Yu Lung Lau graduated from the University of Glasgow in 1980. He is currently the Chair Professor of Paediatrics and Doris Zimmern Professor in Community Child Health of The University of Hong Kong (HKU). He has been Head of Paediatrics, Associate Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Deputy Chief Executive of the Shenzhen Hospital of HKU, President of the Hong Kong Paediatric Society, Hong Kong College of Paediatricians (HKCP) and Asia Society for Paediatric Research.

Lau established the Asian Primary Immunodeficiencies Referral Network offering free genetic tests for over 2000 patients in Asia and Africa, and is the Founding President of the Asia Pacific Society for Immunodeficiency (ASPID).

Lau is a member of the WHO (WPRO) Technical Advisory Group for Immunisation and Vaccine Preventable Diseases. He is the Chair of Scientific Committee on Vaccine Preventable Diseases and initiated universal childhood PCV vaccination as Chair of Working Group on Pneumococcal Vaccination. He helped introduce the universal screening for maternal HIV infection as Chair of the Scientific Committee on AIDS. He was appointed by the CE HKSAR to be a member of the COVID-19 Expert Advisory Panel in 2022.

His research interests include genetics, infectious diseases and immunology. He has published over 500 original papers with an h-index of 98 and supervised over 40 graduate students. He received the Outstanding Researcher Award, the Mrs Gordon Wu Exchange Professorship and the Faculty Knowledge Exchange Award, the Second Prize in Science and Technology of the Ministry of Education and the Outstanding Asian Pediatrician Award. He delivered Guerrero Memorial Lecture, Inaugural Stuart Gan Memorial Lecture, Otto Wolff Lecture, Lata Kumar Lecture and Bill Marshall Memorial Lecture. APSID has established an Oration Lecture in his name to be delivered during the APSID Congress. He was appointed as Justice of Peace in 2020 and awarded Bronze Bauhinia Star in 2022.