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Wang began his new role in September, holding a joint appointment at HKU's School of Computing and Data Science and School of Biomedical Sciences, the university announced.
HKU ranks first in the 2026 QS Asia University Rankings, which cover more than 1,500 institutions.
A leading figure in theoretical and computational neuroscience, Wang previously served as Distinguished Global Professor of Neural Science at NYU, where he joined the Center for Neural Science in 2012. He was also an adjunct professor of physics and mathematics, according to HKU.
His research focuses on how the brain supports functions such as memory and decision-making, using mathematical and computer models to study the neural circuits involved.
His work has also extended into computational psychiatry, which uses mathematical models to examine how brain activity may be linked to psychiatric disorders. More recently, his research has explored how different regions across the brain interact, with applications spanning neuroscience, artificial intelligence and mental health.
As of August, he had an h-index of 111, a measure of the impact of a researcher's publications, and more than 55,000 citations, according to his HKU profile. Clarivate named him a Highly Cited Researcher in 2021 and 2024.
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Computational neuroscientist Xiao-Jing Wang. Photo courtesy of HKU |
From physics to brain science
Wang studied biology at Peking University, China, in 1978-1979 before moving to Belgium, where he turned to theoretical physics, according to his curriculum vitae.
He spent eight years studying physics there and earned his Ph.D. with the highest distinction from the Free University of Brussels in 1987. He studied at an institute led by Ilya Prigogine, winner of the 1977 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
He later held positions at the University of Pittsburgh, Brandeis University and Yale University. At Yale, he was a professor of neurobiology and founding director of the Swartz Center for Theoretical Neuroscience before moving to NYU.
He also has longstanding academic ties to Asia. From 2012 to 2017, he served as founding provost and vice president for research at NYU Shanghai, helping develop the university's research strategy and curriculum.
His honors include a Guggenheim Fellowship in 2012, the Swartz Prize for Theoretical and Computational Neuroscience in 2017, the Goldman-Rakic Prize for Outstanding Achievement in Cognitive Neuroscience in 2018 and Germany's Valentin Braitenberg Award for Computational Neuroscience in 2026.
He was elected to Belgium's Royal Academy of Science, Letters and Fine Arts in 2021.
He has also served as a visiting professor at MIT, Stanford University and the Collège de France. He has mentored more than 35 graduate students and postdoctoral researchers who later became professors at institutions including Yale, Columbia, Duke, the University of Chicago, MIT, Princeton and Oxford.
At HKU, his research will span theoretical, systems and cognitive neuroscience, with applications in brain science, artificial intelligence and psychiatry. HKU President Xiang Zhang said Wang's appointment would strengthen the university's research in brain science, AI and healthcare innovation.
