Hong Ching

Biography

Goh, Hong Ching is an Associate Professor at the Department Urban and Regional Planning, Faculty of Built Environment, Universiti Malaya. Starting January 2023, she also serves as the chair of Social Advancement and Happiness Research Cluster, Universiti Malaya. Hong Ching holds a bachelor’s degree in Urban and Regional Planning and a master’s degree in tourism planning, both from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia and a Doctoral degree in Natural Sciences (Dr. rer. Nat.), majoring in geography (supervised by Professors Eckart Ehlers and Paul Vlek, and Dr. Franz Gatzweiler), from Bonn University and attached to ZEF (Center for Development Research), Germany. Her 4-year corporate experience in IOI Properties Berhad had substantially contributed to her registration as a corporate town planner with Malaysian Institute of Planners and the Board of Town Planners, Malaysia in 2010.

Hong Ching is a past recipient of the DAAD Doctoral Scholarship Awards and MIT-UTM Malaysian Sustainable Cities Program Fellowship. She is also a fellow of the ASEAN Science Leadership Program and an alumna of the Global Young Academy. At the university level, she was a recipient of the Universiti Malaya’s excellent service award and twice, excellent service certificates.

Since 2009, she has secured a total of RM5.7million research grant amount, of which RM3.75million came from international funders. She was also a named co-investigator in securing the GCRF grant amounting GBP6.4million. Her research spans across a wide spectrum of disciplines with a focus on environment and natural resources and a great extent being associated with community well-being esp. in resource governance and environmental management, and the socio (economic)-ecological nexus as well as human and ocean health (OHH). A sub-set of her on-going research includes plastic pollution and solid waste management, and the role of behaviour science in addressing these environmental issues. She has also recently demonstrated interests in research capacity building, and intersectionality and research, a framework which was introduced to her, by Prof. Lora Flemings. While her research has a broad application in urbanized settings and where natural resources are found, her passion has always been with Sabah, where she conducted her doctoral fieldwork in 2005.

Hong Ching receives several international recognitions for her leadership and contribution in interdisciplinary research projects and programs. In Mar 2021, she was special mentioned by the British High Commissioner in Kuala Lumpur during the Commonwealth’s Day address on women scientists’ contribution in mangrove conservation and was featured for her contribution to ocean research in conjunction to the International Women's Day. Together with Professor Melanie Austen, the program director of Blue Communities who is also a member of the UK Government’s Natural Capital Committee, Hong Ching joined the UK Minister of Science Amanda Solloway in Sept 2021 (featured in the Good Development Series) to discuss their research program that explores the impacts of climate change on the marine environment on the coastal communities' livelihoods, food, and well-being. In Apr 2022, she was featured in the 100 women scientists in global polar research, a project initiated by Dr. Renuka Badhe (European Polar Board). Since 2018, Hong Ching also serves as the country coordinator (Malaysia) for ForUm- a Network for Urban Future in Southeast Asia linking SEA and German experts, a network chaired by Professor Frauke Kraas, Cologne University and sponsored by the DAAD.