Sir Edward Youde Memorial Fellowships 2012/13 & 2013/14
尤德爵士紀念基金研究生獎學金2012/2013及2013/14度得獎者
Assistant Professor, School of Life Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
香港中文大學生命科學學院助理教授
“Aim high and dare to fail!” When I first picked up a coral skeleton on the beach as a child, I never imagined it would shape my career and lifelong mission—to advance coral science while restoring and protecting the fragile marine ecosystems of my home. Habitat restoration is an important theme of the Hong Kong Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan 2035, and I am deeply committed not only to reviving these precious coral ecosystems but also to inspiring the next generation of environmental stewards. Today, I lead groundbreaking work in coral breeding, ecosystem restoration, the resilience of Hong Kong coral communities to global change, and education outreach. My dedication has earned me the nickname “Coral Mum,” a testament to the impact I have made in this field.
「志存高遠，敢於失敗！」當我還是孩童時，第一次在海灘上拾起一塊珊瑚骨骼，我從未想過這會塑造我的事業與終身使命——推進珊瑚科學發展，同時保育並守護本地脆弱的海洋生態。生境修復是《香港生物多樣性策略及行動計劃2035》的重要主題，我不僅致力於修復這些珍貴的生態系統，並激勵下一代成為環境守護者。如今，我帶領團隊在珊瑚繁殖、生態系統修復、香港珊瑚群落對全球變化的適應力與教育推廣方面展開突破性的工作。我的投入與努力，為我贏得了「珊瑚媽媽」的美譽，這正是我在這個領域所留下的深刻印記。
My connection with corals began in childhood. Growing up in Hong Kong, weekends often meant trips to the beach with my family. I vividly remember picking up a beautiful white rock covered with star-shaped patterns, only to discover years later that it was a coral skeleton. That moment stayed with me, and during my postgraduate studies, I chose to dedicate myself to coral biology. I obtained my M.Phil. and Ph.D. in Environmental Science and Biology, focusing on coral recruitment, spawning pattern, and resilience in Hong Kong’s marginal marine environment.
我與珊瑚的緣分始於童年。成長於香港的我，週末常常與家人到海灘遊玩。我記得有一次撿到一塊白色的石頭，上面布滿星形的花紋，直到研究生時期才知道那是一塊珊瑚骨骼。這段經歷深深觸動了我，讓我在攻讀哲學碩士及博士時，選擇專注於珊瑚生物學，研究香港水域的珊瑚補充量、繁殖模式，以及在邊緣環境下的適應力。
I am now an assistant professor at the School of Life Sciences at The Chinese University of Hong Kong, as well as a PEW Marine Fellow, National Geographic Explorer, and advisory board member of the Coral Restoration Consortium. In Hong Kong, people affectionately call me the “Coral Mum” because every year my team and I breed corals for both research and restoration purposes. In our lab, we focus on sexual breeding techniques, which produe genetically diverse juveniles to build more resilient future populations. This involves collecting gametes during the brief spawning season, fertilizing them, and nurturing the larvae into baby corals. These coral juveniles grow in our nursery for one to two years before being outplanted into restoration sites. In 2019, we successfully outplanted two-year-old juveniles in Tolo Harbour, where nearly 90% survived. Three years later, they matured and spawned in the wild—the first time lab-grown corals have completed their life cycle in Hong Kong waters at a restoration site. This milestone proved that restoration is possible, and now our challenge is to scale up.
我現在是香港中文大學生命科學學院的助理教授，同時也是 PEW 海洋研究員、國家地理探險家，以及珊瑚修復聯盟的顧問委員。在香港，大家親切地稱我為「珊瑚媽媽」，因為我和團隊每年都會繁殖及培育珊瑚，用於研究與修復。在我們的實驗室裡，我們專注於有性繁殖技術，培育基因多樣化的幼體，以建立更具韌性的未來珊瑚族群。這項工作包括在短暫的產卵季節收集珊瑚的卵子與精子，進行受精並培養成幼蟲，再讓牠們成長為珊瑚幼苗。這些珊瑚苗會在培育場中生長一至兩年，之後再移植到修復地點。2019 年，我們首次將兩歲的珊瑚苗移植到吐露港，存活率接近九成。三年後，它們在野外成熟並產卵——這是實驗室培育的珊瑚首次在香港水域的修復地點完成物種的完整生命週期。這個里程碑證明了生態修復的可能性，而我們當前的挑戰是如何將規模擴大。
Hong Kong is often overlooked in global coral discussions, yet it is a unique “marginal environment” where corals endure extreme seasonal temperature fluctuations, high sedimentation, and nutrient levels. Unlike many reef regions, Hong Kong has not experienced mass coral decline from bleaching or disease in recent decades. Instead, our restoration efforts target sites degraded by past coastal development and pollution, such as Tolo Harbour in the 1980s. What troubles me most is that many people are unaware that corals once flourished in these places, and therefore do not realize what has been lost. To address this, I founded Coral Academy in 2018, an outreach initiative that has since engaged over 100 schools, 30,000 students and teachers, and more than 700,000 members of the public. Through citizen science, school nurseries, workshops, and exhibitions, Coral Academy has helped raise awareness, and inspire action for coral conservation in Hong Kong.
香港在全球珊瑚討論中常被忽略，但它是一個獨特的「邊緣環境」，珊瑚在這裡必須承受極端的季節性溫度波動、高沉積率與高營養水平。與許多珊瑚礁區不同，香港近十年並未因白化或疾病而出現大規模衰退。我們的修復工作主要集中在過去因沿岸發展與污染而受破壞的地點，例如 1980 年代的吐露港。最令我感到遺憾的是，許多人甚至不知道這些地方曾經有過珊瑚，因此也不了解我們失去了什麼。為了改變這種情況，我在 2018 年創立了 珊瑚學院（Coral Academy），這是一個外展項目，至今已經接觸超過 100 所學校、30,000 名師生，以及超過 700,000 名公眾。透過公民科學、校園珊瑚培育、工作坊與展覽，珊瑚學院幫助提升了社會大眾的認知，鼓勵共同採取行動保護香港的珊瑚。
Looking ahead, I am excited about the upcoming “Coral Breeding and Education Hub,” supported by CUHK and the ROLEX Perpetual Planet initiative. This facility will expand our breeding capacity, enabling us to produce a sustainable supply of coral juveniles for restoration. At the same time, we will continue to launch education programs that help students build emotional connections with local coral ecosystems, empowering them to take action in marine conservation.
展望未來，我很期待即將落成的「珊瑚繁殖與教育中心」，這是香港中文大學與 ROLEX 「保護地球・恒動不息」計劃支持的項目。這個設施將大幅提升我們繁殖本地珊瑚能力，為本地修復提供穩定的珊瑚來源。同時，我們也會持續推動教育計劃，幫助學生與本地珊瑚建立深厚的情感連結，激發他們積極參與海洋保育工作。
The SEYMF fellowship has been a profound encouragement in my journey. Receiving it twice was an unexpected honor, affirming that I was on the right path. It gave me the confidence to pursue ambitious research and conservation goals, and the support allowed me to attend conferences and conduct overseas studies. More importantly, it reminded me that passion and perseverance matter—that my dream of being a coral scientist who bridges research, restoration, and education is not only valid but vital.
尤德爵士紀念基金的研究生獎學金在我的旅程中給予了極大的鼓勵。能兩度獲得獎學金令我驚喜不已，這不僅是資助，更是肯定與支持，讓我確信自己走在正確的道路上。它讓我有機會參加國際會議、進行海外研究，也提醒我：熱情與毅力至關重要。這份肯定讓我更加堅定，繼續追尋成為一名能夠結合科研、修復與教育的珊瑚科學家的夢想。
