Dear students,
Greetings!
My name is Yufei Tao. “Yu” means universe, “Fei” means “fly”, and “Tao” (my last name) means “cultivating one’s personality”. So, putting everything together, you can see that my grandfather (who blessed me with the name) had wanted me to soar into outer space someday. That has been my dream since childhood, a dream that is drifting farther away every day. Nevertheless, my grandfather would be pleased to know that I am, after all, a frequent flyer through the trips I have taken to talk about algorithms worldwide.
I am a professor in the Department of Computer Science and Engineering. I constantly wonder why someone – my employer, the Chinese University of Hong Kong – would be interested in paying me to do lifelong learning! In case you didn’t know, computer science harbors the future of humankind. After over 20 years, I have discovered only a fraction of the field and sincerely hope you will join me in the endeavor!
Since September this year, I have been serving as the South Block’s Warden. My new role has offered me plenty of opportunities to interact with students from all disciplines. I am excited to have discovered many talented young minds in whom I can see a better future for our society. Their energy, ambition, and creativity are awe-inspiring, although they serve as cold reminders that youth has kissed me goodbye.
When I am not cruising in the universe of computer science, I enjoy running, soccer, badminton, hiking, driving, classical music, literature, movies, and Texas Holdem. Oh yes, if you wish to invite me over for a friendly poker game, do not hesitate, although we need to do it outside the hostel. Depending on my mood, I can be a loose aggressive or a tight aggressive.
It is Week 9 of the semester, and midterm exams are around the corner. I spent a whole day designing a nice paper for my course CSCI3160 (Design and Analysis of Algorithms), with which my students will have lots of fun! I hope you will find your exams fun, too. Good luck!
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About Prof. TAO Yufei, Tony
Yufei Tao, a professor at the Department of Computer Science and Engineering and a Fellow of the ACM, joined LWS College in 2017 and recently assumed duty as Warden (South Block). He is currently a member of the Sports & Physical Education Committee and the Student Life & Development Committee. His research focuses on developing algorithms with attractive theoretical guarantees, particularly algorithms for managing large-scale data. If you want to learn more about Prof. Tao, please visit http://www.cse.cuhk.edu.hk/~taoyf/.