Charles Kao biography, married, wife, may-wan kao, twitter, instagram, net worth

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<p><a href="/biography/charles-kao">Charles Kuen Kao</a> was born on November 4, 1933, in Shanghai, China. His father, Kao Chun-Hsiang, was a lawyer and a professor at Soochow University. Charles was raised in Jinshan alongside his brother. He received his early education at an international school in Shanghai, where he studied English, French, and classical Chinese.</p>

<h2>Educational Background and Early Career</h2>
<p>In 1948, his family moved to Hong Kong due to the changing political climate in China. Charles continued his education at St. Joseph’s College, graduating in 1952. He then moved to the United Kingdom to study electrical engineering at Woolwich Polytechnic (now part of the University of Greenwich), where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree.</p>

<p>Kao pursued further studies at the University of London and completed his <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctor_of_Philosophy">Ph.D.</a> in electrical engineering in 1965. During this period, he also worked as an external student researcher at Standard Telecommunication Laboratories in Harlow, England. It was here that his groundbreaking research on fiber optics began to take shape.</p>

<h2>Pioneering Work in Fiber Optic Communication</h2>
<p>Charles Kao made revolutionary contributions to the development and application of fiber optics in telecommunications. His work demonstrated that light could be transmitted over long distances through optical fibers, a concept that laid the foundation for modern high-speed internet and global communications. This achievement earned him the title "Father of Fiber Optic Communications."</p>

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<h2>Academic and Professional Appointments</h2>
<p>In 1970, Kao returned to Hong Kong and joined the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) as a faculty member in the Department of Electronics. He later became the department's Chair Professor. In 1974, he relocated to Roanoke, Virginia, in the United States to work for ITT Corporation.</p>

<p>Over the years, Kao advanced from Chief Scientist to Director of Engineering and, in 1982, became ITT’s first Executive Scientist. He was based primarily at the company's Advanced Technology Center in Connecticut. In 1985, he spent time in Germany at the SEL Research Centre and was appointed Corporate Director of Research at ITT the following year.</p>

<p>From 1987 to 1996, Kao served as Vice-Chancellor (President) of CUHK, contributing significantly to the university’s development and international reputation.</p>

<h2>Later Years and Contributions to Academia</h2>
<p>After retiring from CUHK in 1996, Kao returned to the United Kingdom and spent six months at Imperial College London in the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering. From 1997 to 2002, he served as a Visiting Professor there. His influence also extended to regional educational initiatives; he served as President of the Association of Southeast Asian Institutions of Higher Learning from 1993 to 1994.</p>

<h2>Involvement in Education and Media</h2>
<p>Kao remained active in educational initiatives throughout his later life. He co-founded the Independent Schools Foundation Academy in 2000, a non-profit school in Hong Kong offering international education. He served as its Chairman until stepping down in December 2008.</p>

<p>Between 2003 and 2009, he held a role as an Independent Non-Executive Director and Audit Committee member of Next Media, a media company headquartered in Hong Kong.</p>

<h2>Honors and Personal Life</h2>
<p>In 2009, Charles Kao was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for his pioneering achievements in the transmission of light in optical fibers. His work was instrumental in the advancement of high-speed and long-distance telecommunications.</p>

<p>Kao married May-Wan Kao, a British-Chinese Fortran programmer, whom he met in London. The couple had two children, a son and a daughter, both currently residing and working in California, United States. Although Charles Kao's personal net worth remains undisclosed, his intellectual legacy continues to impact the fields of engineering, telecommunications, and education worldwide.</p>

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