Nancy Chu Ip Yuk-yu (), as known as Nancy Y. Ip in academic publications, is a Hong Kong neuroscientist. She is serving as the 5th President of the
Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) since 19 October 2022. She had served as the Vice-President of Research and Development, the Morningside Professor of Life Science, and Director of the State Key Laboratory of Molecular Neuroscience at the HKUST.
Biography
Nancy Ip was born in
Hong Kong, with her
ancestral home in
Taishan,
Guangdong. She is the youngest of six children.
She attended secondary education at
St. Mary's Canossian College.
She received her bachelor degree in
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science, scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the Chemical element, elements that make up matter to the chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions ...
and
Biology from
Simmons College in 1977,
and she earned a doctorate in
pharmacology
Pharmacology is a branch of medicine, biology and pharmaceutical sciences concerned with drug or medication action, where a drug may be defined as any artificial, natural, or endogenous (from within the body) molecule which exerts a biochemica ...
from
Harvard University Medical School
Harvard Medical School (HMS) is the graduate medical school of Harvard University and is located in the Longwood Medical Area of Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1782, HMS is one of the oldest medical schools in the United States and is consis ...
in 1983.
After graduation, she spent the early part of her scientific career in the USA, and was Senior Staff Scientist at
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, New York.
Since joining
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology in 1993, Ip served as Dean of Science, the Director of the Biotechnology Research Institute, and the Head of the Department of Biochemistry. She is currently the Vice-President for Research and Development, the Morningside Professor of Life Science, and Director of the State Key Laboratory of Molecular Neuroscience at the University
She has been elected to the
Chinese Academy of Sciences (2001), the World Academy of Sciences (2004), the US National Academy of Sciences (2015), the Hong Kong Academy of Sciences (2015), the American of Arts and Sciences (2016), and the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (2019).
In 2004, she received the
L'Oréal-UNESCO Awards for Women in Science Award at the 6th Annual L'Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science Awards
for her discoveries on the molecular control of growth, differentiation and synapse formation in the nervous system.
Research
Ip has made seminal discoveries in the biology of neurotrophic factors, specifically proteins that support the growth, survival, and differentiation of both developing and mature
neurons. Her recent research to understand the deregulation of signaling pathways mediated by different classes of cell surface receptors has led to critical insights on the mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of
Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegeneration, neurodegenerative disease that usually starts slowly and progressively worsens. It is the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in short-term me ...
, and unveiled new molecular targets and potential therapeutic strategies for the disease.
Award
* 1998 - Croucher Foundation Senior Research Fellowship
* 2001 - Academician of the
Chinese Academy of Sciences
* 2003 & 2011 - State Natural Science Award, State Council of the People's Republic of China
* 2004 - Fellow,
The World Academy of Sciences
* 2004 -
L'Oréal-UNESCO Awards for Women in Science
* 2008 - Prize for Scientific and Technological Progress of Ho Leung Ho Lee Foundation
* 2008 - Medal of Honor, Hong Kong SAR Government
* 2011 - Chevalier de l'Ordre National du Merite, France
* 2014 - Justice of Peace, Hong Kong SAR Government
* 2015 - Founding Member, The Academy of Sciences of Hong Kong
* 2016 - Foreign Associate, US
National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) is a United States nonprofit, non-governmental organization. NAS is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) and the Nati ...
* 2016 - Foreign Honorary Member, American Academy of Arts and Sciences
* 2016 - 10 Science Stars of China by Nature
* 2017 - Bronze Bauhinia Star (BBS), Hong Kong SAR Government
* 2019 - Fellow of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences
Further reading
*
References
External links
Ip Lab - Molecular Neuroscience Laboratory (ust.hk)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ip, Nancy
1955 births
Living people
21st-century American women scientists
Chinese women biologists
Chinese women neuroscientists
Foreign associates of the National Academy of Sciences
Harvard Medical School alumni
Hong Kong women scientists
Hong Kong University of Science and Technology faculty
Presidents of the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
L'Oréal-UNESCO Awards for Women in Science laureates
Members of the Chinese Academy of Sciences
Simmons University alumni
TWAS fellows
American women academics