Gates Foundation honors HKU student

Friederike Elisabeth Hedley, who is studying a master's in psychology at the University of Hong Kong, was among 75 students globally to receive this year's Gates Cambridge Scholarship, allowing her to pursue her doctoral studies at the University of Cambridge this fall.

About 1.3 percent of applicants receive the scholarship each year, which was established in collaboration with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in 2000, providing full financial aid to outstanding international students.

Hedley's MPhil studies in Cognitive Psychology and Neuroscience investigated emotion-related perceptual decision-making using experimental paradigms and computational modeling.

Her research aimed to understand the differences in cognitive processing between individuals with and without internalizing psychopathology, such as anxiety and depression.

"I am absolutely thrilled and humbled, she said.

"My time at HKU has played an integral part in where I am today, as it has instilled in me an academic curiosity to break new ground."