Professor Lawrence J. Lau received his B.S. degree (with Great Distinction) in Physics from Stanford University in 1964 and his M.A. and Ph.D. degrees in Economics from the University of California at Berkeley in 1966 and 1969 respectively. He joined the faculty of the Department of Economics at Stanford University in 1966, becoming Professor of Economics in 1976 and the first Kwok-Ting Li Professor in Economic Development at Stanford University in 1992. He was appointed Kwoh-Ting Li Professor in Economic Development, Emeritus, at Stanford University upon his retirement in 2006.

From 2004 to 2010, Professor Lau served as Vice-Chancellor (President) of the Chinese University of Hong Kong. From 2010 to 2014, he served as Chairman of CIC International (Hong Kong) Co., Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of China Investment Corporation, the sovereign wealth fund of China. Since 2007, he has been serving concurrently as the Ralph and Claire Landau Professor of Economics at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

Professor Lau specializes in economic development, economic growth and the economies of East Asia, including that of China. In 1966, he developed the first econometric model of China. He has authored, co-authored, or edited 16 books and published more than 210 articles and notes in international professional journals.

Professor Lau was a member of the 11th and 12th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference and a Vice-Chairman of its Subcommittee of Economics. In addition, he currently serves as a Vice-Chairman of the China Center for International Economic Exchanges, a Vice-Chairman of the China Science Centre of the International Eurasian Academy of Sciences, a member of the International Advisory Council of the China Development Bank and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Chinese University of Hong Kong (Shenzhen) Finance Institute.

In addition, Professor Lau also serves as a member of the Currency Board Sub-Committee of the Exchange Fund Advisory Committee of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, a member of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) Belt and Road & Greater Bay Area Committee, a Vice-Chairman of Our Hong Kong Foundation, a member and chairman of the Prize Recommendation Committee, Lui Che Woo Prize Company, as well as a member of the Board of Directors of the Chiang Ching-kuo Foundation for International Scholarly Exchange, Taipei. He currently serves as an independent non-executive director of AIA Group Limited, Hong Kong, CNOOC Limited, Hong Kong, Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation, Hong Kong and Far EasTone Telecommunications Co. Ltd., Taipei.