Charles K. Kao

The Honourable Sir Charles Kuen Kao GBM KBE FRS FREng
Charles K. Kao receiving an honorary degree from Princeton University in 2004
Native name	高錕
Born	(1933-11-04) 4 November 1933 (age 83) Shanghai, China
Residence	Republic of China (1933–1948) Hong Kong (1949–present) United Kingdom (1952–1970) United States
Citizenship	United States United Kingdom
Nationality	United States United Kingdom
Fields	Physics
Institutions	The Chinese University of Hong Kong ITT Corporation Yale University Standard Telephones and Cables
Alma mater	University College London (PhD 1965, issued by University of London) University of Greenwich (BSc 1957, issued by University of London)
Doctoral advisor	Harold Barlow
Known for	Fiber optics Fiber-optic communication
Notable awards	Stuart Ballantine Medal (1977) IEEE Morris N. Liebmann Memorial Award (1978) IEEE Alexander Graham Bell Medal (1985) Marconi Prize (1985) C&C Prize (1987) Faraday Medal (1989) James C. McGroddy Prize for New Materials (1989) FREng (1989) SPIE Gold Medal (1992) CBE (1992) Prince Philip Medal (1996) Japan Prize (1996) 3463 Kaokuen (1996) FRS (1997) Charles Stark Draper Prize (1999) Asian of the Century (1999) Nobel Prize in Physics (2009) Grand Bauhinia Medal (2010) KBE (2010)

Sir Charles Kuen Kao,GBM,KBE,FRS,FREng (born 4 November 1933) is a Chinese-born Hong Kong, American and British electrical engineer and physicist who pioneered in the development and use of fiber optics in telecommunications. Kao, known as the "Godfather of Broadband", "Father of Fiber Optics" or "Father of Fiber Optic Communications", was jointly awarded the 2009 Nobel Prize in Physics for "groundbreaking achievements concerning the transmission of light in fibers for optical communication". Kao holds multiple citizenship of Hong Kong, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Charles Kao was born in Shanghai in 1933, and his ancestral home is in nearby Jinshan. He studied Chinese classics at home with his brother, under a tutor. He also studied English and French at an international school in Shanghai which was founded by a number of progressive Chinese educators including Cai Yuanpei.

Kao's family moved to Hong Kong in 1948 where he completed his secondary education (advanced level) at St. Joseph's College in 1952. He did his undergraduate studies in electrical engineering at Woolwich Polytechnic (now the University of Greenwich), obtaining his Bachelor of Science degree.