Teaching Team
MPUP’s teaching team is both internationalized and experienced. It has a good mix of academic staff from different departments, policymakers and practitioners in the real world, which is a good representation of its interdisciplinary nature. Most teachers earned their highest academic qualifications in world-renowned universities, e.g. LSE, the University of New England, the University of Toronto, the University of Chicago, Princeton University, while some veteran practitioners are with ample experience serving in government bodies and/or private sectors. Their experience would be a valuable demonstration of knowledge application. Each teaching faculty specializes in their field to maximize students’ learning.
Prof. CHAN Chee Hon
BSc (Nottingham), MPhil (HKU), PhD (HKU)
Chan Chee Hon is an Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Social Science, the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
Before joining the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Prof. Chan was an Assistant Professor at the Department of Applied Social Sciences, the Hong Kong Polytechnic University from 2021 to 2022, and an Assistant Professor at the Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention, the University of Hong Kong from 2018 to 2021.
His main research interest is in social policy and social entrepreneurship.
Prof. CHEUNG Tsan-Yin Peter
BSSc (CUHK), MA (Indiana University, Bloomington), PhD (University of Washington, Seattle)
Professor Peter TY Cheung is Professor (Practice) in the Department of Social Sciences, Education University of Hong Kong. He holds a Bachelor of Social Science (1st Class Honour) from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, a MA from Indiana University, Bloomington, and a PhD in political science from the University of Washington, Seattle.
Prior to joining Education University, Professor Cheung taught at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and the University of Hong Kong, where he had served as the Head and Director of the Master of Public Administration Programme in the Department of Politics and Public Administration. He was a Fellow of the Centre for Civil Society and Governance and the Centre of Urban Studies and Urban Planning at the University of Hong Kong, and the founding convener of the China Area of Inquiry of the University’s Common Core Curriculum. He received a Universitas 21 Fellowship from the University of Hong Kong and served as a visiting scholar at the Center for Chinese Studies, the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, in 1999. He was also a Fellow and a Freeman Fellow in the Salzburg Seminar, Austria, respectively in 2004 and 2005. He has also held visiting professorships and offered academic seminars at leading Chinese and overseas universities. He has extensive experience in providing consultancy service and training to the senior management of the government and the public sector. He was a former Consultant, Part-time Member and Research and Planning Director (on secondment) of the Central Policy Unit of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government.
Dr. James F. DOWNES
B.A. (Hons) (1st Class) (Government, Essex), M.A. (Government, Essex), Ph.D. (Kent), AFHEA
Dr. James F. Downes is an Assistant Professor (Tenure-Track) in Comparative Politics & International Relations at The Hong Kong Metropolitan University (HKMU). Dr. Downes is also currently a Senior Research Fellow and Head of The Populism Research Unit at The Centre for Analysis of the Radical Right (CARR). Dr. Downes holds Honorary Research Fellowships in the Global Europe Centre at the University of Kent/Brussels School of International Studies (UK/Belgium) alongside the Think Tank, The Centre for Research & Social Progress (Italy).
His research interests are diverse and examine Global Populism, Authoritarianism, right-wing party competition on immigration in Europe and the future of international organizations, such as the European Union (EU) via EU-China Relations.
Prof. Pierre LANDRY
MA (Virginia); PhD (Michigan)
Prof. Landry is Full Professor in the Department of Government and Public Administration. Prof . Landry’s undergraduate training was in economics and law at Sciences-Po in Paris. He received his Ph.D in Political Science at the University of Michigan and am also an alumnus of the University of Virginia (MA in Foreign Affairs) and the Johns Hopkins-Nanjing University program at the Center for Chinese and American Studies in Nanjing.
Prof. Landry’s research interests focus on Asian and Chinese politics, comparative local government, quantitative comparative analysis and survey research. He have written on governance and the political management of officials in China. Besides articles and book chapters in comparative politics and political methodology, he is the author of “Decentralized Authoritarianism in China” with Cambridge University Press (2008).
Prof. Kaman LEE
BA, MA (University of Western Ontario); PhD (HKBU)
Prof. Lee is an Associate Professor in School of Journalism and Communication of CUHK. She was awarded CUHK Vice-Chancellor’s Exemplary Teaching Award and Faculty of Social Science Exemplary Teaching Award in 2011 to recognize her commitment to quality teaching. Her research interests include corporate communication, crisis management, leadership branding, government public relations and gender issues in workplace.
Prof. Carlos LO
BSSc, MPhil (CUHK); SJD (Renmin); PhD (Flinders University)
Prof. Lo is the Head of Department of Government and Public Administration, CUHK since August 2017. He obtained his PhD degree from the Flinders University of South Australia in 1990 and received a doctor of law degree from the Renmin University of China in 2001. His main research interests are in the areas of law and government, environmental management, public sector management, and corporate social and environmental responsibility, within the contexts of China and Hong Kong. Recently, Prof. Lo has offered consultant services and organized management training programs for public and business sectors. His works have appeared in leading international academic journals.
Dr. Mark MICHELSON
BA (Carleton College); PhD (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign)
Dr. Michelson is the Chairman of Asia CEO Forum for IMA Asia. He established APCO Worldwide’s first Asia office in 1997 and is now a Senior Counselor. From 2004 through 2008, he was the Associate Director-General at Invest Hong Kong, HKSAR Government. Dr. Michelson served as the Chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong, and has been a member of three Hong Kong Government advisory committees. He is a Trustee of the American Chamber Charitable Foundation, a member of the Hong Kong-America Center board and of the Fulbright Advisory Committee.
Prof. Miron MUSHKAT
BA (Tel Aviv University); MA (Carleton University); PhD (Manchester University)
Prof. Mushkat is currently an Adjunct Professor in the Faculty of Social Science of CUHK and a Visiting Professor in Managerial Economics in MBA Program, College of Business Administration of University of Northern Iowa. His primary research interests lie in economics, finance, law and public policy with special emphasis on the Asia-Pacific region–areas in which he has published extensively. Prof. Mushkat has had substantial working experience at various international and Asian commercial banks, investment banks and investment management firms. He has also served as professor and adjunct/visiting professor at several Australasian, Hong Kong, UK and US universities.
Prof. Travis NG
B.Comm (Univresity of Toronto at Scarborough); MA, PhD (University of Toronto)
Prof. Ng is an Associate Professor in Department of Economics of CUHK. His research interests are industrial organization and applied economic theory. Prof. Ng received CUHK Vice-Chancellor’s Exemplary Teaching Award and Faculty of Social Science Exemplary Teaching Award in 2010 to recognize his contributions in teaching.
Prof. William James Clark SMITH
BA (University of East Anglia); MA, PhD (University of Warwick)
Prof. Smith is Associate Professor in the Department of Government and Public Administration. He graduated with a BA (First Class Hons.) in English Studies from the University of East Anglia (UK). After a brief stint working for a law firm in London, he carried out all of his postgraduate education at the University of Warwick (UK). He achieved an MA (with Distinction) in Politics, before successfully completing his PhD on the philosophy of civil disobedience under the supervision of Professor Susan Hurley (Politics) and Professor Robert Fine (Sociology). Prior to taking up his current position at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, he worked as a lecturer at the University of Warwick and the University of Dundee (UK).
Prof. Annie TAM (Honorary Professor, Faculty of Social Science)
BSSc (CUHK)
Prof. Tam, a former Administrative Officer who has just retired from the civil service with her last position as the Permanent Secretary for Labour and Welfare, has recently been appointed as the Honorary Professor of the Faculty of Social Science. She has served in the government for over 36 years with postings of leading and important positions. She is dedicated to MPUP by committing herself in MPUP teaching, workshops and mentorship programme.
Prof. King Kwun TSAO
BA (CUHK); BA (University of California); MA, PhD (University of Chicago)
Prof. Tsao is an Adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of Government and Public Administration of CUHK. His research interests include comparative studies between and among China, Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan; and civil service development and public administration in China and the United States. Prof. Tsao has been a visiting scholar at Oxford University, Stanford University, University of California at Berkeley, Fudan University, Peking University and Harvard University. His articles have appeared in Public Administration Review, Australian Journal of Public Administration; Administration and Society and among others.