Professor Julian Tanner has been Director of the Common Core since January 2023. He had previously served as the Science, Technology and Big Data AoI Convenor and has been involved in the teaching and development of a variety of Common Core courses since the Common Core’s inception. His focus has been in developing opportunities for transdisciplinary undergraduate research, building student opportunity, and encouraging flexibility in learning modalities within the Common Core for student-led inquiry. He is committed to the Common Core bringing together all ten faculties of the University to deliver a world-class liberal arts education. He was awarded the HKU Outstanding Teacher Award (OTA) in 2015 and was a Team Member for the HKU (2018) and UGC (2019) Outstanding Teaching Awards (Team) for Transdisciplinarity-in-Action.

Professor Julian Tanner’s research team at HKUMed has expertise in chemical biology and DNA nanotechnology. His team is currently involved in major collaborative projects with the Theme-Based Research Scheme (HKU Co-PI of TBRS (2020) Aptamer: Molecular Insight and Translational Theranostics), and he is a Co-PI within the InnoHK Advanced Biomedical Instrumentation Centre (ABIC) at the Science Park. He is also Director of the BBiomedSc degree programme, Assistant Dean (Biomedical Sciences Curriculum) of the LKS Faculty of Medicine, and Associate Director (T&L) of the School of Biomedical Sciences (https://www.sbms.hku.hk/staff/julian-alexander-tanner). A second edition of his multidisciplinary textbook “Essentials of Chemical Biology: Structure and Dynamics of Biological Macromolecules” is in press with Wiley.

Message from the Director  >

Dr Jack Tsao serves as the Associate Director and Senior Lecturer at the Common Core. Before this role, he taught Common Core courses at the University of Hong Kong’s Department of Psychiatry within the Faculty of Medicine. With a wealth of experience in social impact, experiential learning, and project-based initiatives, Jack focuses on promoting transdisciplinarity and preparing students for the future of work and citizenship. He is passionate about incorporating innovative teaching methods like gaming, storytelling, and digital and artificial intelligence technologies. As a Senior Fellow of Higher Education Advance, Jack is committed to supporting the professional growth of educators and tutors. In recognition of his contributions, he received the HKU Outstanding Teaching Awards (Team) as a Team Member in 2022 for the Communication-intensive Courses Initiative. Jack earned his PhD in Education from the University of Queensland, and specialises in comparative and international education, youth aspirations, and the sociology of education through an interdisciplinary lens.

In addition to his academic career, Jack has held various leadership roles in organisational learning and development, commercial banking, and entrepreneurship. As a leadership and communications consultant at a global consulting firm, he trained and coached executives and professionals from multinational corporations spanning diverse sectors, including banking, finance, education, healthcare, construction, FMCG, and government organizations.