The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) proudly highlights the impactful work of Professor Hao Chen, an Assistant Professor jointly appointed in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Department of Computer Science and Engineering and the Division of Life Science. Widely recognized for his transformative research at the intersection of artificial intelligence and healthcare, Professor Chen leads the SMART Lab, where his team focuses on developing large and trustworthy AI systems for biomedicine.

Professor Chen’s research explores areas including deep learning, computational pathology, and multimodal foundation models. He has published over 100 peer-reviewed papers in top-tier venues such as Nature Biomedical Engineering, Nature Communications, IEEE TMI, MICCAI, CVPR, and ICLR. His work has attracted over 36,000 citations and earned him numerous honors, including the MICCAI Young Scientist Impact Award, the Asian Young Scientist Fellowship, etc. He is also the recipient of the HKUST Engineering Young Investigator Research Award (2024-25).

In addition to his academic contributions, Professor Chen brings rich experience from industry, including co-founding a startup. He has led his teams to win 15+ international medical AI challenges, including the RSNA Pneumonia Detection Challenge. Professor Chen also serves as Director of Collaborative Center for Medical and Engineering Innovation and Associate Director of Center for Medical Imaging and Analysis at HKUST.

Through his interdisciplinary work and commitment to innovation, Professor Chen is helping to shape the future of precision medicine with AI. His efforts reflect HKUST’s mission to advance science and technology for the betterment of society — locally and globally.