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The Council of The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) has approved the appointment of Prof. Poon Wai-yin, currently Professor in the Department of Statistics and concurrently Associate Vice-President, as Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the University for a period of two years from 1 May 2015.  Professor Poon will succeed Prof. Hau Kit-tai who will continue his appointment as Choh-Ming Li Professor of Educational Psychology. Professor Poon will join Provost Prof. Benjamin W. Wah and Pro-Vice-Chancellors Prof. Michael King-man Hui, Prof. Fok Tai-fai and Prof. Fanny Cheung in assisting the Vice-Chancellor in the leadership of the University. 

Prof. Poon Wai-yin obtained her BSc in Mathematics in 1983 and MPhil in Statistics in 1985 from CUHK, PhD in Biostatistics from the University of California at Los Angeles in 1987, and MBA with Distinction from the University of Hull in 1995.  Professor Poon was appointed in 1987 as Lecturer in the Department of Statistics at CUHK, and promoted to Professor in 2001.  She has served as Associate Dean (Education) in the Faculty of Science in 2004-2014, and Director of the Centre for Promoting Science Education in 2006-2014, exerting leadership in teaching and learning at faculty and university level.  She is also the Director of Centre for Learning Enhancement and Research (CLEAR), and has been appointed as Associate Vice-President since 2014, nurturing numerous talents in the science discipline over the years. 

Professor Poon is pleased to accept the appointment, ‘I would like to thank my alma mater and my colleagues for their trust in me.  Teaching and learning at CUHK are of excellent quality, and I will continue to work in concerted effort with colleagues, students, alumni and other stakeholders to strive for continuous enhancement,’ she said. 

Professor Poon was the champion and leader in weaving an Outcomes Based Approach into the design of the new four-year curriculum for the entire Faculty of Science.  This was accomplished by applying published literature, benchmarking with international developments, conducting pilot studies, analysing feedback and evidence, thereby achieving enhancement and positive outcomes.  As a member of CUHK’s Senate Committee on Teaching and Learning, Professor Poon has made important contributions, rooted in her own front-line teaching experience, to the strategic development of educational quality in the University. 

Professor Poon’s outstanding teaching has earned her a number of accolades.  She was conferred the inaugural UGC Award for Teaching Excellence by the University Grants Committee in 2011.  She is also a recipient of the CUHK Faculty of Science Exemplary Teaching Award (1999-2000), (2002-03) and (2013-14), Best Teaching Award from the Asia Pacific Institute of Business, CUHK (2005-06) and (2008-09), as well as the Vice-Chancellor’s Exemplary Teaching Award (2014).  Professor Poon was also awarded the Outstanding Fellowship of the Faculty of Science in 2014.