Excellent Teaching Assistant Award 2025-26

Mr Jacky Jia Jie Liu is a PhD candidate and HKU-Presidential Scholar in Professor Alice S. T. Wong’s lab at the School of Biological Sciences. He received his Honours Bachelor from the University of Toronto in 2022, with triple majors in Physiology, Neuroscience, and Cell & Molecular Biology.

Jacky began demonstrating laboratory courses within six months of completing his undergraduate training. Although daunting at first, the experience helped him empathise with his students and shaped his goal of becoming the kind of teaching assistant he wished he'd had as a student.

Drawing from different influences, Jacky sought to bring the same passion he has for science and research to his role as demonstrator in various laboratory courses. At HKU, Jacky has served as a demonstrator and chief demonstrator for biochemistry, molecular biology, and food and nutritional science courses. He used his experience, background, and ongoing research to stress the importance of being well prepared and to encourage students to grasp the essence of their scientific training.

Jacky learned from his past mentors that laboratory courses are not simply about following each step blindly, but about understanding why each step and reagent is needed, and what would happen if any step went awry. It is this idea that he tried to pass on to his students: beyond the surface level of gaining competency in basic laboratory techniques, the true lesson lies in understanding the reasoning and mechanism behind the protocols and learning how to troubleshoot.

Jacky also placed great emphasis on effective science communication and on developing one’s own writing style and abilities, particularly in an age when overreliance on AI is becoming increasingly common. To support this, he created writing guides and offered detailed, constructive feedback on drafts. Beyond his regular teaching duties, Jacky has also led and taught summer undergraduate students who shadowed him.

Having seen and heard about his former students pursuing research and even becoming his peers as HKU Presidential Scholars, Jacky came to appreciate the privilege of playing a small part in their education and passing on the best teaching and lessons he received. He hopes his students will do the same, and he wants to keep teaching and find ways to integrate it into his future career.