Mr Peter Maurer, President of ICRC

Mr Peter Maurer was born in Thun, Switzerland, in 1956. He studied history and international law in Bern, where he was awarded a doctorate. In 1987 he entered the Swiss diplomatic service, where he held various positions in Bern and Pretoria before being transferred to New York in 1996 as deputy permanent observer at the Swiss mission to the United Nations. In 2000 he was appointed ambassador and head of the human security division in the political directorate of the Swiss Department of Foreign Affairs in Bern.

Prof Wei Shyy, President of HKUST

Prof Shyy first joined HKUST in August 2010 as Provost and Chair Professor of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. Prior to joining HKUST, he was Clarence L. "Kelly" Johnson Collegiate Professor and Chairman of the Department of Aerospace Engineering of the University of Michigan. Prof Shyy obtained his BS degree from Tsing-Hua University, Taiwan, and his MSE and PhD degrees in Aerospace Engineering from University of Michigan. He has supervised and hosted many PhD students as well as postdoctoral fellows and visiting scholars.