Well-known as “Doctor of Tree Biology” by the industry, Dr Allen ZHANG, has been the Programme Leader for the degree programme in Horticulture, Arboriculture and Landscape Management (HALM) under the Faculty of Design and Environment, THEi since 2014.
Dr ZHANG is recognized as a leading researcher in urban forestry and urban greening. He was invited by international top journals, such as Landscape and Urban Planning, Urban Forestry and Urban Greening, to be a reviewer. He has successfully submitted 13 research grant applications in the past five years, with a total awarded amount of over HKD $20,000,000. He has published over 35 scientific papers and books and has accumulated more than 10 years of teaching and research experience, in both the conceptual and applied domains.
In AY2019/20, Dr ZHANG won the Researcher Award in THEi Staff Awards in recognition of his significant achievements in applied research. Dr ZHANG’s current research in THEi focuses on the Urban Horticulture, Urban Forestry and Urban Greening, Landscape Ecology and Restoration Ecology.
As a programme leader, Dr ZHANG always take each opportunity to promote the HALM programme to different stakeholders, including government departments, industry partners, secondary schools and general public. In the past five years, the Programme has established collaborations with more than 25 horticulture and arboriculture companies. The companies offer internship opportunities to our students, and also offer full-time employment to our graduates. Although the discipline in Horticulture and Arboriculture is young in Hong Kong, it is well recognized by the government and industry.
Dr ZHANG is proactively involved in community services. He was invited as keynote speaker by different organizations in different public seminars, such as Leisure and Cultural Services Department, Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, Tree Management Office and the University of Hong Kong (HKU), to promote the urban tree conservation and management. These public seminars have an impact on the increase of the public awareness of urban tree management. Prior to joining THEi, Dr ZHANG was a postdoctoral fellow at the Department of Geography, HKU. His research project at HKU mainly focused on urban tree management. Dr ZHANG obtained his PhD from the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK).
