Thought Leadership

The Faculty of Social Sciences is delighted to announce the appointment of Professor Shirley Li from the Department of Psychology as the recipient of the Belinda Hung Outstanding Young Professorship. This esteemed award, part of the university's "Outstanding Young Professorships Scheme," recognizes promising Assistant and Associate Professors who have demonstrated outstanding potential in their academic pursuits. Professor Li's journey to excellence is marked by her passion for psychology and commitment to academic rigor. Her innovative research initiatives and engaging teaching methodologies have garnered praise from colleagues and students alike. The Belinda Hung Outstanding Young Professorship stands as a testament to Professor Li's dedication, perseverance, and unwavering pursuit of excellence. Her profound impact on the field of psychology and her commitment to mentorship exemplify the qualities that define a truly outstanding scholar.

Congratulations to Professor Travis SK Kong, Professor in the Department of Sociology, for winning the Research Output Prize 2024 for his book ‘Sexuality and the Rise of China: The Post-1990s Gay Generation in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Mainland China’. Professor Kong’s research has focused on understanding how we can navigate a world of diverse genders and sexualities.  In this book, Professor Kong examines the changing meanings of same-sex identities, communities, and cultures among young gay men in contemporary Hong Kong, Taiwan, and mainland China.  Drawing on ninety life stories, he proposes a new sociological approach, "transnational queer sociology", to compare and contrast their distinct experiences in these three locales, all within a shared family-centered culture rooted in Confucianism and influenced by Western and other Asian (queer) cultures.  By examining their shared and translocally influenced experiences, he criticises dominant Western perspectives on homosexuality and offers new insights into LGBTQ+ studies, including issues of coming out, relationship formation, community building, and civic activism. “I am extremely honoured to learn that my book Sexuality and the Rise of China: The Post-1990s Gay Generation in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Mainland China (Duke University Press, 2023) has recently won the Research Output Prize 2024 from the University after receiving the Social Sciences Outstanding Research Output Award 2023-2024 (Basic Research).  It is a privilege to be recognised by both the University and the Faculty for my work.  What a double happiness!  With the success of this book, I will continue to contribute to gender and sexuality studies, and look forward to collaborations under the gender and sexuality cluster of HKU Research Hub of Population Studies.  Through my academic and community work, I will keep advocating for social inclusion to build a society where all genders and sexualities can live with respect and dignity.” – Professor Travis SK Kong The Research Output Prize is a University-level award that recognises an author (or team of authors) for a single research output item published or created in the preceding calendar year across different faculties. February 17, 2025