Haiyan is an Associate Professor at the Department of Education Policy and Leadership and Director of The Joseph Lau Luen Hung Charitable Trust Asia Pacific Centre for Leadership and Change (APCLC).

She joined EdUHK in 2012 as an Assistant Professor and was promoted to Associate Professor in five years. While at EdUHK, she has honed her research and teaching capacity and taken a key leadership position. She was appointed as Co-Director of the APCLC, a university-level research centre, in 2018; and became the Centre Director in July 2020. 

As an active researcher, she has achieved a 100% success rate in UGC research grant applications, winning an ECS and 2 GRFs. Her research capacity has been recognised with a UGC Early Career Award and the President's Award for Outstanding Performance in Research. She serves on the editorial boards of the Journal of Educational Administration and Educational Management Administration & Leadership - two of the top journals in the field of educational leadership. In addition to the academic work, she has designed and developed a range of leadership courses for practitioners (including middle leaders and principals) and for undergraduate and postgraduate students. The Centre she leads has an outstanding network of international scholars and local and GBA school leaders and is highly recognised internationally.

Research Grant Council Projects as PI

·        An exploration of the role of leadership in successful systemic improvement in China (GRF, 2021-2023)

·        Promoting Teacher Learning and Improving Instruction: What is the Role of Cross-school Instructional Leadership? (GRF, 2018-2020)

·        Leading School-based Research to Improve Student Learning: Lessons from Shanghai (ECS, 2015-2017)

Other Research Projects as PI

·        School Leadership in China: Policy and Practice – An UNESCO GEM (Global Education Monitoring) Report (UNESCO, 2023-2024)

·        Exchange and collaboration policy between Hong Kong and Shenzhen schools: Obstacles, enabling conditions and policy recommendations (EdUHK CRAC project, 2022-2023)

Awards

·        Dean’s Research Award (Book) 2017/18 – Faculty of Education and Human Development

·        The President’s Award for Outstanding Performance in Teaching (Team Award) 2016/17 - The Education University of Hong Kong

·        The President’s Award for Outstanding Performance in Research 2015/16 - The Education University of Hong Kong

·        Early Career Award 2014/15 - The University Grants Committee of the Hong Kong SAR

·        The Postgraduate Research Output Award 2008/09 - The Chinese University of Hong Kong    

Editorial Board Member

·       Educational Management Administration & Leadership (SSCI)

·       Journal of Educational Administration (SSCI)

·       Educational Assessment, Evaluation and Accountability (SSCI)

·       Cogent Education

Associate Editor

·        ECNU Review of Education

Educational Leadership

School principalship in China

Influence of the social and cultural context on schooling across Chinese societies

Qualitative research methods

Effective Educational Leadership

Leadership for Teacher Learning

Qualitative Research Methods

Member of the T-standard+ Consortium Committee on Professional Development of Teachers and Principals, HK

Board member of the Consortium for the Study of Leadership and Ethics in Education (A University Council for Educational Administration Committee, USA)