Driven by international and multidisciplinary collaborations, Dr Tran’s research investigates global China: China’s engagement in global public health; health diplomacy; digital diplomacy; the external relations of the EU, France, the Middle East and Africa. She also researches on public policy, administration, and management (training of civil servants and political elite; the smart city; public -private partnership), and public governance (China’s transnational governance of its diaspora, re-creating an extra-territorial space). She has published in the Journal of Contemporary China; Mediterranean Politics; China Perspectives; China: An International Journal; and International Migration.

Testimony of her impact and engagement with policy- and decision-makers, includes roundtable discussions in renowned venues, such as Chatham House, The Brookings Institution, and The Doha Forum.

She has a track record of winning competitive grant-funding, having secured six research grants as principal investigator since 2013.

RESEARCH GRANTS

• Hong Kong University Grants Committee General Research Fund (Principal Investigator until Dec 2022, Co-Investigator in 2023-2025) HKD762,687 (2022 -2025) How China Speaks To The World In The Covid-19 Era: China’s Political Communication and Mobilisation in Europe
• Hong Kong Research Grants Council Research Matching Grant Scheme (Principal Investigator) HKD22,500 (2021-2023) The Climate Collage and Hong Kong’s Contribution to Mitigate Climate Change
• PROCORE - France/Hong Kong Joint Research Scheme (Principal Investigator) HKD125,963 (2021-2022) Transnational and Transdisciplinary Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic
• Aarhus University Research Foundation - AUFF NOVA (Co-Investigator) DKK570,500 (2021-2022) China's Twitter Diplomacy: Content and Impact”
• Hong Kong Baptist University Faculty Niche Research Areas (Co-Investigator) HKD933,792 (2020-2022) Trust and the Smart City
• Aarhus University, Denmark (Co-Investigator) EUR1,500 (2020) Chinese Twitter
• Hong Kong Baptist University Faculty of Social Sciences Research Grant (Principal Investigator) HKD50,000.00 (2018) The Overseas Chinese in France and Hungary — What Role Do They Play in Expanding China’s Political Influence in Europe?
• Macau Foundation (Principal Investigator) MOP403,300 (2014-2015) Impact Assessment of the Macao Forum’s Seminars on the Economy and Public Policy-Making in Portuguese Speaking Countries — An Illustration of South-South Cooperation
• Macau Foundation (Co- Principal Investigator) MOP340,000 Survey on public environmental consciousness in Macao, a Pearl River Comparison

ACADEMIC & TEACHING EXPERIENCE

Dr Emilie Tran joined the School of Arts and Social Sciences, HKMU, in January 2023. 

Since 2004, she has been teaching a wealth of subjects in political science, public policy, international relations, core and common courses, and European studies at the undergraduate, master’s and doctorate levels. She enjoys including transcultural experiential learning, transnational service-learning and transdisciplinary inquiries in her teaching.

She won the President’s Award for Outstanding Performance in Teaching 2021 (Hong Kong Baptist University) for the positive and transformative impacts she had made on her students.

In recognition of her 20 years of remarkable service to education, research and community service, including the creation of transnational double degree programmes, the French Republic bestowed upon her in 2020 a “Knighthood” [Chevalier] of L’Ordre des Palmes Académiques, a national merit order that honours distinguished academics.

SERVICE TO THE UNIVERSITY

Prior to joining HKMU, Dr Tran held two permanent positions, at the University of Saint Joseph Macao (USJ, 2008-2016), and Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU, 2016-2023). At USJ, she rose through the ranks, from Assistant to Associate Professor, and from Programme Coordinator of Government Studies and International Relations to Department Head, and Dean of the Faculty of Administration of Leadership. At HKBU, she was the French stream coordinator, then Director of the entire European Studies programme; eventually she became the Director of Transdisciplinary undergraduate Programmes.

• 2016-2023 Director of Transdisciplinary Undergraduate Programmes, Division of Transdisciplinary Undergraduate Programmes (2022-2023). Assistant Professor Coordinator European Studies | French Stream (2016-2022). Director of BSocSc (Hons) in European Studies,  Department of Government & International Studies (2021-2022) | Hong Kong Baptist University
• 2008-2016 Associate Professor, Head of Department of Public Administration and International Relations, Dean of Faculty Administration and LeadershipUniversity of Saint Joseph, Macao
• ​2004-2007 Part-time Lecturer, the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Macau
• ​2000-2005 Research Fellow, the French Centre for Research on Contemporary China (Centre d’Études Français sur la Chine contemporaine, CEFC), Hong Kong

SERVICE TO THE COMMUNITY 

Since 2018, Dr Tran is an elected representative of the French living abroad [Conseillère des Français de l’étranger].

She is a role model for Inspiring Girls Hong Kong, a not-for-profit program that aims to overcome gender and cultural stereotypes, by connecting 10-18 year-old students with professional leaders from all walks of life and industry backgrounds.

Committed to fight domestic violence, she is a patron of SAVE YOU and Mots et Maux de Femme, two platforms dedicated to help French women living abroad facing intra-familial abuse.