Featured Alumnus:
Challenges and fond moments - my PhD journey in Hong Kong and thereafter
Interview with Giovanni Contreras,
PhD graduate of PolyU Design,
Lecturer in Product Design, Department of Engineering and Design, University of Sussex
DC: Design Channel
GC: Giovanni Contreras (2016 PhD graduate)
DC: Hello Giovanni! Thanks for spending time for this interview. Would you introduce yourself to us?
GC: Sure, my pleasure. I am Giovanni Contreras. I am currently a lecturer in product design at the Department of Engineering and Design of the University of Sussex in the UK. I moved here with my family in mid 2016 after completing three years of PhD studies in Hong Kong. Before my PhD studies I worked for several years as industrial/product designer in the mainland China. Between 2010 and 2013 I worked for mobile phone manufacturer Coolpad Corporation at their R&D centre in Shenzhen, and between 2007 and 2010 I worked as industrial designer for ZTE Corporation. I also worked as product design lecturer for Raffles Design Institute in Shanghai between 2008 and 2010. I obtained a bachelor’s degree in industrial design from the San Luis Potosi Autonomous University in Mexico in the year 2000, and after spending a couple of years working for the local industry, I was granted a Fulbright scholarship to pursue graduate studies in the US. I obtained a master’s of design from the Department of Architecture, Art and Planning of the University of Cincinnati in Ohio in 2005, and I stayed there for another year doing an ‘optional practical training program’ (OPT) working as lecturer of industrial design. Upon completion of the OPT, me and my wife travelled to China for holidays in late 2006, opportunity which I also used to ‘get a feel’ for the country and scan the landscape for potential job opportunities, which actually resulted in me landing my first job in the mainland in early 2007.
DC: We all know doctorate studies are all about research. What was your research project about?
GC: My project looked at the development of computer skills in higher education within schools of industrial design. Modelling is an essential skill for industrial designers, and with the advent of computer aided design (CAD) computer modelling has become one of the key skills that students learn at university. However, while most courses teach students how to use CAD software, there are several reasons why the computer skills that students learn needed to be questioned. One of them is that incoming students seem to be less proficient with computers than previous generations, consequently, they not only need training in terms of CAD but with computers in general. A potential explanation for this phenomenon is that education systems around the world may have ‘fallen in the trap’ of assuming that younger generations needn’t to learn how to use computers anymore. The other, is that incoming students are now part of the ‘smartphone generation,’ thus, many of them have actually far less experience using computers than previous generations, and instead use their phones to perform many tasks.
The other reason why the development of computer skills needed to be looked into is because—as is often the case with technology—it changes at an ever-increasing rate. Consequently, unless educational institutions are aware, their curricula have become outdated. In the particular case of industrial design schools, new and varied forms of computer modelling have appeared over the past 10-20 years, making it important to know whether the computer skills that students are learning are still relevant. In my research, 100+ industrial design schools from around the world were surveyed in order to look at the breadth and depth to which they taught computer skills. This data was discussed and contrasted against the current and future needs of students in this area.
Presenting at WCETR conference in Barcelona 2014DC: Was there anything inspired you to do design research? What brought you to PolyU?
GC: By the time I started my PhD studies, I had worked in industry for about ten years. I think the experience of working in industry is irreplaceable and made me grow a lot, not just a designer but in general. Nonetheless, I think most people reach a point in their career in which they feel that they are not growing as much and/or feel that they need to make changes to move on. For me that moment came when around 2011-2012 as I was still working in Shenzhen, China. My job started to feel increasingly tedious, and I didn’t feel that I was growing either professionally or otherwise.
I looked back at the time I had worked as a lecturer and realised that actually those were the times when I was the happiest (at work). So, I started to look for jobs as lecturer, but realised that most of the vacancies open required that I had a PhD. That’s how the idea of doing a PhD came about. I thought it would give me the opportunity to ‘clear my mind’ and figure out where I was going, while at the same time allow me to ‘switch back,’ and pursue a career in academia. So, I started to look for opportunities, and to my surprise I found that ‘right next door’ in Hong Kong, the Research Grants Council Fellowship offered a scheme to pursue PhD studies in any local university. This in turn opened the possibility to do the PhD at the School of Design of the Hong Kong PolyU, which is a school I had been familiar with for long, and which I held in high esteem.
DC: How was your PhD study journey in Hong Kong?
GC: I studied in Hong Kong between August 2013 and August 2016. In addition to the Fellowship Scheme I was also granted a scholarship from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, which meant I did not have to worry about the tuition fees. As is probably the case with most PhD students however, I did not manage to bring my studies to a conclusion during the three year period,’ so in mid 2016, as I approached the end of the ‘normal period of study,’ I found myself in the difficult position that—now I see—many PhD students’ faces; I had not finished my PhD, I wasn’t anywhere near finishing, and I was going to lose my income (the Fellowship scheme lasts only for three years), which meant I could not afford to stay in Hong Kong once my stipend was over. I was very busy trying to do as much as work on my thesis as I could, since I did not know what my life was going to look like once we moved somewhere else, I was busy looking for a job, and just if that wasn’t enough I was trying to close things in Hong Kong. This alone made the last stretch of my time in Hong Kong quite stressful, but what made circumstances even worse in my case, was that I was in Hong Kong with my wife and daughter.
The Contreras at Hong Kong's Victoria Peak.
Once the normal period of study had almost come to an end, I did what most PhD students in that situation do; I switched from full-time to part-time study mode, and continued working on my studies remotely for almost another year and a half. Finally, in late 2017 I submitted my thesis, which was accepted for examination in early 2018. From there onwards I continued with the lengthily process to prepare for the viva, which I thank God I passed with minor corrections in July of the same year. Looking back, I can see how my lack of experience with the world of academic research made it more difficult for me, but on the other hand, that’s probably the case with many PhD students.
In general however, my study journey in Hong Kong was a positive and joyful experience. While it is true that there were times in which I felt overwhelmed, frustrated, discouraged and disappointed, there were also times when I felt—and still do—very fortunate and deeply grateful. Grateful for having the opportunity to do a PhD, for the opportunity to live in Hong Kong—which I love—for having the opportunity to meet people and make new friends, for being able to travel and present in international conferences, for learning new skills and accomplishing new things.
Undoubtedly something that made my study journey more joyous were my fellow PhD students and friends. They helped me a lot with different things and gave me a lot of valuable advice as I progressed through my studies. Similarly, I think that the Research Office of PolyU has a pretty effective structure to support research students with different matters concerning their study journey.
Giovanni enjoyed the moments with his friends and colleagues in Hong Kong. The second photo is a gathering with his supervisor Prof. Michael Siu and other PhD students of the Public Design Lab.
DC: How was your life in HK? Anyone you met here special/important to you?
GC: Life in Hong Kong was both; nice and exciting, while at the same time, challenging and stressful. Still, looking back, that was all part of the experience, and I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. As I mentioned earlier, one of the things that made life outside of school substantially more challenging, was the fact that I moved there with my wife and daughter. So, to start with, this meant that I could not apply for university accommodation (which, at least at the time that was only available for singles). Consequently, I had to find accommodation in the city by myself. For someone who has no experience living in Hong Kong this may sound trivial, but anyone with an awareness of the housing situation there can immediately relate just how much of a difference that was. It took me about three months to find a decent apartment. Moreover, I was starting to worry about my financial situation, because I knew that whenever I found an apartment I was going to have to pay three months in advance (two for deposit plus one of rent). So, I spent the first five weeks after I arrived in Hong Kong living in youth hostels, ‘jumping’ from one to another because the prices were constantly changing. Fortunately, at that time I was by myself, my wife and daughter joined me a couple of months later. Eventually I learned that the Y-Loft at the Youth Square in Chai Wan had a special offer for international graduate students and I was able to move in there. That made a big difference, not only the accommodation was much better, but the cost was lower. Eventually I found an apartment in Tsuen Wan West, just right in time before my wife and daughter arrived.
The apartment—which costed just a bit more than half of my stipend—was a lot more expensive in comparison to what students living in the university accommodation were paying, but luckily, we managed to complete the three months of rent that had to be paid upfront. Unfortunately, after about a year and a half of living there, the agency through which we made the contract, called us to tell us that the rent was increasing. It was a substantial increase, of about 20%. Apparently, this is a common practice in Hong Kong. Agents constantly instigate landlords to increase rent, hoping that because of the hassle, tenants will accept, and a new contract is made, thus the agents make money through their fees, and the landlords make money with a higher rent. Still we couldn’t afford to pay 20% more, so, we declined and started looking for a new place. Luckily, by this point were were ‘more settled’ and my wife could help with that. After looking at tens of apartments, we found a good deal directly with a young landlord. A smaller apartment, but also cheaper, it was all the way up in Tuen Mun, which meant that my commute to the PolyU which was of around 25 min. became of around 50 min. Still, we were quite happy in Tuen Mun, and we stayed there until we left Hong Kong. [read also: living costs in Hong Kong]
Aside from the complications of housing, and the fact that we were quite tight with money as a family, I enjoyed life in Hong Kong very much. While on the one hand I was busier than ever, on the other I was no longer on a 9-to-5 schedule. As long as I kept up with the work, it didn’t matter when or how I did it. This freedom was priceless for me.
One of the things I enjoyed most was simply walking around and exploring the city. In fact, I am quite confident in saying that there are few areas of Hong Kong that I haven’t been around walking. I also developed the routine of doing exercise around lunch time. First, I used to go to the university’s gym, but eventually I started to go out to the Tsim Sha Tsui promenade. That was something I really enjoyed as well, and it also helped me to release stress.
Church life is always the best spiritual support to Giovanni.
Weekend cycling with family and friends.
Sundays we also had a nice routine as a family; we used to go to The Vine church in Wan Chai. We’ve been at this church once or twice before we moved to Hong Kong from Shenzhen, because some of our friends used to go there. Eventually however, we made new friends and even our older daughter still remains in touch with a friend she made there when she was only 6. After church we used to go to have lunch as a family to one of the nearby places, usually Fairwood or TamJai SamGor which was our favourite. We still remember how much we enjoyed eating spicy noodles there. In fact, we always say that whenever we have a chance to visit Hong Kong, we will definitively go there to eat noodles. Sometimes after lunch we would take a bus to go to the peak, get a coffee (or iced-coffee) at the top, and then walk all the way down from there to Admiralty. It was such a nice time walking down with my wife and daughter, enjoying the views of the city and of the vegetation around. Another thing I really enjoyed doing with my family or friends was cycling. We would rent a bike in Shatin and then cycle to Tai Po and back. That was the journey we liked the most, and the one we did the most often on Saturday or Sunday afternoons/evenings.
But even the ‘small things’ like, taking my daughter to school every morning, or stepping outside of the office to enjoy a cold can of coffee from 7-eleven on VA core during the hot summer days, are things I have a fond memory of.
Giovanni enjoying his favourite TamJai spicy noodle.
His daughter was the regular visitor of the PolyU campus where he spent three years.
DC: What are you doing after graduation?
GC: I left Hong Kong in September 2016 to join the department of engineering and design at the University of Sussex, where I have been working as product design lecturer. A typical contract for new lecturers at the time I was hired involved teaching, research, and administrative duties (known as a ‘forty forty twenty’ contract, because of the percentage of time that one is supposed to devote to each respectively). The probation period for new academic staff here is of three years, which meant that I felt under pressure to finish my PhD within that period. However, the department was facing a number of issues at the time I joined. This meant that not only I had to ‘hit the ground running,’ but also that my probation period was quite challenging. Although by the university’s own standards new academic staff in probation were not supposed to teach more than one module during their first year, the following term I was given two ‘half modules’ to teach. Fortunately, I completed my PhD in 2018 and passed probation about a year ago.
Unfortunately, the situation in my workplace, and the fact that I spent the first year and a half after I started working trying to finish my PhD, meant that I wasn’t able to do much research. However, since my appointment I have created 5 modules, supervised 12 final year students, served as academic advisor to 20+ students, taught 4 modules per year, taken part in an extensive curriculum review, completed a mandatory postgraduate certificate in higher education, served as admissions tutor for the product design degree course and served as mentor for new colleagues. Moreover, I have recently collaborated with one of the most established research groups within the department to design a ‘haptic device for virtual reality environments.’
Giovanni with his students. Most teaching was moved online during the COVID-19 pandemic.
DC: Thank you Giovanni for your sharing. Your experience is very helpful to shed light on PhD studies in Hong Kong and help those who are considering to prepare for their upcoming journey. Our best wishes to you and your family, and look forward to meeting you again in Hong Kong!
Read more:
Research Postgradudate Programmes at PolyU
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