Professor Fanny Cheung (張妙清) is currently Emeritus Professor of Psychology and Hon. Senior Advisor to the Hong Kong Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK). She was formerly the Pro-Vice-Chancellor (PVC)/Vice-President for Research, the Choh-Ming Li Professor of Psychology, and the Co-Director of the Hong Kong Institute of Asia-Pacific Studies. She has also served as Dean of the Faculty of Social Science and Chairperson of the Department of Psychology. Fanny established the first Gender Research Centre in Hong Kong and Greater China in 1985, and the Gender Studies Programme in 1997 at CUHK.

As PVC for research from 2013 to 2020, Fanny promoted interdisciplinary research collaboration and chaired the steering committee of 17 university-level research institutes. She nurtured a culture of entrepreneurship at the University by initiating the Pre-incubation Centre for students and the InnoPort for the CUHK community. In an effort to translate academic research into societal benefit, Fanny encouraged the broadening of research activities to generate impact and convened an interdisciplinary platform under Policy Research@HKIAPS to inform public policies.

Fanny obtained her bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of California, Berkeley, and her PhD in Psychology from the University of Minnesota. Her research expertise lies in cross-cultural personality assessments, psychopathology and gender equality, and women’s leadership. She has over 200 internationally refereed publications. To address assessment needs in Chinese societies, she translated/standardized the Chinese version of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) and developed the Cross-cultural (Chinese) Personality Assessment Inventory (CPAI), which provided the model for conducting culturally relevant assessments in non-Western contexts.

Fanny is highly regarded as a pioneer in gender equality in Asia. She spearheaded the War-on-Rape campaign in Hong Kong in the late 1970s and set up the first community women’s centre in the 1980s. She worked with Asian scholars to promote the knowledge base on gender issues in Asia, as well as relevant evidence-based action. She was appointed the Founding Chairperson of the Equal Opportunities Commission in Hong Kong in 1996–1999. During this period, she laid the foundation for the implementation of anti-discrimination legislation on the grounds of sex, family status, and disability. She initiated policies against sexual harassment in tertiary education institutions in Hong Kong and mainland China, and instituted gender mainstreaming training in the public sector.

The leadership positions in professional associations that Fanny has previously held include President of the International Test Commission (ITC), President of the Hong Kong Psychological Society, Member of the Board of Directors of the International Association of Applied Psychology (IAAP), and President of its Division of Clinical and Community Psychology. She is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association (APA), the Association for Psychological Science (APS), the ITC, and the IAAP. Her academic honours and awards include: Asian Association of Social Psychology Kuo-Shu Yang Medal (AASP Lifetime Achievement Award) (2023); Elected Fellow (10-Social and Economic Sciences) of The World Academy of Sciences (2018); the IAAP Award for Distinguished Scientific Contributions to International Advancement of Applied Psychology (2014); American Psychological Association Award for Distinguished Contributions to the International Advancement of Psychology (2012); Outstanding International Psychologist Award of APA Division 52 (2005); and Distinguished Leadership Award for Internationals from the University of Minnesota (2003).

Fanny has actively served the Hong Kong community for four decades, in government advisory and statutory bodies as well as in non-governmental organizations. Recognition of her leadership and contributions to the Hong Kong community include her honorary appointment as Justice of the Peace in 1988 and Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire in 1997, and her receipt of a Silver Bauhinia Star Award in 2016.