Dr. HU Taihua
Tai is a botanist by training. Before joining CCSG, he had extensive research experience in stress responses in the field of plant biology. After graduation, Tai worked as a service-learning practitioner, advocating for the co-creation of humanitarian solutions in some less-developed regions of the world with students, volunteers and communities. Through lectures, local & overseas field trips, combined with different design workshops, he exposed University students to real-world problems surrounding different SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals). With this immersive problem-based learning experience, students gained practical knowledge on how problems might be tackled in some less-developed regions of the world.
In CCSG, Tai started his journey in 2022 to help revitalise rural communities in Hong Kong and other APAC regions for continual social and economic development. He is passionate about using Appropriate Technology and Human-centred Design methodologies to catalyse actions for rural sustainability. Tai firmly believes that a sustainable society can be achieved through an equilibrium of social-economic development on the one hand, and bio-ecological conservation on the other. Besides, he also works on projects involving native and imported plant species to diversify the local agricultural landscape, together with a team of dedicated farmers in Lai Chi Wo.
| 2013 – 2018 | The University of Hong Kong |
| Doctor of Philosophy (Biological & Environmental Stresses in Plant) | |
| 2010 – 2012 | The University of Queensland |
| Master of Biotechnology | |
| 2006 – 2010 | South China Agricultural University |
| Bachelor of Agronomy (Plant Biotechnology) |
| 2022-present | The University of Hong Kong |
| Centre for Civil Society and Governance | |
| Senior Project Officer | |
| 2021– 2022 | The University of Hong Kong |
| LKS Faculty of Medicine – Teaching and Learning | |
| Assistant Manager | |
| 2018 – 2021 | Lingnan University |
| Office of Service-Learning and Lingnan Entrepreneurship Initiative | |
| Senior Project Officer | |
| 2013 – 2018 | The University of Hong Kong |
| School of Biological Sciences | |
| PhD Candidate | |
| 2012 – 2013 | The University of Queensland |
| School of Chemistry and Molecular Biosciences | |
| Research Assistant |
Lai Chi Wo Agroforestry and Experimental Farm
HSBC Rural Sustainability Programme – APAC Initiative for Regional Impact (AIRI)
Creating Blended Value through Nature-based Solutions and Social Innovation
Arokiaraj, A. W. R., Schapiro, J., Pachuta, J., Nourbakhsh, I., Hu, T.H., Wong, K. W. J., & Ko, A. (2019, October). Participatory design innovation to solve challenges in rural Uganda: A model for the future. In 2019 IEEE Global Humanitarian Technology Conference (GHTC) (pp. 1-2). IEEE.
Hu, T. H., Lung, S. C., Ye, Z. W., & Chye, M. L. (2018). Depletion of Arabidopsis ACYL-COA-BINDING PROTEIN3 affects fatty acid composition in the phloem. Frontiers in plant science, 9, 2.
Chen, M. X., Hu, T. H., Xue, Y., Zhu, F. Y., Du, Z. Y., Lo, C., & Chye, M. L. (2018). Arabidopsis acyl-coenzyme-A-binding protein ACBP1 interacts with AREB1 and mediates salt and osmotic signaling in seed germination and seedling growth. Environmental and Experimental Botany, 156, 130-140.
Ye, Z. W., Lung, S. C., Hu, T. H., Chen, Q. F., Suen, Y. L., Wang, M., … & Chye, M. L. (2016). Arabidopsis acyl-CoA-binding protein ACBP6 localises in the phloem and affects jasmonate composition. Plant Molecular Biology, 92(6), 717-730.