Dr. Lau Poh Li is an Associate Professor in the Department of Educational Psychology and Counselling, Faculty of Education, Universiti Malaya, Malaysia, and a Registered Counsellor with the Board of Counsellors (Malaysia). She obtained her Bachelor of Counselling with distinction from Universiti Malaya in 2006, where she was awarded the University of Malaya Book Prize, and completed a fast-track PhD in Counselling in 2011. She completed a two-year doctoral scholarship in counselling at Indiana University Bloomington, United States (2016–2018). Dr. Lau began her academic career at Universiti Malaya in 2007 as a tutor and was appointed as a lecturer in 2011 after completing her PhD.

Her specialization and primary research focus are in counselling, particularly in career counselling and positive psychology in counselling. She has authored over 50 scholarly publications, including articles in international journals such as Career Development Quarterly, Journal of Career Development, and British Journal of Guidance and Counselling. She has supervised 11 PhD students to completion, and her work has received over 200 citations in Scopus.

Dr. Lau has served as Programme Coordinator for the Master of Professional Counselling (2024–present), the Master of Education (By Research) (2020–2024), and the Bachelor of Counselling (2014–2016; 2018–2020), where she led curriculum reviews and programme enhancement initiatives. She has also served as a panel reviewer on the Universiti Malaya Research Ethics Committee (UMREC) and on various faculty committees related to academic governance, examiner selection, and lecturer screening and recruitment. In recognition of her outstanding service, she received the Universiti Malaya Excellence Service Award (2025).

At the national level, she contributes actively to the counselling profession through her work with the Board of Counsellors (Malaysia) and as a lifetime member of the Counselling Association of Malaysia (PERKAMA International). She has served on national task forces to develop the Standard Operating Procedure for Online Counselling Services and as a panel reviewer for the revision and enhancement of the Malaysian Counsellor’s Code of Ethics. She also served as Assistant Coordinator of the National Young Counselling Scholars (NYCS), mentoring emerging scholars, and as a jury member for national and international counselling innovation competitions organised by PERKAMA International. In addition, she contributes as a subject matter expert, external examiner for doctoral theses, external assessor for academic staff promotion, and external academic advisor for counselling programmes across universities in Malaysia. Beyond academia, she has also contributed her professional expertise to national crisis response efforts by volunteering for the Board of Counsellor’s COVID-19 Support Initiative, providing counselling services and psychological support during a critical time of public need.

Internationally, Dr. Lau is recognised for her leadership in career counselling and development in the Asia-Pacific region. She was elected President-Elect (2025) of the Asia Pacific Career Development Association (APCDA), progressing to the roles of President (2026–2027) and Past President (2027–2028). She previously served as Malaysia Representative and Co-Chair of the APCDA Research Committee. She serves on the Editorial Board of The Career Development Quarterly, a leading international journal in career counselling and development and the official journal of the National Career Development Association (NCDA), a division of the American Counseling Association, and reviews for several Web of Science and Scopus-indexed journals in counselling and career development. In recognition of her contributions to career development education and professional practice, she received the 2025 APCDA Outstanding Educator of Career Professionals Award.