^{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 develops approaches that connect real-world ecosystems with digital systems, enabling deeper understanding and more responsive stewardship.} ^{This belief informs his concept of Hypergleaning, an evolution of traditional
gleaning
that pairs a living organism with its digital twin. By scanning and recording in real time, Hypergleaning 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.}_{• Conventional gleaning}
_{• Hypergleaning}

^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

^{• 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.}
^{• 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 – 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}_{-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
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}

^Press

^{2025

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}

^Awards

^{2025
Core77 Design Awards 2025 - Emerging Technologies (Student Winner)

D&AD Awards 2025 — Future Impact Shortlist
BeOPEN — Designing Futures 2050 — Finalist}

^{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}

^Contact

^{Instagram @seopadong
phone +44) 7774 889 331

email seopadong@gmail.com}