Nirmala Rao, Ph D is Serena H C Yang Professor in Early Childhood Development and Education, Chair Professor of Child Development and Education, and Director of the Consortium for Research on Early Childhood Development and Education (CORE), Faculty of Education, The University of Hong Kong. Her work stands at the intersection of early childhood education and developmental psychology and has focused on early childhood development and education, and preschool quality across Asia. She has received awards for both research and teaching and has considerable senior management experience. She is firmly committed to knowledge exchange and has served on many non-profit and professional boards throughout her career. Internationally, she has provided expertise and consultancy services to UNICEF, UNESCO, the World Bank, the OECD, and the WHO.