Empowering Digital Education: Prof. Xinhua Zhu Delivers Keynote at Education Bureau Seminar on Multimodal Reading

Prof. Zhu Xinhua, Professor in the Department of Language Science and Technology, delivered a keynote speech at a major seminar organised by the Curriculum Development Institute of the Education Bureau (EDB) of the Government of the Hong Kong SAR on 5 October 2026. The seminar, themed "Multimodal Reading in Digital Education: Reshaping How We Read and Learn," brought together over 500 educators and educational professionals to explore the evolving landscape of reading and learning in the digital age. At the seminar, Prof. Zhu presented a keynote titled " Multimodal Reading: Theories, Research Findings, and Development Strategies," showcasing PolyU’s profound impact and leadership in knowledge transfer (KT) and educational innovation. During his keynote, Prof. Zhu examined the essence and challenges of reading in the digital and AI eras, noting that students frequently encounter hurdles such as weak reading path management, insufficient cross-modal and hypertext integration, difficulties in evaluating information quality, and heavy cognitive loads. To address these challenges, he highlighted five empirical research projects conducted by his team on online multimodal reading. By integrating advanced technologies like eye-tracking, the research explores students' cognitive processing characteristics and offers actionable development strategies for curriculum planning, classroom teaching, and learning assessment. PolyU’s active participation and leadership in this initiative underscore the University's steadfast commitment to knowledge transfer, actively empowering curriculum and pedagogical innovations. Click HERE to read more.

The AI-Driven Linguistics, Neuroscience and Rehabilitation Science & The 3rd Annual Conference of the Macao International Association of Artificial Intelligence (MIAIA) Successfully Held

The AI-Driven Linguistics, Neuroscience and Rehabilitation Science and Macao International Association of Artificial Intelligence (MIAIA) conference successfully concluded its two-day event from 24 to 25 October 2026 at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, drawing over 80 prominent scholars, researchers, and professionals from around the Greater Bay Area. The Conference was jointly organised by the PolyU Department of Language Science and Technology and the Macao International Association of Artificial Intelligence. Centred around the theme of cutting-edge innovations at the intersection of technology, linguistics, neuroscience, and medical rehabilitation, the event served as a dynamic platform for interdisciplinary exchange. Throughout the conference, participants engaged in stimulating discussions on how artificial intelligence is transforming modern diagnostics, cognitive science, and therapeutic applications, bridging theoretical breakthroughs with real-world clinical and linguistic practices. Click HERE to read more.

Celebrating Young Voices in the AI era: Hong Kong Secondary School Short Essay Competition 2026

The Hong Kong Secondary School Short Essay Competition 2026, organised by the Department of English and Communication, concluded successfully with an Award Presentation Ceremony held on 25 September. This year's theme, “Fables for the AI Era,” inspired a record-breaking 1,500+ submissions from secondary school students across Hong Kong. Through imaginative storytelling, participants explored the intersections of AI, human values, and creativity. Highlights of the ceremony included live readings of four Gold Award-winning essays, which offered thought-provoking reflections on human effort, artificial companionship, truth, and empathy. The winning essays will be published in Fables for the AI Era, an anthology celebrating the creativity and talent of our young writers. Stay tuned, and click HERE to learn more about the competition.

Dr Lucas Peltonen Awarded PolyU PhD Thesis Award 2026 (Merit Award – Non-STEM Category)

ENGL Postdoctoral Fellow Dr Lucas Peltonen has been awarded the PolyU PhD Thesis Award 2026 (Merit Award – Non-STEM Category) by the Graduate School. Dr Peltonen was recognised for his doctoral thesis, titled "Cultivating linguacultural competence in business English communication: A mixed methods intervention study", conducted under the primary supervision of Chair Professor Hu Guangwei. The thesis examines a pioneering implementation of business English teaching and learning and provides a foundation for preparing learners for contemporary, global workplace communication. Notably, Dr Peltonen is the sole recipient in the Non-STEM Category across the entire University this year—a proud testament to the research excellence, originality, and real-world impact generated within the Department and the Faculty of Humanities. Please refer to ENGL website for details.

PolyU Information Day 2026

The PolyU Information Day 2026 was successfully held on 10 October 2026. Through information seminars, thematic talks, guided visits and a variety of activities, the Faculty showcased the distinctive features of its undergraduate programmes and learning opportunities, enabling visitors to gain a deeper understanding of different academic disciplines and explore their future study options. The recording of the info seminar for our Bachelor’s Degree Scheme in Humanities is available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sbs0sI2ENvE

Nine FH Scholars Ranked Among World’s Top 2% Most-cited Scientists 2026

The Faculty has achieved outstanding results in the latest list of the World’s Top 2% Most-cited Scientists 2026, compiled by Stanford University. Seven scholars were included based on their career-long citation impact, while two additional scholars were newly listed for their single-year citation impact, bringing the total number of FH scholars recognised this year to nine. Among those recognised for career-long impact are Prof. Hu Guangwei, Prof. Huang Chu-Ren, Prof. Li Shaofeng, Prof. Liang Hualou, and Prof. Zou Di, who have once again been ranked among the world's leading scholars in their respective fields. Notably, Interim Dean Prof. Hu Guangwei is ranked among the global top 50 in the sub-field of Languages and Linguistics. Our newly joined Prof. Anthony Mark McEnery, Chair Professor of Corpus Linguistics and AI for the Humanities, and Prof. Paul Baker, Professor in ENGL, have also been featured on the list, further strengthening the Faculty’s reputation for interdisciplinary research excellence. In addition, Associate Dean Prof. William Feng and Prof. Jenifer Ho have been newly recognised in the 2026 single-year citation impact list, highlighting the growing global influence of FH research. The World’s Top 2% Most-cited Scientists is compiled by Stanford University, covering 20 subject fields and 174 sub-fields, and is divided into two lists in relation to scholars’ career-long citation and single-year citation impact, recognising their long-term and recent research impact.

Prof. Emmanuele Chersoni Awarded French National Research Agency/RGC Joint Research Scheme Funding for Brain Decoding with Language Models

Our Faculty member, Prof. Emmanuele Chersoni of the Division of Artificial Intelligence and the Humanities (in a joint appointment with the Department of Language Science and Technology), has been awarded funding under the French National Research Agency (ANR)/Research Grants Council (RGC) Joint Research Scheme 2026/27 for the project 'Brain Decoding with CALM: Conversation Alignment with Language Models'. The award, one of the six projects funded in the 2026/27 exercise, will provide HK$1.4 million to support a 36-month research collaboration with Dr Philippe Blache of Aix-Marseille University. Co-Investigators of the project are Prof. Hsu Yu-Yin and Dr Gu Chanyuan, both from the Department of Language Science and Technology. The project has the goal of creating multimodal conversational corpora in Chinese and French, with neurophysiological data from speakers engaged in natural conversational tasks, and of developing large language models (LLMs) specialized for conversational prediction in both languages. This crosslingual approach is proposed for improving the generalizability of conversational NLP models and for deepening our understanding of how conversational structure is jointly represented in language and neural signals. The ANR/RGC Joint Research Scheme aims to strengthen the collaboration between French and Hong Kong research communities. Both basic and applied research proposals of high academic merits in all areas are invited under the Scheme.

Prof. Zhu Xinhua Receives Academic Advisor Appointment from Singapore's Minister for Education as LST Faculty and Students Showcase Research at the 8th International Conference on TLCSL

In September 2026, faculty members and research students from the Department of Language Science and Technology (LST) were invited to attend the 8th International Conference on Teaching and Learning of Chinese as a Second Language (TLCSL), organised by the Singapore Centre for Chinese Language (SCCL). During the Conference, one team member was formally appointed as an academic advisory, and the team delivered key academic presentations and engaged in in-depth scholarly discussions across a range of frontier topics. Conferment of Academic Advisor Appointment On 8 September, at the conference’s opening ceremony, Mr Desmond Lee, Minister for Education of Singapore, accompanied by Dr Foo Suan Fong, Executive Director of SCCL, presented the official Letter of Appointment to Prof. Zhu Xinhua, appointing him as Academic Advisor to the SCCL. In the official tribute, the master of ceremonies praised Prof. Zhu for his long-standing commitment to Chinese language curriculum and assessment research, highlighting him as an internationally renowned scholar in Chinese language education and a deeply cherished friend who has worked closely with Singapore’s Chinese education community for decades. During his academic career at the National Institute of Education (NIE), Nanyang Technological University, and The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Prof. Zhu has repeatedly invited to serve as an expert consultant on Chinese language curriculum and assessment for the Ministry of Education (MOE), Singapore. He has also served on numerous occasions as an overseas reviewer for SCCL’s research initiatives and currently serves as Co-Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Chinese Language Education. Following the opening ceremony, the team exchanged views with counterparts from the Ministry of Education of Singapore, the National Institute of Education at Nanyang Technological University, SCCL, as well as primary and secondary schools. During the session, Minister Lee, Executive Director Dr Foo, and Prof. Zhu shared insights and perspectives on the latest developments in Chinese language education research and pedagogical practices across Singapore and Hong Kong. Their discussions focused on frontier topics including Artificial Intelligence (AI)-empowered Chinese curricula, innovative instructional models, and student performance in large-scale international assessments. Delivery of Keynote Address Prof. Zhu delivered a keynote address entitled "Characteristics of GenAI Writing Feedback and Teacher Professional Learning: An Empirical Study of Human–AI Collaborative Mechanisms". He commenced by analysing the ecological transformation and practical challenges facing writing feedback in the era of Artificial Intelligence. Drawing upon his research team’s 15 publications in AI-empowered language education, he highlighted three representative studies, detailing their research frameworks, assessment instruments, and empirical findings concerning the psychological and behavioral dynamics of human–AI interaction among teachers and students. Finally, from the perspective of knowledge transfer, he focused on strategies for enhancing the efficacy of writing feedback in AI-supported environments, offering forward-looking yet actionable recommendations on informing language policy refinement, reshaping curricula, and advancing pedagogical innovation. Conduct of Invited Symposia On 9 September, PolyU scholars Prof. Leung Wai Mun, Prof. Ke Sihui, and PhD candidates Xiao Yu and Xu Xintong convened an PolyU- invited symposium titled "Teaching and Learning Chinese as a Second Language in Multilingual Contexts of Hong Kong: From Policy Planning to Cognitive and Pedagogical Practices." Bridging macro-level policy and micro-level cognition, the four presentations examined the cultural tensions in "hybrid-type textbooks," the cognitive mechanisms of "self-teaching" in Chinese reading, translanguaging in preschool classrooms, and the effectiveness of morphological awareness instruction in primary schools. Spanning diverse educational stages and research paradigms, this session aimed to offer innovative theoretical insights and evidence-based pedagogical strategies to advance CSL education in multilingual ecologies. On the same day, Postdoctoral Fellow Dr Liu Yaping presented her study, "Meaning Construction in Multimodal Reading: Comprehensibility and Cognitive Challenges of Distinct Text-Image Relations" at another invited symposium titled "Exploring Multimodal Reading in Diverse Educational Contexts: Hong Kong and Singapore Perspectives." Focusing on how diverse text-image relations affect readers' meaning-making processes, her findings offer valuable insights for multimodal reading pedagogy, reading material development, and text-image design in instructional resources. In addition, in his capacity as Co-Editor-in-Chief, Prof. Zhu attended the editorial board meeting of the Journal of Chinese Language Education (JCLE) to advance the development of an international scholarly dissemination platform for Chinese language education. Furthermore, Prof. Lin-hong Cheung and Prof. Zhu paid a dedicated visit to Prof. Chew Cheng Hai, an internationally renowned linguist and a founding scholar of Singapore’s Chinese language education community. During the visit, Prof. Zhu conveyed his warmest regards and engaged in insightful dialogue on the heritage, continuity, and future development of Chinese linguistics and overseas Chinese language education. This academic visit to Singapore successfully showcased the Faculty’s and Department’s research findings and expertise in the field of Chinese language education and assessment, while further expanding their scholarly exchange networks across the Asia-Pacific region. Moving forward, the team will continue to deepen inter-institutional collaborations and actively pursue research topics of both theoretical significance and practical value.

HKLO Team Shines at the 23rd International Linguistics Olympiad with 5 Awards

Our Hong Kong Linguistics Olympiad (HKLO) Team, comprising four local secondary school students, achieved outstanding results at the 23rd International Linguistics Olympiad (IOL), held in Bucharest, Romania, from 27 July to 1 August 2026.   Competing against some of the world’s most talented young linguists, the Team brought home two Silver Medals (Maxwell JI and Theo LOMONE), one Bronze Medal (Ricky LEUNG), one Honourable Mention (Jayden KONG), and a Silver Medal in the Team Contest – affirming their exceptional capabilities on the global stage.   Congratulations to all team members on their remarkable accomplishments, which showcase their exceptional linguistic aptitude, dedication, and teamwork.   The results of the 23rd IOL can be found here.   HKLO Team at the IOL 2026 (in alphabetical order) Prof. Eric PELZL (Team Leader) FARHAN Ishraq (Deputy Team Leader) Jayden KONG (St Paul’s Co-educational College); Maxwell JI (Chinese International School); Ricky LEUNG (Excel London College); and Theo LOMONE (Diocesan Boy’s School).   Looking ahead, the 2026/27 HKLO training programme will commence in late September/early October. If you’re interested in joining this year, don’t miss the opportunity! The 24th IOL will be held in Bangkok, Thailand, in 2027.   The Hong Kong Linguistics Olympiad (HKLO) is organised by the Faculty of Humanities at PolyU, in collaboration with the HKLO Committee.   The IOL is one of the twelve international science Olympiads designed for secondary school students, challenging participants to solve complex linguistic puzzles using logical thinking, problem-solving skills, and creativity. Unlike many competitions, it requires no prior knowledge of specific languages or linguistics. Participants tackle problems spanning syntax, phonology, semantics, and writing systems by identifying patterns in unfamiliar language- including rare and endangered ones. The competition is divided into two categories: an individual contest where participants work independently, and a team contest requiring collaboration to resolve more intricate problems.

Inauguration Ceremony for the Joint Laboratory of Artificial Intelligence and Language Technology (AILT) between PolyU and NWPU Successfully Held

Marking a significant milestone in the convergence of artificial intelligence and language studies, the Department of Language Science and Technology (LST) under the Faculty of Humanities (FH) at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) and the School of Foreign Studies at Northwestern Polytechnical University (NWPU) jointly held the Inauguration Ceremony and Exchange Meeting for their newly established Joint Laboratory of Artificial Intelligence and Language Technology (AILT) on 4 September 2026. Representatives from both institutions gathered at the PolyU Hung Hom Bay Campus to celebrate the official launch of the new joint laboratory. Following the unveiling ceremony, both delegations engaged in a fruitful and joyful discussion regarding future project collaborations and strategic partnerships. The two institutions explored a wide range of prospective initiatives spanning academic exchanges, joint research endeavours, faculty training programmes, and student exchange scheme. Both parties expressed great delight with the productive discussions and look forward to deep, fruitful cooperation ahead, paving the way for groundbreaking advancements in the integration of artificial intelligence and language technology.