2025 Seminars
Date: 22 September 2025 (Mon)
Time: 11:00AM – 12:00NN
Venue: Room 297, Science Centre, CUHK
Speaker:
Prof. Wojciech Chrzanowski, Head of the Nano-Medical Innovations Group, University of Sydney
Moderators:
Prof Stephen CHEN, SIS
Prof Renee CHAN, Paediatrics
Organizer:
Department of Paediatrics, School of Life Sciences and the Hong Kong Hub of Obstetric and Paediatric Excellence
Date: 16 September 2025 (Tue)
Time: 3:30 – 4:30PM
Venue: MMW LT1
Speaker:
Prof. Noboru Mizushima, Professor, Vice Dean, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Graduate School and Faculty of Medicine, The University of Tokyo
Registration:
https://cloud.itsc.cuhk.edu.hk/mycuform/view.php?id=1976512
Date: 20 August 2025 (Wed)
Time: 11:00AM – 12:00PM
Venue: SC 297
Speaker:
Dr. GAO Jieqiong, Division of Life Science, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
Organizer:
School of Life Sciences [SLS Seminar Series]
Date: 15 August 2025 (Fri)
Time: 4:30 – 5:30PM
Venue: SC 297
Speaker:
Dr. SUN Tsu-Wang, Ph. D., Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces, Potsdam, Germany
Organizer:
School of Life Sciences [SLS Seminar Series]
Date: 3 July 2025
Time: 10:00AM – 12:00PM
Venue: MMW LT2
Speaker:
Dr. Yingming Zhao, Ph. D., Louis Block Professor, Ben May Department for Cancer Research, The University of Chicago, United States
Organizer:
School of Life Sciences [SLS Seminar Series]
Sharing:
On July 3rd, Professor Yingming Zhao, Louis Block Professor at the University of Chicago’s Ben May Department for Cancer Research, successfully given a seminar invited by school of life science (SLS) and BEHM.
As an internationally recognized leader in proteomics and chemical biology, Professor Zhao has pioneered revolutionary work in mass spectrometry-based discovery of protein post-translational modifications (PTMs). Prof. Zhao received his Ph.D. from The Rockefeller University in 1997 under the mentorship of Professor Brian Chait. During the seminar, Prof. Zhao introduced about his laboratory’s groundbreaking identification of 13 novel lysine acylation pathways – metabolic modifications that double the known landscape of epigenetic regulators- in an accessible way. These discoveries, documented in nearly 200 highly cited publications with over 50,000 citations, have further characterized unique enzymatic machinery that rewrites traditional concepts of epigenetic control. Prof. Zhao is also the co-founder of three biotechnology companies, so during the Q &A section, he also shared his insights on running a business with the audiences.
Date: 28 May 2025
Time: 11:00AM
Venue: SC L3
Speaker:
Prof. Cahir O’Kane, Department of Genetics, University of Cambridge, UK
Organizer:
School of Life Sciences and Gerald Choa Neuroscience Institute [SLS Seminar / GCNI Joint Seminar]
Seminar report:
Co-organized by School of Life Sciences (SLS) and the Gerald Choa Neuroscience Institute (GCNI), the SLS/GCNI joint seminar was held at Science Centre L3, The Chinese University of Hong Kong on May 28, 2025.
Prof. Cahir O’Kane, Professor of Department of Genetics at University of Cambridge, delivered a talk titled “Axonal endoplasmic reticulum: an organelle continuous over metres, and its links to axon degeneration”. Following the presentation, participants engaged in lively discussions, exchanging insights on neuroscience research—particularly the role of cellular organelles in axons and their links to human diseases, such as hereditary spastic paraplegia.
Date: 30 Apr 2025
Time: 11:00AM
Venue: SC L2
Speaker:
Prof. Hu Junjie, Principal Investigator, National Laboratory of Biomacromolecules, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
Organizer:
School of Life Sciences [SLS Seminar Series]
Seminar Report:
On April 30, SLS Seminar Serie has offered a new scientific seminar featuring a presentation by Professor Prof. Junjie Hu, from National Laboratory of Biomacromolecules, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences.
Transfer of lipid across different cellular compartments is an essential process for intracellular lipid traffic. Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is a main source for lipid synthesis, from where lipids or precursors are transported to other organelles through vesicle and nonvesicle routes. Prof. Hu presented a recent discovery about a novel lipid transfer regulator for lipid transfer between ER and mitochondria in plant development and stress response. Following PhD and postdoctoral work in US, Prof. Hu established an illustrious career researching the functional significance of different ER morphologies in different cell types, and their implication in various human diseases.
Date: 23 Apr 2025
Time: 4:00PM
Venue: SC 297
Speaker:
Prof. WU Xiandeng, Tenure-track Assistant Professor, Southern University of Science and Technology, China
Organizer:
School of Life Sciences [SLS Seminar Series]
Seminar Report:
SLS Seminar Series: Vesicle organization and transportation via phase separation: from presynaptic terminals to general cells
Our nerve systems are made up by billions of neuron cells, which are responsible for the transfer of information through a process called neurotransmission. It has been well known that synaptic vesicles transport neurotransmitters in the neurons for their release to the presynaptic active zone. But how the transport of synaptic vesicles is regulated are still unclear.
On April 23, Prof. Xiandeng Wu from School of Life Sciences, Southern University of Science and Technology has visited School of Life Sciences in CUHK. He nicely introduced how synaptic vesicles are regulated and organized for short distance and directional transport in the presynaptic terminals via phase separation, which was recent published in Cell. His current research has also expanded to explore this mechanism in general cells and disease models to understand how phase separation of vesicles links to physiological functions.
Date: 15 Apr 2025
Time: 11:00AM – 12:30PM
Venue: SC 297
Speaker:
Dr. Enoch Yuen Lok Him, Postdoctoral Research Associate, Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, UK
Organizer:
School of Life Sciences [SLS Seminar Series]
Seminar Report:
On April 15, Dr. Enoch Lok Him Yuen has visited School of Life Sciences in CUHK to share his latest research work to our students about host-pathogen interaction. Dr. Enoch Lok Him Yuen was born and raised in Hong Kong. He moved to the UK for secondary school and continued to finish his Bachelor and PhD in Imperial College London in Biological Sciences. Besides, he obtained an MPhil in Business Management from the University of Cambridge. He also had a great discussion with the students about university life in the UK.
Date: 10 Apr 2025
Time: 1:00PM – 2:00PM
Venue: Area 39 G02
Speaker:
Prof. WANG Wuming, Research Assistant Professor, School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Organizer:
School of Biomedical Sciences
Date: 3 Apr 2025
Time: 10:30AM – 11:30AM
Venue: SC L4
Speaker:
Professor Grant Dewson, Ph.D., Laboratory Head, Ubiquitin Signalling Division, The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research (WEHI) & Head, WEHI Parkinson’s Disease Research Centre
Organizer:
School of Life Sciences [SLS Seminar Series]
Seminar Report:
On April 3, Professor Grant Dewson from WEHI (The Walter and Eliza Hall institute of Medical Research, Australia) delivered an insightful seminar titled “Targeting Mitochondrial Vulnerabilities in Parkinson’s Disease” to our school. The session was attended by undergraduate and postgraduate students, along with faculty members. The engaging talk sparked numerous questions and discussions. Professor Dewson also introduced the Inspire Program, a summer exchange program to WEHI, which generated great interest among students.
Date: 14 Mar 2025
Time: 10:30AM – 11:30AM
Venue: SC 297
Speaker:
Prof. Zhu Yingfang, College of Life Sciences, Henan University, Kaifeng, China
Organizer:
School of Life Sciences [SLS Seminar Series]
Date: 20 Feb 2025
Time: 11:00AM – 12:00PM
Venue: SC L4
Speaker:
Prof. Evandro Fei Fang, PhD, Associate Professor, University of Oslo and Akershus University Hospital, Norway
Organizer:
School of Life Sciences [SLS Seminar Series]
Seminar Report:
SLS Seminar Series: How to Integrate 5“A”s to Live a Longer & Healthier Life
On Feb 20, Prof. Evandro Fei Fang from University of Oslo and Akershus University Hospital (Norway) has visited School of Life Sciences in CUHK and delivered a fascinating seminar to our students about his excellent research in ageing.
As an CUHK alumnus, Prof. Fang was very glad to return to CUHK. He is also actively promoting the research collaborations and student exchange between Hong Kong and Nordic groups. He is the coordinator of the Hong Kong-Nordic Research Network and will be back to Hong Kong again in September this year for the Hong Kong-Nordic Research meeting.
Date: 6 Feb 2025
Time: 11:00AM – 12:00PM
Venue: SC 297
Speaker:
Prof. Zhang Yuelin, School of Life Sciences, Sichuan University, China
Organizer:
School of Life Sciences [SLS Seminar Series]
Seminar Report:
On Feb 6th, Professor Yuelin Zhang from Sichuang University has visited School of Life Sciences in CUHK to deliver a seminar entitled “Salicylic Acid Biosynthesis and Signaling in Plants”.
Salicylic acid, a plant hormone, is widely used in the preparation of aspirin and many pharmaceutical products. For plants, it serves as a vital component of the plant immune system, enabling plants to defend against pathogens. However, the mechanisms governing its synthesis have long been unclear. In the seminar, Professor Yuelin Zhang has introduced his groundbreaking new discovery of a novel biosynthetic pathway for salicylic acid biosynthesis, which is set to be published in the esteemed Nature journal. Furthermore, his has provided a comprehensive overview of the current understanding of the regulatory pathways of salicylic acid in plant immunity, including an alternative signalling pathway of salicylic acid that modulates plant defence control by his group.
