Henry Ma

Prof. Henry Ma is Professor and Programme Leader of the Doctor of Design programme at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University's School of Design, where he also leads the Creativity and Design Education Laboratory. He holds concurrent visiting professorships at Southwest Jiaotong University, Zhejiang University of Technology, and Beijing Film Academy. His academic credentials include a PhD from PolyU, MBA from University of Leicester, MA in Mass Communications from University of Leicester, and Adv. Dip from Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts.

Research Interests: Prof. Ma's work centers on creativity research, design education methodologies, and applications of design thinking. Key domains include:

• Creative process and innovation strategies
• Digital media design and animation pedagogy
• Studio-based flipped classroom approaches
• Tacit knowledge construction in design education
• Entrepreneurship frameworks for designers

His publication trends (2021-2024) demonstrate strong focus on pedagogical innovation in design education, particularly exploring studio-based learning, tacit knowledge transfer, and technology-enhanced teaching methods. Recent works frequently examine flipped classrooms, OER integration, and motivational frameworks for creative professionals.

Awards & Honors:

• Creative Industry Leader Award in China (2012)
• 1st Hong Kong Digital Entertainment Industry Person of the Year (2007)
• PolyU School Award in Services (2016)

Projects & Leadership: Prof. Ma directs the Creativity and Design Education Lab and has secured significant grants including:

• HK$3.167M for Automatic Music Arrangement System (Innovation Fund)
• HK$3.1M for Game Content Creation Platform (Innovation Fund)
• HK$1M MOOC on Design Thinking (eLearning Fund)

He serves as Vice-Chairman (Education) of Hong Kong Digital Entertainment Association and Honorary Advisor to ACM SIGGRAPH Hong Kong.