu) was appointed as the new Head in 1989. The Department registered its first MPhil student, Mr. Kelvin Lam Kong in the same year.
In 1991, the Department was renamed as the Department of Applied Mathematics (AMA) and introduced two new academic programmes, BSc in Applied Mathematics (3-year), and Part-time Post-Experienced Diploma in Applied Statistics (evening 3-year).
1992 - 1993
In 1992, Mr. T M Shih and Mrs. C. B. Ho won AMA’s first Competitive Earmarked Research Grant (CERG) from the Research Grants Council (RGC) while the Polytechnic celebrated its 20th anniversary.
Mr. Antonio C.K. Poon assumed duty as Head and the Department launched its first government funded Master Programme, MSc/ PgD in Applied Mathematics for Science and Technology (Part-time: 2 years minimum) in 1993
1994
On 25 November, the Polytechnic assumed full university status, changing its name to “The Hong Kong Polytechnic University". Dr. Hou Shui Hung (now Prof. Hou S.H.) was appointed Head of the Department in 1994. The 1st AMA scholarship, Dr. Christophe Ping-cheng Yuen Memorial Mathematics Prize, was established in memory of Dr. Yuen (left).
1996 - 1998
The Department conferred its first batch of PhD students: Drs. Lee Wa Tsan, Judy Tam and Mung King Shing Gregory in 1996.
In 1998, Professor Teo Kok-lay (2nd from left, front row) was appointed Chair Professor and Head of Department.
2000
To meet the rising demand of applied mathematics talents in the business sectors, the Department introduced a Part-time Higher Diplomas in Statistics and Computing for Business and two Part-time degree programmes : BSc (Hons) in Statistics and Computing and BSc (Hons) in Actuarial Science in 2000 - 2002. It also offered Minor programme in Applied Mathematics for non-AMA students.
2005
The AMSS-PolyU Joint Research Institute for Engineering and Management Mathematics (JRI) was established. The inauguration ceremony was held on 20 January 2006 and officiated by President Prof. Poon Chung-kwong and JRI’s Directors, Prof. Yuan Ya-xiang and Prof. Qi Liqun.
2006
Dr. Chan Cheong-ki (later Prof. Chan Cheong-ki) was appointed as Head of Department.
2007
Chair Prof. Qi Liqun was appointed as Head in June 2016. AMA formally introduced its first departmental logo designed by the winner of the Logo Design Competition. In September, a 2-year UGC-funded BSc (Hons) in Investment Science jointly with the Department of Accounting and Finance (AF) for associate degree holders was launched. This programme was extended to three years for JUPAS applicants in 2009, and to four years under the 334 academic structure in 2012.
2009
The Department recruited outstanding scholars worldwide from time to time to achieve world prominence in its research areas. By May 2008, AMA had five eminent Chair Professors including Professors Ye Yinyu, Colin Rogers, Kwong Man-kam, Qi Liqun and Ian Sloan who possess extensive experience over a wide range of research areas in Applied Mathematics.
2012
AMA has achieved higher rankings and secured increased research funding. In 2012, PolyU Mathematics was ranked 75th in the Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) and 100th in the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings.
2013
Prof. Chen Xiaojun assumed duty as Head of the Department in July. AMA offices were relocated to 7th and 8th floor of TU Wing and 1/F of Core P.
The Department established a SIAM Student Chapter at PolyU, the first and only Student Chapter of the Society of Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM) in Hong Kong. Statistics and Operations Research in PolyU was ranked in the World’s Top 25 by QS. In September, a new Master Programme, MSc in Operational Research and Risk Analysis was launched.
In 2015, AMA was first listed as a highly cited institution by ISI Essential Science Indicators (ESI).
2017
In 2017, AMA celebrated its 45th anniversary with a series of events, including a banquet held on October 12 that brought together over 340 alumni, retirees, staff, students, and industry partners to honor AMA's achievement.
To address the growing demand for data science professionals, AMA launched a new 2-year articulation programme, BSc (Hon.) in Data Science and Analytics, admitting its first cohort in September.
In October, AMA and the Department of Computing established the University Research Facility in Big Data Analytics (UBDA) to foster cross-disciplinary research, strengthen industry partnerships, and promote big data education in Hong Kong.
2019
Approved by the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), the JRI was elevated in 2019 to one of 22 CAS joint laboratories with Hong Kong universities and was named the CAS AMSS-PolyU Joint Laboratory of Applied Mathematics (JLab) in January.
In July, Prof. Sun Defeng assumed the role of Head. The Department also revamped its BSc (Hons) in Investment Science programme by incorporating computer science elements to enhance students’ mathematical and statistical training, with a special focus on investment and finance analytics. The restructured programme, then titled BSc (Hons) in Investment Science and Finance Analytics, welcomed its first cohort in September.
2020
According to The UGC Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) 2020, 89% of AMA’s research has achieved ‘world leading’ or ‘Internationally excellent’ rating by international standards.
A new MSc in Data Science and Analytics programme is launched in January and welcomes its first cohort in September.
2022
In 2022, AMA celebrated its Golden Jubilee as PolyU embarked on its 85th anniversary. Despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department organized a series of online distinguished lectures featuring world-leading researchers to commemorate this special year.
The dedication and impactful research of AMA scholars have been widely recognized, with several being named among the World’s Top 2% Scientists by Stanford University since 2022. In the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2024, PolyU is ranked 32nd globally in “Data Science & AI”.
2024
On July 1, 2024, selected faculty members from AMA and COMP formed the new Department of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence (DSAI). Subsequently, on January 1, 2025, PolyU established the Faculty of Computer and Mathematical Sciences (FCMS), uniting AMA, COMP, and DSAI. As part of this restructuring, AMA transitioned from the Faculty of Science to FCMS.
2025
Amid rapid technological advancements from 2022 to 2025, AMA established four new research centres: RCQF (Quantitative Finance), RCNA (Non-linear Analysis), CMFAI (Mathematical Foundations of Generative AI), and IOR (Intelligent Operations Research). The first two industry-partnered facilities—the CITIC-PolyU Joint Lab in AI with CITIC Group and the PolyU-Huawei MOILab with Huawei Technologies—were also launched to drive innovation in these evolving fields.
