Prof. Paul BAKER
Department of English and Communication
Professor
Prof. Baker is a corpus linguist who is interested in discourse analysis, multimodal and AI applications of corpora. He has analysed linguistic patterns and discourse in a wide range of corpora, including newspapers, online propaganda, internet forums, political debate and patient feedback. He has published 26 books, along with papers in a range of journals including Applied Linguistics, Discourse and Society, International Journal of Corpus Linguistics and Text and Talk. His research aims to develop and critically assess new methods in corpus linguistics along with interrogating ways in which language is used to represent identities, legitimate positions and persuasively engage with audiences.
Dr CHAI Bo
Department of Language Science and Technology
Research Assistant Professor
Dr Chai’s research focuses on AI-driven approaches to language, speech, and brain data analysis. His current work includes foundation model optimization, AI-based neural signal (fMRI, EEG) analysis, and targeted feature extraction for model compression and architectural refinement. He also worked on the development and analysis of multimodal dataset for emotion-related driving research, using fusion model to monitor drivers’ emotional states, particularly abnormal emotions relevant to road safety. His earlier research also includes signal processing topics such as speech source localization and extraction with microphone arrays, spectral analysis of speech and EEG signals, and state estimation in power systems.
Dr NG Si Ioi
Department of Language Science and Technology
Research Assistant Professor
Dr Ng’s research intersects human speech acoustics and healthcare. He is specialised in combining speech signal processing, clinical speech science and artificial intelligence (AI) to build systems that automate speech analytics and clinical diagnosis. He has developed spoken language resources and speech AI models for detecting speech sound disorder in Cantonese-speaking children. He has also involved in speech biomarker discovery for Alzheimer’s disease and respiratory conditions. His recent effort goes to the development of open-source, Cantonese-focused speech AI tools that benefit clinicians’ practice, assist speakers with speech impairment, and accelerate speech analytics for scientific discovery. Alongside research, he loves classical music and adventurous hikes.
More from R&S Activities
More from R&S Activities
- Conference Keynote, Plenary and Featured Speeches – January to June 2026
- New Books Published
- External Grants Obtained by FH Staff
- Research Interest/Output of New Academic Staff
- Dr Amy Bao Awarded RGC Junior Research Fellow Scheme in 2026/27
- Prof. Zhu Xinhua Advances Multimodal Reading through Research and Knowledge Transfer
- PolyU-CALLS 2026: Advancing Excellence in Undergraduate Research
- Rethinking the Opium War Through Video Games: Prof. Bin Chen’s New Research
- PolyU Hosts Landmark CCTT Asia-Hub Symposium 2026, Advancing Global Dialogue on Crisis Communication
