Dr Özgehan Uştuk Receives TESOL Outstanding Advocate Honor Award

Dr Özgehan Uştuk, Research Assistant Professor in the Department of English and Communication, has been honoured with the TESOL Outstanding Advocate Honor Award 2025. The award presentation ceremony will be held at this year’s TESOL International Convention and Expo in California. Established in 1999, this award celebrates an exceptional leader and professional who has demonstrated outstanding advocacy efforts in the TESOL field that are aligned with the vision, mission, values, and commitments of the association. Click HERE to read Dr Uştuk’s global advocacy story.

PolyU Linguistics Ascends to 51st in QS World University Rankings by Subject 2025

The Faculty has risen notably in the 2025 QS World University Rankings by Subject. Linguistics, where the majority of FH staff members specialise, has climbed 49 places to 51st place in the latest ranknigs. The significant leap highlights the Faculty’s dedication to advancing research and education in the field. Additionally, the broad subject area of Arts and Humanities at the University has also moved up to the 83rd place this year. Covering over 1,700 universities from around the world, the 2025 QS World University Rankings by Subject evaluates universities across 55 academic subjects and five broad subject areas, based on their academic reputation, employer reputation, citations per paper, the H-index and international research network.

FH Celebrates Student Achievements in National Competitions

Students from the Department of Chinese and Bilingual Studies (CBS) have achieved outstanding results in two national competitions. CATTI’s National News Editing and Translation Competition Wang Jingwen, an MA in Translating and Interpreting student, won the Second Award in the University (English) category. Sun Jiakun, an undergraduate in our BA(Hons) in Linguistics and Translation (BALT) programme, secured the Third Award in the same category. The Competition was held earlier in December 2024. Unlike traditional translation competitions, this event emphasised innovation in its format and content selection. Participants were required not only to accurately understand and translate the original text but also to process and edit the content. National English-Speaking Contest for University Students Zhao Yunci and Sun Jiakun, a Year-2 and a final-year BALT student respectively, won Second Awards in the National English-Speaking Contest for University Students. Organised by the China General Chamber of Commerce, the competition featured two categories: English Major Group and Non-English Major Group, with preliminary and final rounds. The event attracted students from universities across the country. Dr Maggie Hui, Teaching Fellow in the CBS, provided professional guidance to these students. Dr Hui was awarded the title of “Outstanding Instructor” in the National English-Speaking Contest.

CBS PhD Student Awarded ARWA 2025 Top Student Researcher

Our PhD student, Miss Xu Xintong, from the Department of Chinese and Bilingual Studies (supervised by Prof. Ke Sihui) has won the Top Student Researcher award in the 9th Annual Conference for the Association for Reading and Writing in Asia (ARWA 2025) held in the Philippines between 27 and 28 February 2025. The Top Student Researcher Award is a prestigious recognition given annually to three outstanding student researchers in Asia who present their work at the ARWA conference. Each awardee receives a cash award and a certificate during the conference ceremony. This year, Miss Xu was one of the awardees, representing the Chinese-speaking region, and was invited to present her research on reading and writing development at the conference.

Northwestern Polytechnical University Visits the Faculty of Humanities

A delegation from the School of Foreign Studies, Northwestern Polytechnical University (NPU) visited the Faculty of Humanities (FH) on 4 March. Prof. Hang Xing, Associate Dean (Global Engagement) of FH warmly welcomed the delegates and presented an overview of FH’s programmes and achievements. Additionally, Prof. Wang Gaozu, Head of the Party Committee at NPU's School of Foreign Studies provided a comprehensive update on NPU's current development. Both parties engaged in meaningful discussions about student exchange initiatives and opportunities for academic and research collaboration.

PolyU and EdUHK Co-Host the 2nd CILME Workshop on Metaverse and AI for the Future of Education

The 2nd Centre for Immersive Learning and Metaverse in Education (CILME) Workshop on Metaverse and Artificial Intelligence (AI) for the Future of Education co-hosted by The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) and The Education University of Hong Kong (EdUHK), and co-organised by the PolyU-Hangzhou Technology and Innovation Research Institute (HZRI) was successfully held on 21 February 2025. The workshop brought together leading scholars and experts from around the world to discuss the transformative impact of AI and immersive technologies on education. Prof. Wong Kwok-yin, Vice President for Education and Chair Professor of Chemical Technology at PolyU, welcomed the speakers and guests. The workshop featured two keynote speeches delivered by Prof. Sangmin-Michelle Lee from Kyung Hee University, Korea, and Prof. Yew-Soon Ong from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. Their talks provided insights into the future of AI-powered education, including the development of digital human teachers that integrate virtual reality (VR) and AI-assisted learning environments. In addition, plenary sessions highlighted cutting-edge research with both theoretical and real-world impacts. Prof. Hu Xiangen (PolyU) and Prof. Henry B.L. Duh (PolyU) explored AI’s roles as instructors in enhancing interactive learning of various subjects like language and design. Prof. Song Yanjie (EdUHK) and Prof. Philip L.H. Yu (EdUHK) examined how VR platforms powered by large language models (LLMs) can improve students’ language skills, communication skills, and general knowledge. At the end of the workshop Prof. Li Ping chaired a highly engaging and dynamic round-table discussion, which sparked lively debates and critical insights, with both in-person and online participants actively contributing their perspectives. Discussions focused on critical topics in the field of technology-enhanced learning, including pedagogical design principles to enhance student engagement, roles of AI in education, applications of AI to augment students’ higher-order thinking and problem-solving skills, and personalised education. The workshop concluded with closing remarks by Prof. Chetwyn Chan (Vice President, Research & Development, EdUHK), who emphasised the importance of interdisciplinary and inter-university collaboration in advancing AI-driven education. As PolyU continues to push the boundaries of educational innovation, CILME will play a key role in fostering knowledge transfer and shaping the future of AI and metaverse applications in education. Click HERE for the press release.

Prof. Ke Sihui Receives ARWA Mid-Career Award

Prof. Ke Sihui, Associate Professor in the Department of Chinese and Bilingual Studies, has been honoured with the ARWA (Association for Reading and Writing in Asia) Mid-Career Award. The Award aims at recognising a researcher who is currently in the middle of their career and who has a distinguished research record in the area of literacy acquisition that is related to Asia in particular or more generally to cross-linguistic/cross-scriptal literacy acquisition. The ARWA, registered as a society in 2016, is for researchers studying literacy development, literacy impairment, or expert linguistic processing via print in Asia.

The 14th Joseph Needham Memorial Lecture Series

The 14th Joseph Needham Memorial Lecture Series, co-hosted by the Joseph Needham Foundation for Science & Civilisation (Hong Kong) and the Faculty of Humanities at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, was successfully held at PolyU on 12 December 2024. Prof. Robin D.S. Yates from McGill University delivered an insightful lecture titled “After Needham’s The Epic of Gunpowder,” highlighting the enduring legacy of Professor Joseph Needham. Prof. Yates began his lecture with an in-depth analysis of the Chinese and Western scholarship on Chinese warfare before and after Needham’s work, demonstrating Needham’s profound contributions to the field. While acknowledging the continuing influence of Needham’s research on gunpowder technology, Professor Yates emphasised the importance of considering the cultural and social contexts from which this technology emerged. With a wealth of new evidence discovered in recent decades, he encouraged young scholars to explore the field of Chinese military history. During the Q&A session, Prof. Yates engaged with the audience on the “Needham Question” and the prospects for Chinese military history.

FH Staff Members Honoured with Long Service Award

A total of 50 colleagues in the Faculty received the Long Service Award 2024 in recognition of their years of service at the University, spanning 30, 25, 20, 15, 10, and five years (listed in alphabetical order): Mr Daniel Barlow(ELC) Mr Richard Brooke(ELC) Prof. Angel Chan(CBS) Miss Chan Ho Yi(ELC) Miss Olivia Chan(CLC) Dr Ken Cheng(CLC) Dr Sally Cheung Ching-yu(CLC) Dr Ching Wai-kin(ELC) Ms Belle Choi(ELC) Miss Cherry Chow(FH) Prof. Chu Hung-lam(CHC) Dr J.H. Gu(CBS) Dr Eric Ho(ELC) Dr Yu-Yin Hsu(CBS) Miss Lynn Huynh(ELC) Ms Kou Fanfei(CBS) Ms Lam Hang Ching(CBS) Dr Lau Kai Yiu(CHC) Dr Paris Lau(CBS) Ms Leung Suk-kwan April(CBS) Prof. Li Ping(FH) Dr Vickie Li(ELC) Ms Li Yuk Yi Vivian(ELC) Dr Phoebe Lin(ENGL) Dr Zhihui Lin(CHC) Mr Jim Lo(ELC) Mr Andy Lui(CBS) Miss Ming Lui(CBS) Prof. Kathy Mak(CHC) Mr Mitchell Mak(ELC) Ms Zoe Mak(ENGL) Mr Donald Man(ENGL) Dr Miao Chuan-jiang(CLC) Dr Janet Ng(CBS) Dr Ng Kam-lung(CLC) Prof. Cindy Ngai(CBS) Ms M. O'Hagan(ELC) Dr Pang Tun(CLC) Mr Vincent Sheung Kwun(ELC) Ms Virginia Shih(CHC) Mr Freeman Tai(ELC) Miss Pauline Tai(FH) Dr Tao Ran(CBS) Miss Karen Tse(CHC) Prof. Brian Tsui(CHC) Ms Daisy Wong(ENGL) Miss Kathy Wong(CBS) Ms Yip Lai Ching(CBS) Dr David Yuen(CLC) Dr Zou Yuxin(CLC) The Faculty would like to thank these staff members for their dedicated and loyal service to the University. The Long Service Award Scheme has been introduced since 1990 to foster a sense of belonging among PolyU staff.

FH Academics Publish in Nature Human Behaviour

Dr Xu Shaoxiong Brian and Prof. Hu Guangwei from the Department of English and Communication have recently published an article in Nature Human Behaviour, a prestigious multidisciplinary journal of Nature Portfolio that has an impressive impact factor of 22.3. A commentary on China’s pervasive research integrity issues, the article draws attention to three neglected issues underlying China’s retraction crisis: a striking disparity in the numbers of retractions between domestic and international journals, ineffective enforcement of a profusion of research integrity policies, and widespread non-transparency in handling breaches of research integrity. To help combat China’s retraction crisis, the article proposes five actionable initiatives. The article is the latest addition to a growing list of publications by Dr Xu and Prof. Hu since they started their collaborative foray into research integrity and publication ethics in 2017. Source: Xu, S. B., & Hu, G. (2025). Combating China’s retraction crisis. Nature Human Behaviour. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41562-024-02099-w