University of Hong Kong chief Zhang Xiang to step down in 2028 to focus on research

Skip to content University of Hong Kong’s (HKU) President and Vice-Chancellor Zhang Xiang has said he will step down in 2028 and return to the laboratory to focus on research. University of Hong Kong president and vice-chancellor Zhang Xiang. Photo: University of Hong Kong. The 62-year-old Chinese-American mechanical engineer said in a letter to the university community that he had informed the governing HKU Council of his decision, so a successor could be found. Zhang said it was an honour to lead HKU, citing the transformative impact of AI and the challenges of a complex global environment for his decision. He said he would continue to push for research and campus development during the final two years of his ten-year term. He will focus on the Tech Landmark, the Pokfield Road campus, the Global Innovation Centre, and campus projects in Shanghai and Europe, according to The Standard. Chequered tenure During Zhang’s tenure, the city’s leading university rose to 11th globally in the QS World University Rankings and first in Asia. The institute also set a new record last year with 54 academics named in Clarivate’s “Highly Cited Researchers 2025” list. The University of Hong Kong. File photo: Tom Grundy/HKFP. However, HKU has also faced scandals over the use of AI by academics and students, as well as criticism over censorship after a campus memorial to the Tiananmen crackdown dead was replaced with seating. In 2024, he was cleared of misconduct after a 6-month internal investigation in which he was accused of mishandling funds and hiring a headhunter without following procurement procedures. In 2020, he joined other university heads in publicly backing the national security law. Safeguard press freedom; keep HKFP free for all readers by supporting our team Support HKFP | Policies & Ethics | Error/typo? | Contact | Newsletter | Transparency & Annual Report | Apps Make a one-off donation. Tom founded Hong Kong Free Press in 2015 as the city's first crowdfunded newspaper. He has a BA in Communications and New Media from Leeds University and an MA in Journalism from the University of Hong Kong. He previously founded an NGO advocating for domestic worker rights, and has contributed to the BBC, Deutsche Welle, Al-Jazeera and others. Tom leads HKFP – raising funds, managing the team and navigating risk – whilst regularly speaking on press freedom, ethics and media funding at industry events, schools and conferences around the world. More by Tom Grundy