Professor Mai Har Sham has been Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President (Research) and Choh-Ming Li Professor of Biomedical Sciences at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) since 2020. Professor Sham obtained her BSc and MPhil in Biology at CUHK. She was awarded a Croucher Foundation Scholarship and pursued her PhD in Biochemistry at the University of Cambridge, U.K. She received her postdoctoral training in Developmental Genetics at the National Institute for Medical Research in London before joining The University of Hong Kong (HKU), where she later became Assistant Dean (Research), Head of the Department of Biochemistry, Director of the Centre for Reproduction Development and Growth in the Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, and the Associate Vice-President (Research) of HKU. Professor Sham promoted not only excellent research, but also dedicated to medical and science curriculum development. She led the design and establishment of the first Bachelor of Biomedical Sciences curriculum in Hong Kong.
As PVC (Research) in CUHK, Professor Sham oversees the strategic development of research and innovation, entrepreneurship, knowledge transfer and research impact in the University. She provides leadership to research institutes and centres, fostering interdisciplinary research and collaboration with academic and industrial partners in strategic research areas. She is in charge of research support services for technology transfer, intellectual property management, start-ups and commercialization platforms to translate research and knowledge into societal impact.
Professor Sham is responsible for the administration of research fundings, including university-wide funding schemes to support research equipment and facilities, interdisciplinary group research projects, research talents and partnership with international institutions. She also oversees matters relating to research policies, research data management, ensuring best practices in compliance, research ethics and integrity in the University.
