Professor Ip is the Vice-President for Research and Development, the Morningside Professor of Life Science, and Director of the State Key Laboratory of Molecular Neuroscience at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST). 

As a highly accomplished researcher, Professor Ip has published over 260 papers with 18,900 SCI citations, and holds 44 patents. She has been elected to the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the US National Academy of Sciences, the World Academy of Sciences, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. 

Professor Ip received her PhD degree in Pharmacology from Harvard Medical School, after which she held the position of Senior Staff Scientist at Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. in New York. Since joining HKUST, she has served as Dean of Science, Director of the Biotechnology Research Institute, and Head of the Department of Biochemistry.

Her major research interests are in neural development and function, as well as drug discovery for neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease. She is well-known for her seminal discoveries in the biology of neurotrophic factors, which are proteins that promote the survival, development, and maintenance of neurons in the nervous system. She has also made important contributions towards understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying brain development and synaptic plasticity, and their dysregulation in neurological disorders.

Professor Ip also plays a key role in promoting science and technology in Hong Kong. She is a member of the Steering Committee of the Innovation and Technology Advisory Body to the Hong Kong SAR government, the Research Council of the Food and Health Bureau, the Committee of the Research and Development of Chinese Medicine, the Steering Committee of the Hong Kong Scholarship for Excellence Scheme, the Council of the Sir Edward Youde Memorial Fund, and the Advisory Panel of the Science Museum. 

Additionally, she has served on the Board of Directors of the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation, the Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute, and the Research Grants Council.

Professor Ip is also an elected Councillor for the Society for Neuroscience, and was the Senior Editor of the Journal of Neuroscience. Furthermore, she has been a member of the World Economic Forum Global Agenda Council since 2012, and is currently on the Global Future Council on the Future of Neurotechnologies and Brain Science. She is the recipient of numerous awards and honors including the National Natural Science Awards, the L’OREAL-UNESCO for Women in Science Award and the 10 Science Stars of China by Nature.

Back