Keynote speaker

Professor Joshua Mok has successfully established academic, research and administrative expertise not only in Hong Kong but also in Chinese Mainland and the United Kingdom (UK). Before joining The Hang Seng University of Hong Kong, he was the Vice President and Lam Man Tsan Chair Professor of Comparative Policy at Lingnan University. Prior to that, Professor Mok has held leadership positions at various universities, including Vice President (Research and Development) and Dean of the Faculty of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences at The Education University of Hong Kong; Associate Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences at The University of Hong Kong; and Chair Professor and Founding Director of the Centre of East Asian Studies at the University of Bristol, UK.

A highly respected scholar and educator, Professor Mok has been recognised among the world’s top 2% scientists by Stanford University and acknowledged as a top leader in Social Sciences and Humanities by Research.com. Most recently, he is named as a top scholar by ScholarGPS in 2026, being ranked 1st in Asian Studies and 7th in Higher Education Research over the past five years.

His academic career has been distinguished by leadership in higher education policy, comparative social policy and institutional development. He has authored numerous books and peer-reviewed journal articles on comparative education, social governance and higher education reform, and social policy and development studies. He was appointed as a Changjiang Chair Professor by the Chinese Ministry of Education in 2010 and has served as an international consultant to UNESCO and the British Council. His research has secured substantial competitive funding in areas including youth mobility, population ageing and international education.

At Lingnan University and The Education University of Hong Kong, he was entrusted with key academic leadership and management responsibilities, including oversight of academic development, research strategy and external engagement. His strategic planning helped build interdisciplinary research teams, expand graduate education and enhance institutional reputation. In recognition of his leadership in higher education research, Professor Mok has been appointed as a Deputy Director of the Centre for Global Higher Education (CGHE) based at the University of Oxford, UK since May 2025 to promote productive collaborations with partnering institutions in Asia and beyond.

As a true believer of transformative power of liberal arts education promoting “Learning to CARE”, Professor Mok has actively engaged in public and community services. He has been appointed by the HKSAR Government to serve as the Chairman of the Advisory Committee on Social Work Training and Manpower Planning, the Chairman of the Council of the Lord Wilson Heritage Trust, the Chairman of History Sub-Committee of the Museum Advisory Committee. Most recently, Professor Mok was appointed by the Chief Executive as a Member of Social Welfare Advisory Committee, a high-level committee on social welfare and policy for HKSAR Government. Nationally, Professor Mok is a Member of the China Higher Education Association and was invited by the Association in April 2025 to serve as the Founding Editor-in-Chief of a new international journal, Perspectives of Higher Education, with support of the Chinese Ministry of Education to promote Chinese higher education globally.

Since joining HSUHK in June 2024, Professor Mok has founded the Graduate School and the School of Transdisciplinary Studies, led the development of new academic programmes and research centres, further strengthening the University’s research capacity and academic profile. Professor Joshua Mok has been appointed as the next President of  The Hang Seng University of Hong Kong , effective 1 September 2026.

Professor Mok graduated from City University of Hong Kong for the BA (Hon) in Public and Social Administration; he earned his MPhil degree from The Chinese University of Hong Kong and received his PhD degree from London School of Economics and Political Science in the UK.