PolyU Arts and Humanities Ranks 23rd in Best Global Universities by Subject 2026-2027, Placing 3rd in Asia

The Faculty of Humanities has attained notable results in the U.S. News and World Report’s 2026-2027 Best Global Universities for Arts and Humanities. Arts and Humanities at PolyU is now ranked 23rd globally and 3rd in Asia. This remarkable achievement places the Faculty among the world’s elite institutions, recognised for its excellence in education, high-impact research, and meaningful contributions to society. The 12th annual U.S. News & World Report Best Global Universities rankings evaluate institutions worldwide based on academic research performance and international reputation. The Rankings are calculated based on 13 indicators, including global and regional research reputation, total citations, and international collaboration.

Call for Nominations: Outstanding Alumni Award of PolyU Faculty of Humanities 2026

We are pleased to announce that the Faculty of Humanities(FH) is now calling for nominations for the Outstanding Alumni Award of PolyU Faculty of Humanities 2026. The award aims to give public recognition to FH graduates for their diverse accomplishments and contributions. Three specific areas of achievement would be given recognition, including: Professional Achievement Entrepreneurial Achievement Scholarly Achievement Outstanding Young Alumni Award Alumni who are aged at/under 40 in the award selection year would be eligible for the Outstanding Young Alumni Award. Eligibility The nominated candidate must be a graduate of the Faculty of Humanities* who has successfully completed a full-time or part-time programme offered by PolyU (or its forerunners: Hong Kong Government Trade School, Hong Kong Technical College, and Hong Kong Polytechnic) which led to academic award accredited by the respective Institution. The Outstanding PolyU Alumni Award has three levels, namely Department, Faculty and University levels. The nominees for the Faculty Award should be recipients of the Departmental Alumni Award or graduates of the Faculty level programmes, such as Doctor of Applied Language Sciences and BA(Hons) in Language Studies for the Professions. The proposer can be PolyU graduates, Honorary Graduates, University Fellows, PolyU staff, current PolyU Council and Court members and current Advisory Committee members. There is no limit to the number of nominations to be submitted by each proposer. However, the proposer cannot be the candidate himself/ herself. Faculty awardees of the current year may be nominated for the Outstanding Alumni Award at the University level. FH reserves the right to make a final decision on any individual's eligibility for the Award. In case of any dispute/disagreement, the decision of FH shall be final. *including graduates from the former Faculty of Communication Nomination Deadline 26 June 2026 Award Details and Nomination Form Completed forms shall be sent to fh.events@polyu.edu.hk by the nomination deadline. Contact Us Email: fh.events@polyu.edu.hk Tel.: +852 3400 8212

Prof. Li Shaofeng Receives IAPLL Distinguished Scholar Award

Prof. Li Shaofeng, Professor in the Department of English and Communication and Programme Leader of the Faculty’s Doctor of Applied Language Sciences programme, received the Distinguished Scholar Award from the International Association for the Psychology of Language Learning (IAPLL) at its biennial conference held at Shantou University in the Chinese Mainland. This award honors scholars who have made outstanding contributions to the field of the psychology of language learning and teaching. Prof. Li was also invited to deliver a plenary speech on individual differences in second language acquisition and task-based language teaching and a workshop on meta-analysis and speak at the editors’ forum representing the journal Research Methods in Applied Linguistics.

International Symposium on Language Science (ISLS) 2026 Concludes with Success

The Faculty of Humanities at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU), in collaboration with the Department of English and Communication and the Department of Language Science and Technology, successfully organised the International Symposium on Language Science (ISLS) 2026: Interdisciplinary Research and the Legacy of Yuen Ren Chao on 8 and 9 May 2026. The Symposium attracted over 140 participants from 11 countries and regions, including Australia, Chinese Mainland, Hong Kong, Japan, Macau, Nigeria, Singapore, South Korea, the United Kingdom, and the United States. This remarkable international turnout is a testament to the Symposium's global significance and the universal appeal of language science. The event brought together an international community of scholars and researchers, featuring four distinguished keynote speakers (in alphabetical order of surname): Prof. Nai Ding (Zhejiang University), Prof. Roberto Filippi (UCL Institute of Education), Dr Tomoyasu Horikawa (NTT Communication Science Laboratories) and Prof. Judith F. Kroll (University of California, Irvine). The programme also included 14 parallel oral presentation sessions and a poster session, covering a wide range of topics in language science. In tribute to the legacy of Prof. Yuen Ren Chao, the Symposium presented two Chao Prize Lectures by the 2026 Laureates: Prof. Brian MacWhinney (Lifetime Achievement Award) and Prof. Charles B. Chang (Early Career Contribution Award). Learn more about Chao Prize. To further commemorate Prof. Yuen Ren Chao’s contributions and to continue the scholarly exchange initiated at the 2024 Symposium, the newly published volume Interdisciplinary Research in Language Science: Yuen Ren Chao’s Legacy was also officially launched at the Symposium. The Symposium successfully fostered interdisciplinary dialogue and advanced research in language science, while continuing to inspire future generations of linguists and language science researchers, carrying forward the enduring legacy of Prof. Yuen Ren Chao.

Prof. Zhu Xinhua Advances Multimodal Reading through Research and Knowledge Transfer

Prof. Zhu Xinhua, Professor in the Department of Language Science and Technology, was invited as an expert advisor for the multimodal reading activities in the 2026 National Reading Week – “Reading Across Horizons Shared Reading Session cum Joint Primary and Secondary School 30-minute Read” event organised by the Education Bureau (EDB) on 23 April 2026. The event engaged over 1,100 students and teachers onsite and 30,000 participants online across Hong Kong, and set a new world record related to Multimodal Reading Activity. Drawing on over six years of sustained research in online and multimodal reading, Prof. Zhu provided professional guidance on lesson design, pedagogical principles, and assessment considerations. His work bridges curriculum policy, classroom practice, and academic research, aligning closely with EDB’s renewed focus on multimodal reading and literacy. The initiative also exemplifies effective knowledge transfer, translating internationally recognised research (including multiple SSCI Q1 publications) into large scale educational practice. Prof. Zhu and his team have developed multimodal reading frameworks, assessment tools, and instructional strategies which have been piloted in many Hong Kong schools and disseminated through teacher professional development and public platforms. Click HERE for more information.

PolyU Presents Lifetime Achievement and Early Career Contribution Awards to Two Distinguished Scholars at 2026 Yuen Ren Chao Prize in Language Science

(11 May 2026) The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) proudly presented the 2026 Yuen Ren Chao Prize in Language Science at a presentation ceremony held on 8 May. Prof. Brian MACWHINNEY, Theresa Heinz Professor of Cognitive Psychology at Carnegie Mellon University and Prof. Charles B. CHANG, Fellow of the Psychonomic Society were bestowed with the Lifetime Achievement Award and the Early Career Contribution Award respectively for their remarkable achievements in and outstanding contributions to the field of language science. Initiated and hosted by the PolyU Faculty of Humanities (FH), the Yuen Ren Chao Prize in Language Science (the Chao Prize) is awarded on a biennial basis. Named in honour of the late Prof. Yuen Ren Chao, widely regarded as the father of modern Chinese language studies, the Chao Prize commemorates Prof. Chao’s interdisciplinary legacy and recognises scholarly excellence that advances language research and education. Addressing the ceremony, Prof. Jin-Guang TENG, PolyU President, noted, “The Chao Prize is perfectly aligned with PolyU’s motto, ‘To learn and to apply, for the benefit of mankind.’ It reflects the University’s pursuit of excellence in education and research, as well as its commitment to making positive impacts on Hong Kong, the nation and the world. At a time when artificial intelligence is transforming how people communicate, learn and create knowledge, language science plays a foundational role in helping us understand how people acquire and use language. The University recently established the Division of Artificial Intelligence and the Humanities under FH, reflecting our strong commitment to harnessing technology to enrich its humanity disciplines.” This year, the Chao Prize is generously sponsored by PolyU Technology and Consultancy Company Limited (PTeC). Representing the patron, Prof. Christopher CHAO, PolyU Senior Vice President (Research and Innovation), stated, “The Prize reflects PolyU’s strong commitment to research that is both scientifically rigorous and socially relevant. By translating academic excellence into practice, PTeC aims to create value beyond the University and make a lasting difference to industry and society.” Prof. HU Guangwei, Interim Dean of FH, highlighted the broader academic vision underpinning the Chao Prize and said, “This occasion is not only a celebration of the work of two outstanding scholars, but also a reflection of PolyU’s shared belief that humanistic knowledge is essential to innovation in an age increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence.” The two 2026 Yuen Ren Chao Prize in Language Science laureates are both internationally renowned scholars who have made significant contributions with far-reaching impact on language science research worldwide. Prof. Brian MacWhinney has been awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award for this year’s Chao Prize. Prof. Brian MacWhinney has been awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award for his lifetime of distinguished contributions to language science, encompassing integrative theoretical innovation, research infrastructure development and lasting international impact on the study of human language. At the forefront of language science research for over five decades, he pushes forward research addressing the complexity of human language by integrating experimental methods, large-scale data resources and theoretically motivated computational approaches. He is also the founding Director of the Child Language Data Exchange System and TalkBank, the world’s largest open-access integrated repository for spoken-language data. Prof. Charles B. Chang has been awarded the Early Career Contribution Award for this year’s Chao Prize. Prof. Charles B. Chang has been awarded the Early Career Contribution Award in recognition of his outstanding early career contributions to the study of bilingual speech and language development, as well as his demonstrated leadership and international impact in advancing language science. Through meticulous experimental phonetic analyses, he has demonstrated that a speaker’s first language can change under the influence of a second language within a relatively short period of time, leading a breakthrough in language science at the international level. His research continues to investigate factors that drive language change when multiple languages interact in the bilingual and multilingual mind, advancing understanding of cross‑linguistic influence, heritage language speech and the dynamic nature of multilingual sound systems. For biographies of the two laureates, please visit the website of the Yuen Ren Chao Prize in Language Science.

JUPAS Admissions Q&A 2026

The JUPAS Admissions Q&A 2026 on-campus sessions were successfully concluded on 9 May. This event provided a valuable opportunity for students and parents to explore undergraduate programmes offered by the Faculty of Humanities through our programme seminars and consultation sessions. They also engaged with academic staff and student ambassadors to gain deeper insights into the unique features of our Departments, programme details, as well as the learning experience. Learn more about PolyU's JUPAS programmes: https://www.polyu.edu.hk/study/ug/admissions/jupas

Prof. Sun Xin Receives the PolyU Young Innovative Researcher Award (YIRA) 2026

Prof. Sun Xin, Assistant Professor in the Department of Language Science and Technology, has won the PolyU Young Innovative Researcher Award (YIRA) 2026. The YIRA is a prestigious university-level award that honours young faculty members who have demonstrated originality, contributed to technological advancement, and propelled transformational innovation into solutions addressing global challenges through their research. Prof. Sun is one of the six awardees among the 60 submissions across all schools and faculties. Her winning research project is titled “Brain Basis of Dyslexia in Chinese-English Bilinguals: Phonological and Morphological Assessments Using Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy.” It introduces a novel, evidence-based neuroimaging approach using functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) to probe two underlying oral difficulties that are precursors to and associated with dyslexia, phonological and morphological processing. The objective is to characterise the neurocognitive profiles of Chinese-English bilingual children with dyslexia. In the long term, these neurobiological insights have the potential to assist early identification strategies and support the development of targeted interventions for bilingual paediatric populations in Hong Kong and globally.

Prof. Sun Xin Wins Early Career Research Excellence Award at ARWA 2026

Prof. Sun Xin, Assistant Professor in the Department of Language Science and Technology, won the Early Career Research Excellence Award in the 10th Annual Conference for the Association for Reading and Writing in Asia (ARWA 2026). This award aims to recognise a talented early-career researcher who shows outstanding research potential in an area of reading and writing research that is related to Asia. The ARWA, registered as a society in 2016, is for researchers studying literacy development, literacy impairment, or expert linguistic processing via print in Asia.

FH Showcases AI and Arts Research at PolyU Homecoming 2026

On 12 April 2026, the Faculty of Humanities took part in the PolyU’s annual flagship alumni event, under the banner “PolyU Homecoming 2026: AI．Art”. The event featured a series of engaging activities that blended Artificial Intelligence with the arts, including the InnoTech Campus Adventures. At its dedicated booth, the Faculty showcased three innovative research projects: VR Experience, The Hour of Venice: A Metaverse History Quest, led by Prof. Renia LOPEZ, Assistant Dean of Faculty of Humanities Full-stack Intelligent Language Brain-Computer Interface System: Rebuilding Communication Bridges for Aphasia Patients, led by Prof. SIOK Wai Ting, Head of Department of Language Science and Technology Interaction with the robot: Multimodal and multilingual individualized training in improving empathy and emotion recognition by autistic children combining robotics and AR technology, led by Prof. Sarah CHEN, Assistant Professor of Department of Language Science and Technology The event attracted over 6,000 alumni, together with their families and friends, as well as staff and students, who gathered on campus to celebrate PolyU’s remarkable progress.