Asst. Prof. Min Hua, Assistant Professor, USC-SJTU Institute of Cultural and Creative Industry (ICCI), Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China

Dr. Min Hua is an Assistant Professor at the USC–SJTU Institute of Cultural and Creative Industry (ICCI), Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China. She is an interdisciplinary design researcher whose work bridges design engineering, creativity studies, cultural computing, and sustainable and inclusive design. With extensive international training and teaching experience across China, the United Kingdom, and Europe, her research integrates theoretical, computational, and practice-based approaches to advance design creativity and innovation in cultural and creative industries.

Online Profiles

Dr. Hua maintains an active international academic presence through institutional affiliation with Shanghai Jiao Tong University, professional research networks associated with the International Association of Cultural and Creative Industry Research (IACCIR), and scholarly dissemination platforms including Google Books and international conference proceedings, supporting global research visibility and collaboration.

Education

She earned her PhD in Design Engineering from Imperial College London (2015–2021), following an MSc in Eco-design from Politecnico di Torino, Italy, an MA in Industrial Design from Tongji University, a minor in Green Architecture from Tongji University, and a Bachelor of Engineering in Mechanical Design from Hunan University, forming a strong multidisciplinary foundation in engineering, sustainability, and design research.

Research Focus

Her research focuses on design creativity, creativity-support tools, design communication, cultural computing, sustainable design, inclusive design, and human-centered innovation, with particular emphasis on computational creativity, sketching cognition, design education, and creativity evaluation in cultural and creative industries.

Experience

Dr. Hua has served as Assistant Professor at Shanghai Jiao Tong University since 2020, teaching courses such as New Product Development and Philosophy and Psychology of Arts, and has held prior roles as mentor and curriculum developer in industry, graduate teaching assistant at Imperial College London and Tongji University, and guest lecturer at Zhejiang Normal University, contributing extensively to curriculum design, teaching innovation, and postgraduate supervision.

Research Timeline & Research

Her early research (2011–2015) focused on industrial design, ergonomics, and green architecture, evolving into eco-design and sustainable systems during her MSc training (2012–2016), and advancing toward computational creativity, design cognition, and cultural computing during her doctoral research (2015–2021), with current work emphasizing creativity tools, inclusive design methodologies, and innovation systems in cultural and creative industries.

Research Impact

Dr. Hua’s research has made significant contributions to understanding design sketching, combinational creativity, and creativity-support mechanisms, with publications in SCI, SCIE, A&HCI, and EI-indexed journals and conferences, influencing design education, creativity assessment, and interdisciplinary innovation research worldwide.

Innovation & Intellectual Property

Her innovation contributions include the development of creativity-support frameworks, computational creativity models, and design education methodologies applied in academic and industry contexts, alongside authored and translated scholarly books that serve as foundational references in design and human factors education.

Research Projects & Funding

She has secured competitive research funding including the Shanghai Jiao Tong University “Double First-Class Initiative” Young Talent Starting Grant, IACCIR Research Sponsorship, China Scholarship Council–Imperial Scholarship, and multiple institutional research and conference grants, supporting sustained research in design creativity, cultural industries, and sustainable innovation.

Conference Contributions

Dr. Hua is an active contributor to leading international conferences such as the Design Society Conference, International Conference on Engineering Design, International Conference on Global Cultural and Creative Industries, and Sustainable Design and Manufacturing conferences, where she has received Top Paper and Outstanding Contribution Awards for her research on creativity and design innovation.

Academic Excellence

Her academic excellence is evidenced by numerous prestigious awards including Top Paper Awards, Best Paper Awards, Young Talent grants, international scholarships, repeated conference funding awards, and recognition by global academic and professional bodies for outstanding contributions to design research and creativity studies.

Societal / Industry Contribution

She contributes to society and industry through curriculum development, industry-linked education programs, creativity and sustainability consulting, and research that informs inclusive, environmentally responsible, and culturally grounded design practices in creative industries.

Global Recognition

Dr. Hua’s work has achieved global recognition through international publications, awards, fellowships, cross-border academic appointments, and active membership in international professional organizations, establishing her as a globally engaged scholar in design creativity and cultural innovation research.

Publications

Books & Monographs

  1. Hua, M., et al. (2021). Introduction to Design in the Cultural and Creative Industry. Fudan University Press. (Under review).

  2. Hua, M., et al. (2018). Human Factors and Design. China Ocean University Press. ISBN: 978-7-5670-1917-1.

  3. Hua, M., Pan, J., & Miao, M. (2018). Understanding Industrial Design: Principles for UX and Interaction Design. Posts & Telecom Press. ISBN: 978-7-115-47531-2. (Translation).

  4. Ge, Y., & Hua, M. (2016). Product Design Sketching. China Ocean University Press. ISBN: 978-7-5670-1086-4.

Journal Articles

  1. Li, T., Hua, M., Wang, J., & Qin, W. (2025). Inverse scheduling method for aircraft flat-tail assembly production based on improved genetic algorithm. Scientific Reports, 15(1), 40147.

  2. Li, T., Hua, M., Wang, J., & Qin, W. (2025). Static scheduling method for aircraft flat-tail assembly production based on improved bi-level genetic algorithm. Scientific Reports, 15(1), 9642.

  3. Han, J., Park, D., Hua, M., & Childs, P. (2021). Is group work beneficial for producing creative designs in STEM design education? International Journal of Technology and Design Education, 1–26.

  4. Huang, S., Li, G., Yang, Z., Hua, M., Yuan, Z., & Jin, X. (2020). CuFeS₂ nanoassemblies with intense near-infrared absorbance for photothermal therapy of tumors. Frontiers in Materials, 7, 289.

  5. Huang, S., Li, G., Yang, Z., & Hua, M. (2020). Neuroergonomics: A new direction in product usability research. The South of China Today, 774–780.

  6. Hua, M. (2019). The roles of sketching in supporting creative design. The Design Journal, 1–10.

  7. Han, J., Park, D., Shi, F., Chen, L., Hua, M., & Childs, P. R. (2019). Three driven approaches to combinational creativity. Proceedings of the IMechE, Part C: Journal of Mechanical Engineering Science, 233(2), 373–384.

  8. Hua, M., Han, J., Wang, P., & Huang, S. (2018). Towards a comprehensive understanding of design sketch. Idealogy, 3(3), 261–277.

  9. Huang, S., Dong, H., & Hua, M. (2016). Cognitive factors influencing older people’s use of apps. Industrial Engineering and Management, 123–128.

Conference Papers

  1. Han, J., Hua, M., Park, D., Wang, P., & Childs, P. R. N. (2020). Computational conceptual distance in combinational creativity. Proceedings of the Design Society: DESIGN Conference, 1, 177–186.

  2. Hua, M., Han, J., Shi, F., Chen, L., & Childs, P. R. (2019). Combinational visual stimuli and computational design creativity. Proceedings of the International Conference on Global Cultural and Creative Industries.

  3. Hua, M., Han, J., Ma, X., & Childs, P. (2019). Exploring the effect of combinational pictorial stimuli on creative design performance. Proceedings of the Design Society: International Conference on Engineering Design, 1(1), 1763–1772.

  4. Han, J., Hua, M., Shi, F., & Childs, P. R. (2019). A further exploration of three driven approaches to combinational creativity. Proceedings of the Design Society: ICED, 1(1), 2735–2744.

  5. Ma, X., Park, C., Moultrie, J., & Hua, M. (2019). An exploratory study on barriers and enablers for plastic reduction in packaging. International Conference on Sustainable Design and Manufacturing, 3–12.