Professor Cora Chan is regarded as one of the best scholars of her generation in the field of Public Law, a field traditionally dominated by scholars in the US and Europe. Her prolific, high-quality publication in prestigious international journals and her critical engagement with eminent scholars have put her firmly on the track to become a world-leading scholar. Her research excellence in public law and comparative constitutional law has received global recognition, and her work has been widely cited by fellow academics.

Professor Chan was appointed by the Hong Kong University Grants Committee as one of the three local members of the Law Panel for the RAE 2020 and was the first Asian to be returned by open election to the General Council of the International Society of Public Law, a pre-eminent global public law association.

In 2014, the University awarded her with the Faculty Outstanding Teaching Award and the Faculty Research Output Prize. The following year she was awarded 2015 Faculty Research Output Prize, and was also awarded the 2017-2018 Outstanding Young Researcher Award.