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Professor Christian R. Voolstra
Professor Christian R. Voolstra (left) and moderator Professor Lam Hon-ming (right) at the first lecture
Professor Christian R. Voolstra (left) and moderator Professor Luo Haiwei (right) at the second lecture
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[May 2026 issue]
The 10th Yen Kwo Yung Lecture in Life Sciences co-organised by New Asia College and the CUHK School of Life Sciences aims at enhancing the understanding of life sciences among the public and students, and promoting the values and significance of life sciences in modern society. Three lectures were successfully held on 11, 12 and 14 March 2026 respectively, delivered by Professor Christian R. Voolstra, Professor of Genetics of Adaptation in Aquatic Systems, University of Konstanz, Germany.
The first lecture, titled “The Future of Reefs and Reefs of the Future”, was moderated by Professor Lam Hon-ming, Choh-Ming Li Professor of Life Sciences. Professor Voolstra highlighted the growing threat facing tropical coral reefs, explaining the effects of climate change has led to accelerating extreme weather and coral bleaching. Despite the pressure, Professor Voolstra shared the encouraging findings from recent scientific research. By adopting microbiome-based approaches and advanced tools such as high-resolution ecological data, scientists are gaining a clearer picture of why certain corals are better able to survive rising ocean temperatures. These findings help researchers develop approaches to restore coral reefs.
The second lecture, “Extending Stress Resilience through Host Microbiome Engineering”, was chaired by Professor Luo Haiwei, Director, CUHK Simon F.S. Li Marine Science Laboratory, at which Professor Voolstra shared about the potential of “microbiome engineering” to rebuild biodiversity and resilience in ecosystems.
The third lecture, “Coral Reefs and Climate Change — Mitigating the Ecological Collapse”, was co-organised with Hong Kong Science Museum. Professor Voolstra explained to the public about the current adverse effects of climate change on coral reefs and called on us to counter the trend of biodiversity loss.
Across the three lectures, Professor Voolstra offered a forward-looking perspective on how the study of microbiome can help protect and rebuild reef ecosystems under the threat of global warming. His lectures enhanced the audience’s understanding of global warming and offered fresh insights into environmental protection.
Lecture Review:
1st Lecture 2nd Lecture 3rd Lecture
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