About
I am deeply concerned about the health of our planet and its inhabitants, and I am constantly thinking about how I can contribute as a psychologist. In the early 2010s, I decided to redirect my research focus entirely to the study of environment and human behavior. My primary research focus is to uncover the connections between people's interactions with nature and their health and behavior. Some examples of my work in this area include studies on nature connectedness, empathy toward nature, and, more recently, gratitude toward nature. My other focus is to explore how culture and contextual factors shape human-environment relationships. I have introduced cross-cultural environmental psychology, a meta-theoretical perspective emphasizing the need for culturally informed theories and methods that positions people’s interactions with natural and built environments as embedded in sociocultural contexts. In my recent projects, I analyze how individuals respond to climate change, focusing on the psychological processes that drive potential solutions. I study climate action, climate change anxiety, policy support, and climate resilience.
I have published over 85 peer-reviewed journal articles. Based on the standardized citation indicators released by Stanford University, I have been recognized as one of the world’s top 2% scientists in the most recent three years. In addition, I have been recognized by Research.com as one of the best scientists in the field of psychology.
I am now a Professor in the Division of Social Science at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, and an Affiliate Researcher at the Center for Experimental Research in Social Sciences at Hokkaido University. I was formerly the Editor-in-Chief of the Asian Journal of Social Psychology, and am currently an Associate Editor of PLOS Climate, PsyEcology, and Royal Society Open Science. I am also serving on the editorial boards of the British Journal of Social Psychology, Environmental Psychology Research, Journal of Environmental Psychology, Global Environmental Psychology, and Personality and Social Psychology Review. I have reviewed manuscripts for over 80 journals. I regularly teach environmental psychology at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels and collaborate with and offer consulting services to local and international environmental organizations.