New Staff

Professor Naubahar Sharif appointed Head of the Department of Social Sciences and Policy Studies

Professor Sharif joins EdUHK after two decades at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), where he served as Head of the Division of Public Policy from 2021 to 2025. His research examines the history and development of Hong Kong’s innovation system and the broader landscape of science, technology and innovation policy in Hong Kong and the Greater Bay Area. His recent work has expanded to the Belt and Road Initiative, as well as mental health and wellbeing in Hong Kong.

He has authored more than 50 peer‑reviewed journal articles and book chapters, with publications in leading Q1-ranked journals such as Research Policy, The China Quarterly, Science and Public Policy, The China Journal, and Science, Technology & Human Values. From 2006 to 2010, he served as a consultant to the Hong Kong Innovation and Technology Commission. His research was selected as one of HKUST’s few sole‑authored impact case studies for the 2020 and 2025 Research Assessment Exercises.

Professor Sharif is active in public service. In May 2024, he was appointed to the Research Strategy Expert Group under the Chief Executive’s Policy Unit of the HKSAR Government, a high-level advisory body that informs long-term policy direction. He has also served on the Advisory Committee on Mental Health (2017–2025) and the Mental Health Review Tribunal (2019–2025). In addition, he is a Senior Advisor to The Joseph Needham Foundation for Science & Civilisation (Hong Kong).

Dr Yoko Mochizuki joined us as Associate Professor in the Department of Social Sciences and Policy Studies with a secondary affiliation to the Academy of Applied Policy Studies and Education Futures in August 2025.

Dr Mochizuki is an internationally recognised expert in Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) aligned with SDG Goal 4.7. She holds a PhD (with distinction) in Comparative and International Education from Columbia University, specialising in Sociology.

Her research bridges sustainability competencies, higher education for sustainable development, climate change education, international educational cooperation, and the global governance of education. She has coordinated UNESCO publications on transformative education and published extensively in leading journals and presses.

Previously, Dr Mochizuki served as Head of Policy at UNESCO MGIEP in New Delhi, Programme Specialist for ESD and Climate Change at UNESCO Paris, and ESD Specialist at the United Nations University–Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability.

In addition to his research and professional consultancy, Professor Edwards has been acknowledged for sector-wide leadership in teaching and learning through the award of Principal Fellowship of the UK’s Higher Education Academy (PFHEA). His academic career began in physical education, having trained as a PE teacher, and he continues to advocate for excellence in teacher education and curriculum innovation in the field.

Dr Jason Yi Long joined us as Assistant Professor in the Department of Social Sciences and Policy Studies in August 2025.

Before joining EdUHK, Dr Yi was Assistant Professor at the Shenzhen Audencia Financial Technology Institute, and previously worked at the School of Business, Hong Kong Baptist University. He earned his PhD in Finance from the University of Hong Kong.

His research covers empirical corporate finance and asset pricing, with particular interest in the impact of external environments on corporate decisions. He is especially focused on innovation and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) engagement. He has secured external competitive grants, including a GRF from the UGC. His papers feature in top-tier journals such as the Review of Economics and Statistics and Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis. He also serves as an ad hoc referee for the Review of Accounting Studies and Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, among others.

Dr Yara Wang Yao joined us as Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Social Sciences and Policy Studies in August 2025.

Dr Wang received her PhD in Public Policy from City University of Hong Kong in 2025. Her research centres on behavioural public administration, gender and social equity, and representative bureaucracy, with a keen interest in how social identities and organisational contexts influence citizen–state interactions and public trust. Her work is published in major journals including Public Management Review, Public Administration, and Public Administration Review.

Dr Zhang Junyi joined us as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mathematics and Information Technology in August 2025

Dr Zhang obtained his PhD in Statistics from the London School of Economics. Before joining EdUHK, he was a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Applied Mathematics at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University and a Researcher at the Bocconi Institute for Data Science and Analytics (BIDSA) at Bocconi University.

Dr Zhang’s research interests include Bayesian non-parametrics and Bayesian machine learning. He is also interested in applied probability and financial mathematics.

Dr Matthew Li Tin-lok joined us as Senior Lecturer II, in the Department of Science and Environmental Studies in July 2025

Dr Li was formerly a Curriculum Officer in the Education Bureau (EDB)’s Science Section and Senior Lecturer at Hong Kong Metropolitan University (HKMU).

He leads the design and delivery of technology‑enhanced, inquiry‑based STEAM learning across higher education and school settings. He has taught courses on STEAM curriculum and pedagogy, developed workshops for more than 10,000 students, and collaborated with education authorities to provide technology‑supported professional training for local primary and secondary school teachers.

His experience as a Curriculum Support Officer in the EDB’s Science Section—contributing to the HKDSE Chemistry syllabus, primary science and junior secondary science curricula—provides a systemic perspective on curriculum alignment, assessment, and policy. He has also designed multiple EDB professional development programmes on effective science pedagogy.

Dr Li’s research and professional interests include organic chemistry, technology‑enhanced science and STEAM education, curriculum leadership and design, inquiry‑based and assessment‑for‑learning approaches, and teachers’ professional learning. He is committed to advancing impactful, research‑informed science learning at EdUHK.

Dr Shawn Liang Xiao joined us as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Health and Physical Education in July 2025

Prior to joining EdUHK, Dr Liang served as a Research Assistant Professor at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University for around two and a half years. Since obtaining his PhD from the Chinese University of Hong Kong in 2022, Dr Liang has become a promising young researcher in the fields of physical activity and health. His research primarily focuses on childhood neurodevelopmental disorders, including ADHD and ASD, with an emphasis on the design and implementation of exercise interventions, physical activity, executive functions and sleep.

Over the past five years, Dr Liang has published 33 peer-reviewed articles in leading journals such as JAMA Pediatrics, JAMA Network Open, Sports Medicine, and Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, demonstrating the high impact and quality of his academic work. He has received several awards, notably the Young Professional Award from the International Federation of Adapted Physical Activity in 2025 and the British Journal of Sports Medicine PhD Academy Award in 2023.