Full Professor in Clinical Biochemistry and Clinical Molecular Biology-Head Physician of the Laboratory Medicine Units
Chief of the Laboratory Medicine Department,
Tor Vergata University Hospital, Italy
Chair of the Emerging Technologies Division of IFCC
Prof Bernardini is the Chief of the Laboratory Medicine department (Tor Vergata Univeristy Hospital, Italy), Chair of the Emerging Technologies Division of International Federation of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine (IFCC) and Full Professor in Clinical Biochemistry and Clinical Molecular Biology Head Physician of the Laboratory Medicine Units (University of Tor Vergata Hospital, Italy). He received Doctor in Medicine in 1986, University of Rome “La Sapienza” and PhD specialized in Pediatrics in 1995, University of Rome Tor Vergata, followed by postgraduate specialization in Clinical Biochemistry, University of Camerino.
Since 2016, Prof Bernardini is Director of the Inter Dipartimental Center for Culture and Science of Sport, Director of the Inter University Center for Social Sport and Dean of Degree in of Sport and Exercise Sciences, University of Tor Vergata.
Prof Bernardini research focused on paediatric endocrinology with particular interest in growth hormone, insulin like growth factors and their binding proteins. His oncology research area involves the role of growth factors and retinoids in the apoptotic pathways with specific focuses on neuroblastoma.
Interim Chief Innovation Officer of Hong Kong Baptist University
Senior Advisor to the President and Vice-Chancellor, HKBU
Honorary Professor of the School of Chinese Medicine, HKBU
Professor Terence Lau has dedicated over 20 years in technology and entrepreneurial ventures, especially in the research & development and commercialisation of innovative products. As the Interim Chief Innovation Officer of the Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU), Professor Lau will strategically drive high-impact research, the translation and transfer of HKBU's cutting-edge innovations, as well as policy research in innovation and technology overall. He is also a Senior Advisor to the President and Vice-Chancellor and Honorary Professor of the School of Chinese Medicine.
Professor Lau started his career in a renowned Swiss-based multinational company, and was then involved in setting up biotechnology companies and has developed over a hundred products particularly in the area of biotechnology. He returned to the academia in 2013 and worked with various stakeholders to promote high-impact research, their translation and application through bridging the gap in technology readiness between academic inventions and real-life applications. Prior to joining HKBU, he was the Interim Associate Vice President (Innovation and Technology Development) at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University.
In light of his expertise, Professor Lau serves various advisory roles in the industry, government, as well as supranational bodies. He is currently a member of the Advisory Council on Food and Environmental Hygiene and the Expert Committee on Antimicrobial Resistance. He has also served in the Small and Medium Enterprise Committee, and many others related to intellectual properties, innovation and technology development, and food and agricultural development. He is the founder and Chairman of Food Safety Consortium, a charitable organisation which has become the first WHO/FAO Codex Alimentarius NGO observer from China. He has also been appointed as a committee member of the National Technical Committee on Biometrology of China since 2009. Professor Lau served as Advisor, Adjunct Investigator / Professor in a number of institutions and was a Senior Advisor to United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS). He is also the founding Chairman of the Board of the DISH Global Centre for Food Safety & Quality, a non-profit alliance to promote food related collaborations among EU – Hong Kong / China / Asia Pacific.
Professor Lau has co-authored a number of peer-reviewed scientific articles and is the co-inventor of a number of patents. He has also co-developed five Chinese National Standards and is the recipient of the Beijing Municipal Technology Award and Chinese Medical and Technological Award. Professor Lau has also been awarded the International Leadership Award by the International Association for Food Protection in the United States in recognition of his contributions to food safety.
Professor Lau graduated from The University of Hong Kong with an honours bachelor of science degree in Animal and Plant Biotechnology and subsequently received scientific training at Indiana University (Bloomington) and Stanford University School of Medicine in the US. He also received his Master of Philosophy degree in Biology from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, and PhD degree in Physiology from Peking University, China.
Marketing Manager, Sichuan Orienter Biotechnology Co., Ltd
China
Mr Deng is currently serving as the head of the Marking Manager at Sichuan Oienter Biotechnology Co., Ltd. He graduated in Medical Laboratory Science from Third Military Medical University of Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) and worked as the Chief Technician at the General Hospital of the Tibet Military Command of PLA. Mr Deng has extensive experience in clinical testing and fecal morphology as well as published over 10 academic papers as the first or corresponding author in various journals. He has been working in the In Vitro Diagnostics (IVD) industry for 20 years and served three IVD companies, including one listed company and two pre-IPO companies. Their role spanned across quality control, registration, marketing, production management, research and development. Mr Deng also participated in the formulation of industrial standard, contributed to the writing of two academic monographs and served as an ISO15189 reviewer.
Honorary Associate Professor
Department of Microbiology, Queen Mary Hospital Compound
The University of Hong Kong
Dr. Yam is currently an Honorary Associate Professor in the Department of Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong. As a clinical scientist and Fellow Member of Royal college of Pathologists, Dr. Yam aimed at research and rapid diagnosis of emerging infectious diseases including tuberculosis, drug resistant HIV-1, human and chicken flu, and SARS Coronavirus which we have achieved major advancement for clinical application in Queen Mary Hospital. More recently, he has been using molecular methods to study drug resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis and HIV-1. His studies on multi-drug resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis and HIV-1 has included the development of Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) and he has played an important role in developing the high throughput platforms for molecular diagnosis. Other than teaching undergraduate courses in the Faculty of Medicine, his research and service work in the discipline also involves post-graduate training of 12 Ph.D. and over 20 Master students as principal supervisor, with over 130 peer-reviewed publications. Dr. Yam is also Honorary Professor of School of Medical and Health Sciences, Tung Wah College, Hong Kong.
Professor
Beibu Gulf University, China
Research Associate
Beibu Gulf University, China
Heavy metals (Ni, Cu, Cr, Zn, Pb, and Cd) are persistent widespread pollutants in different environmental compartments. In this study, the chemical speciation of heavy metals was studied in surface sediments of the Cross River Estuary (CRE) and surrounding environment, Gulf of Guinea, South East Nigeria. In addition, the sources of sedimentary organic carbon (OC) were quantified using a Monte Carlo mixing model utilizing the stable isotope of OC (δ13C) and the molar ratio of OC to total nitrogen (OC/TN) as source markers for organic matter derived from terrestrial soil, mangrove wetland, and marine phytoplankton to determine their influence on heavy metals sources in estuarine sediments. A Bayesian Network (BN) model was developed to study the interdependency of heavy metals on factors such as sedimentary OC sources, TN, pH, salinity, and sediment grain sizes. Chemical speciation results showed that Pb, Cd, Zn, and Cr were predominantly available in non-residual phases, suggesting their potential bioavailability. Cd was the most polluted heavy metal with the highest bioavailability risk in the study area. According to the BN model results, sedimentary OC from mangrove wetlands played a key influencing role on the contents and variability of Pb and Zn, while the input of OC from terrestrial soil strongly influenced Cu and Ni contents. In the estuarine sediments, Cd and Cr were sensitive to changes in sediment pH, while Ni was sensitive to salinity variation. Strong interdependency between Cd and TN suggested that nitrogen has the potential to increase Cd bioavailability upon release from sediments. This study indicated that the ecological health of coastal marine systems can be significantly impacted adversely when the surrounding wetland environments are degraded and, at the same time, significantly perturbed by human activities. Overall, this study highlights the need for coastal wetland protection,
conservation, and restoration.
Postdoctoral Researcher
Stockholm University, Sweden
Visual surveys are commonly used to quantify and characterize beach litter. However, they can be time-consuming and challenging to conduct on remote or inaccessible beaches. To address this issue, we propose an alternative approach for assessing beach litter using an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) or drone equipped with automated image acquisition and processing capabilities. We conducted a study by randomly placing litter of varying sizes, colors, and materials on two beaches with different substrates. Using the drone, we captured images of the beaches at various operating heights and lighting conditions, and untrained personnel identified the litter in the photos. We are currently undertaking a comprehensive survey using drone to quantify beach litter in Hong Kong. In the future, we believe that the integration of machine learning will further enhance the survey’s efficiency by automating the object identification process. Our findings suggest that drones can be a cost-effective and efficient sampling method for routine beach litter monitoring programs.
Deputy Director
Zhanjiang Mangrove National Nature Reserve Administration
Coming soon.
Professor and Director, Simon F S Li Marine Science Laboratory, School of Life Sciences
Director, Institute of Environment, Energy and Sustainability
The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Adjunct Professor
Griffith University, Australia
Acting Head and Chair Professor of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, Department of Chemistry
Associate Dean (Research & Postgraduate Education) of College of Science
Director of State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution
City University of Hong Kong
