^{This belief informs his concept of ‘Contextual-Understanding Gleaning’, an evolution of traditional gleaning that pairs a living organism with its digital twin. By scanning and recording in real time, Contextual-Understanding Gleaning creates dynamic replicas enriched with biological data, environmental context, and historical records. These twins support both preservation and practical use, fostering a future where the natural and digital continuously inform and strengthen one another.}



<sub>• Gleaning



• Contextual-Understanding Gleaning</sub> 






^Education

^{• Master of Science - MS, Innovation Design Engineering
Imperial College London, London, UK
Grade: Merit (67%)}

^{Sep 2022 - Jul 2024}

^{• Master of Arts - MA, Innovation Design Engineering
Royal College of Art, London, UK}

^{Sep 2022 - Jul 2024}

^{• Bachelor of Industrial Design Engineering
Korea Polytechnic University, South Korea
Graduated with the highest academic honors in the department
Feb 2020}

^{• Founder & CEO
EarthCode Ltd.
Jun 2024 - Current}
_{-Spatial intelligence connecting nature, humans, and machines for better agriculture and forestry decisions
-£43K funded, showcased at Dubai AI Festival, based at Somerset House London}


^{• Makers with a Mission Residency
Makerversity
Aug 2025 - Current}
_{-Selected for the 2025 Summer cohort of the Makers with a Mission Residency at Makerversity, Somerset House, a 6-month programme where I am further developing EarthCode.}


^{• Quest Fellow (Cohort 3)
xCelero Labs & Queen’s University
Apr 2025 – Jul 2025}

-Researching agritech applications of forest-data intelligence.

^{• Immersive AR Experience Designer
Snap Inc.
Feb 2024 – Jul 2024}
_{-Built Tiny Forest AR app for citizen micro-forest management.}


^{• Co-Founder & Design Engineer
PERA
Sep 2023 – Oct 2024}
_{-Led design of a discreet wearable that tracks female bowel-health biomarkers.}


^{• Sustainable Wood Futures Collaborator
Aalto University
Jul 2023 – Aug 2023}
_{-Selected as 1 of 4 RCA awardees; co-designed a carbon-sequestering timber pavilion that enhances human–nature interaction through modular bio-based construction.}


^{• XR Interaction Designer
CipherX Technologies
Jul 2023 – Aug 2023}
_{-Created AR tattoo-visualisation pipeline and prototyped bio-ink device.}


^{• Human-Centred Medical-Robotics Concept Engineer
KAIST / EasyEndo Surgical
Apr 2020 – Oct 2020}
_{-Conceptualised master & slave devices for robotic kidney-stone surgery.}


^{• Sergent
Republic of Korea Air Force, Osan AB
Jun 2014 – Jun 2016}
_{-Led anti-terrorism drills, coordinated U.S. Vice Presidential visit security as Korean liaison, and completed service as Squad Leader with zero safety incidents.}


^{• Artwork Manager (Contract)
National Museum of Modern & Contemporary Art, Seoul
Nov 2013 - Mar 2014}
_{-Managed installation of Do-Ho Suh’s Home within Home….}

2025

• Seoul Design Week 2025, Dongdaemun Design Plaza, Seoul – Bark-Code
• NEST Conference, University of Sussex, Brighton – Bark-Code: A Non-Invasive System for Tree Identification and Monitoring
  
• Dubai AI Festival, UAE – EarthCode: AI-Based In-situ Tree-Monitoring Solution
  
• Imperial Futures Poster Exhibition, London – Tree-Based Economies: Rethinking Standing Trees as Natural Capital
• Grantham Institute Climate Research Showcase, London – Analyzing Morphological Bark Patterns for Forest Management

2024

• Innovate UK Immersive Tech Awards Showcase, London – Being a Giraffe 
• RCA × Snap Augmented Un/Realities, London – Tiny Forest
  
• RCA Graduate Show (Battersea), London – EarthCode
• Imperial College London Degree Show (South Kensington) – EarthCode
• Open House Exhibition, Imperial College London – PERA

2023 

• Across & Over, HSBC HQ, London – Being a Giraffe
• PERA Showcase, Royal College of Art, London – PERA
• Supergreen Exhibition, Royal College of Art, London
  
• Aalto ARTS Summer School Exhibition, Helsinki – Modular Timber Pavilion for Human–Nature Interaction

2022

• London Design Festival, OPPO Renovators Emerging Artists Project, London – From Bees for Bees

2021

• Design Korea × Sweden Young Design Award, Seoul – From Bees for Bees

2025

• Makerversity Blog — “Makers with a Mission Winter / Spring 2026”
  
• foot 1 — “A conversation between Hong Chanhee and Seo Hanju” (홍찬희와 서한주의 대화)
• Core77 — “The 2025 Core77 Design Awards Emerging Technologies Winners” 

2024

• Bentley Magazine, Issue 83 — “Forest Fingerprints” feature interview, pp. 42–47 (print, FMS)
• Design.Different Magazine, Vol. 5 (Dec 2024) — PERA, a discreet wearable that tracks bowel-health biomarkers
  
• Dezeen — “Hanju Seo wins Start Something Powerful competition with tree-identification system”
• MSN Technology — Coverage of the Dezeen × Bentley award
• Royal College of Art News — “Royal College of Art announces the winners of the Helen Hamlyn Design Awards for 2024”
• FAD Magazine — Helen Hamlyn Design Awards report on PERA
• Auto Design Magazine — RCA Helen Hamlyn Award winners roundup
• Imperial College London News — “Celebrating Imperial’s women-led startups”
  

2021

• IKEA Newsroom — “2021 Korea + Sweden Young Design Award celebrates final winners”
• HeyPop — “지속가능한 미래를 위한 영 디자인 3”  

2020

• Monthly Design (Korea) 월간 디자인 (503호) — “Youth after 199X” (199X년 이후 Youth)

2019

• Visual Atelier 8 — “Seo Hanju Brings Innovation in the Form of Hormongraphy”
• SBS Online News (Korea) — IDEA & EPDA coverage of Hormongraphy

2025

• D&AD Future Impact Fund 2025 Recipient - £25,000
  
• Seoul Design Award 2025 — Best of the Best · ₩5,000,000 (Bark-Code)
  
• Core77 Design Awards 2025 - Emerging Technologies (Student Winner)
  
• D&AD Awards 2025 — Future Impact Shortlist
  
• BeOPEN — Designing Futures 2050 — Finalist 
  
• ISPDH Awards 2025 — Inclusive Sports Product Design Hack (Bronze Winner)
  

2024

• WIRED Creative Hack Award — Finalist (WIRED Japan)
• Dezeen × Bentley “Start Something Powerful” — 1st Prize · £15,000
• Helen Hamlyn Award for Creativity & Northumbrian Water Award for Inclusive Innovation — Joint Winner · £3,000 (Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design)
• Innovate UK Immersive Tech Awards — Best Technical Innovation
• Mayor’s Entrepreneur Competition — Semi Finalist
• WE Innovate — 3rd Prize · £5,000 (Imperial Enterprise Lab)

2022

• OPPO Renovators — Shortlist

2021

• Korea + Sweden Young Design Award — Grand Prize · ₩5,000,000 (IKEA Korea · Embassy of Sweden Seoul · Korea Institute of Design Promotion)

2020

• International Busan Design Award — Idea Award
• K-Design Award — Winner
• London International Creative Competition — Shortlist
• Pinup Concept Design Awards — Silver
• SIT Furniture Design Award — Honorable Mention
• Spark Design Awards — Silver

2019

• European Product Design Award — Silver
• International Design Excellence Awards (IDEA) — Finalist

^{Instagram    @seopadong 
phone    +44) 7774 889 331
email      seopadong@gmail.com}