Head's Message
Prof Chi Ying TSUI
Head/ Professor
Welcome to the Division of Integrative Systems and Design, the newest academic division in The Academy of Interdisciplinary Studies at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.
Design thinking, project-based learning, hands-on experience, teamwork and multi-disciplines are the core elements of HKUST’s new education program – Integrative Systems and Design, which is a new way of nurturing innovators and technologists.
Our world is facing many grand challenges nowadays, such as global warming, energy crisis, and impact of AI on society. To tackle these challenges, we have to nurture a new generation of innovators and technologists, who can integrate knowledge from multiple areas, work in a team consists of experts from multi-disciplines, and use a human-centered mindset to build new systems to solve complex societal problems. This new generation of talents should have the following attributes: independent thinking and analytical mindset, empathy to the users, global vision and ability to identify problems, ability to convert ideas to practical solutions, integrated multi-disciplinary knowledge with human-centered mindset. A new mode of education is required to nurture foster these new talents. The Division of Integrative Systems and Design was set up at HKUST in 2017 to promote this new mode education. The undergraduate program in Integrative Systems and Design, which is the first experiential learning program in Hong Kong, was then launched in Fall 2018. It focuses on active learning, project-based and multidisciplinary training, to nurture our students to become an innovator and technologist with special attributes who can create disruptive ideas.
ISD provides differentiated learning opportunities for talented students. We use new learner Centric pedagogies and project-based experiential learning to empower the students to explore their potential and develop technical competency, design-thinking mindset, interpersonal skills, teamwork, hands-on prototyping skills and entrepreneurship spirit.
Our ISD faculty are from diverse engineering and design disciplines. We have a low student to faculty ratio, so that faculty can provide close supervision to the students on the projects and work closely with the students to develop their own study pathway.
We welcome you to browse through our divisional website. If you want to have more information or provide us with valuable comments, please feel free to contact us.
Professor Chi Ying Tsui
Division Head and Professor
What is ISD?
Integrative Systems and Design is a new paradigm for educating technologists and innovators. A more holistic systems perspective is necessary to truly innovate and tackle the problems of an ever-changing world. ISD uses integrative systems ranging from robotics to smart cities to biomedical systems to advance learning and knowledge through active teaching and transdisciplinary research. Embedding design and system thinking into the curriculum, combined with an emerging pedagogy of project-based active learning, will develop students’ technical competency, design thinking, understanding of complex and multi-disciplinary systems, and entrepreneurial spirit.
Mission
• To advance knowledge through active and differentiated learning, and transdisciplinary research in integrative systems design
• To provide a platform for students, especially those with unique talents and learning potentials, to contribute fully to society and the world
• To nurture innovators and researchers with design and system thinking mindset and entrepreneur spirit
Vision
• To be a Division that epitomizes the use of experiential learning in systems design
• To be a cradle for nurture of innovators and researchers with design and system thinking mindset and entrepreneur spirit
Join us
The Division of ISD is now inviting applications for the following positions:
Faculty Positions (multiple substantiation-track at all ranks) Job ID:4331
+852 3521 0943 
