Hanju Seo is a London‑based tree‑intelligence inventor and entrepreneur with a decade of experience turning ecological insight into practical climate solutions. A graduate of the joint MA/MSc Innovation Design Engineering programme at Imperial College London and the Royal College of Art, he now leads a startup, EarthCode Ltd., that closes the gap between satellite‑heavy forestry practice and what orbiting sensors miss.
Inspired by the challenges of managing his family’s small woodland in Korea, he builds low‑power in‑situ monitoring tools that
collect real‑time field data and merge it with remote‑sensing layers, giving land managers early warnings of insect outbreaks and
wildfire risk so they can act before damage escalates.
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
Experience
• Founder & CEO
EarthCode Ltd.
Jun 2024 - Current
-Built an AI‑based platform for in‑situ tree identification and health analytics.
-Winner, Dezeen × Bentley “Start Something Powerful” competition (2024).
• Quest Fellow (Cohort 3)
xCelero Labs & Queen’s University
Apr 2025 – Present
-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 pelvic‑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
-Security operations at K55 Gate.
• Artwork Manager (Contract)
National Museum of Modern & Contemporary Art, Seoul
Nov 2013 - Mar 2014
-Managed installation of Do‑Ho Suh’s Home within Home….
Exhibitions
2025
- 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
- Helen Hamlyn Design Awards Exhibition, Royal College of Art, London – PERA & EarthCode (Finalists)
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
Press
2024
- Bentley Magazine, Issue 83 — “Forest Fingerprints” feature interview, pp. 42–47 (print, FMS)
- 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”
- Embassy of Sweden in Seoul press release — “2021 Korea + Sweden Young Design Award ceremony concludes successfully”
- 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
Awards
2025
- D&AD Awards 2025 — Future Impact Shortlist
- BeOPEN — Designing Futures 2050 — Finalist (EarthCode · competition ongoing)
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 Award
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
Contact
Instagram @seopadong
phone +44) 7774 889 331
email hello@earthcode.io