From left: Prof Richard M. Walker, Director of LUIAS; Prof Kim Jeong Bon, Lingnan Fellow; President Qin; Prof Lars Tummers, Senior Lingnan Scholar; Prof Li Lianjiang, Senior Lingnan Scholar.
Prof Kim received the title of Lingnan Fellow, while Prof Li and Prof Tummers were named Senior Lingnan Scholars in respect of their outstanding academic accomplishments and contributions to their respective fields. The three scholars were formally appointed members of LUIAS, which fosters world-class research collaboration and develops the University’s internationalisation initiatives.
The conferment ceremony was officiated by Prof S. Joe Qin, President and Wai Kee Kau Chair Professor of Data Science at Lingnan University, who warmly welcomed the three scholars, saying “LUIAS brings together exceptional academic talents and successful research partnerships. In just over a year since it was established, we have attracted 21 key scholars from around the world, whose expertise has already been reflected in recent international grades. The University has come first in SDG 4: Quality Education in the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings this year, and achieved an impressive 301-350th place worldwide in our debut entry in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2026. These successes demonstrate Lingnan’s commitment to global engagement and fruitful academic collaboration, and contribute to Hong Kong’s development as an international hub for post-secondary education.”
Prof Kim Jeong-Bon is a leading scholar in accounting, and currently serves as Distinguished SFU Professor at the Beedie School of Business, Simon Fraser University. Recognised by the Brigham Young University Accounting Research Ranking as one of the world’s top accounting researchers and listed among the World’s Top 2% Scientists by Stanford University, Prof Kim has published over 160 refereed journal articles, including 45 in top-tier accounting journals such as The Accounting Review, the Journal of Accounting and Economics, the Journal of Accounting Research, the Journal of Financial Economics, the Journal of International Business Studies, Management Science, and MIS-Quarterly. He has also served as editor and was on the editorial board of several influential academic journals, and is currently Consulting Editor for the Journal of International Business Studies. Prof Kim’s research has had a profound impact on the fields of accounting, auditing, and corporate governance, earning him wide acknowledgement for his scholarly excellence and professionalism.
Prof Li Lianjiang is a respected authority in political science. He previously served as Head of the Department of Government and International Affairs at Lingnan University and is currently a Professor in the Department of Politics and Public Administration at the University of Hong Kong. He has written several books in Chinese on scholarly studies and academic competence, including Publish or Perish, Surviving in Academia, A Frivolous Discourse on Statistics: Quantitative Methods for Arts Students, and Sequel to Frivolous Discourse: Putting Quantitative Methods into Use. Prof Li’s research is frequently cited, and he is regularly listed in Stanford University’s World’s Top 2% Scientists, underscoring his considerable influence in political science.
Prof Lars Tummers is Chair Professor of Public Administration and Organisational Science at Utrecht University, having previously been an Associate Professor at Erasmus University Rotterdam, a Marie Curie Fellow at the University of California, Berkeley, and Visiting Scholar at the University of Oxford. One of Stanford University’s World’s Top 2% Scientists and named a Highly Cited Researcher by Clarivate Analytics, Prof Tummers is a pioneer in the emerging interdisciplinary field of Behavioural Public Administration. His research bridges psychology and public administration, and has a far-reaching impact on theories of public leadership, motivation, and policy implementation. He is the author of Nudging and Understanding Public Leadership.
Prof Tummers will deliver a public lecture, open to the public and free of charge, on 26 November titled Subtle Motivators: How to Influence Other Humans Without Being Pushy. Whether leading a research team, formulating public policy, or simply trying to get a colleague to respond to an email, many people have known the frustration of having their requests ignored. In the lecture, Prof Tummers will draw on decades of behavioural research and real-world case studies to explore these “subtle motivators” in depth, showing how a gentle, evidence-based strategy can elicit a positive response and how such motivators operate in everyday life, organisational settings, and public policy.
