HKU Young Brain Scientist Program is the first project in HK designed for secondary students
to increase their awareness of the potential impact from brain science research. Six professors
from HKU Psychology Department will give public lectures on their expertise from December, 2013
to June, 2014 (free of charge).
The content and format of the lectures are tailor-made to suit
the tastes and knowledge level of our secondary school students. Participating students will
receive a certificate from HKU Young Brain Scientist Program, and selected students will be
invited to join privileged brain science lab tours and workshops.
Dr. Chia-huei Tseng
I was very fortunate to have many privileged opportunities studying with university professors
when I was a secondary school student in Taiwan. This early exposure to science has a profound
impact in my later choice to become a psychologist studying human mind and behavior. Therefore,
it is my wish to offer HK secondary students similar opportunities so that they can be informed
of the fascinating study of brain science earlier. I received my PhD from the University of California
, Irvine, U.S.A. and did post-doc research at Center for Cognitive Sciences at Rutgers University
before I returned to Asia.
Dr. Janet Hui-wen Hsiao
Dr. Janet Hsiao is the principal investigator of the Cognition and
Hemispheric Asymmetry lab in the Department of Psychology at HKU.
Before joining HKU, she was a postdoctoral researcher in the Temporal
Dynamics of Learning Center at University of California, San Diego.
She received the Ph.D. degree in Informatics (Cognitive Science) from
University of Edinburgh.
In her research, she uses a combination of different methodologies,
including behavioral and eye movement experiments, EEG (brain wave)
examinations, and computational modeling. She enjoys interdisciplinary
research and is particularly interested in how the two brain
hemispheres collaborate to accomplish various perceptual skills.
Dr. Sing-hang Cheung
Dr. Cheung is the principal investigator of the visual psychophysics and neuroimaging laboratory at the
Department of Psychology at HKU. Dr. Cheung's lab addresses research questions about visual impairment,
visual crowding, reading, organization of the visual cortex and cortical plasticity. They use different
research methodologies in our projects: psychophysics, functional magnetic resonance imaging (FMRI) and
diffusion tensor imaging (DTI).
Dr. Jefferey Saunders
Dr. Saunders received his PhD from Brown University, and did postdoctoral research at University of
Rochester and University of Pennsylvania before joining the faculty at HKU. His lab uses virtual reality
to study 3D perception and use of vision to control actions.
In addition to his main research areas, Dr. Saunders has an interest in the psychology
of judgment and decision-making. He teaches a course called "The Science of Irrational
Thinking", which explores cognitive processes underlying common errors and fallacies in everyday life.
Dr. Esther Y Y Lau
Dr. Esther Lau is a registered clinical psychologist of HKPS and a registered psychologist of British Columbia,
Canada. She is passionate about studying how sleep interacts with our waking time. That includes how sleep
, sleep problems, sleep disorders, sleep quality, sleep loss, and sleep deprivation affect daytime functioning,
and also how our daytime behaviors and environmental factors such as stress, caffeine intake, napping, and shift
work affect our nighttime sleep. Her research has implications for promotion of quality sleep and enhancement
of daytime functioning, hence improving overall well-being.
Dr. Wong Wang Ivy
Dr. Ivy Wong graduated from HKU and received her PhD from Cambridge University.
Her focal area is gender development and sexuality. Specifically, she is interested
in the differences and similarities between the genders, and how these are molded by
factors such as socialization, gender cognitions, sex hormones and genes. She is also
interested in the role gender plays in everyday life and how research can be used
to help males and females develop.
