Empowering communication Bridge theory to practice. Build professional success.

Established in 2006 and hosted at the Department of English and Communication at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, the Research Centre for Professional Communication in English (RCPCE) is a leading hub for rigorous, impactful, and future-oriented research in professional communication. Our work is grounded in the conviction that communication is central to human collaboration, institutional effectiveness, knowledge exchange, professional identity, and social participation in an increasingly interconnected and technologically mediated world.

RCPCE is committed to advancing internationally recognised research that deepens understanding of how English and multilingual communication operate across professional, workplace, academic, digital, intercultural, and public domains. As communication practices are reshaped by globalisation, mobility, digital transformation, and artificial intelligence, the Centre seeks to generate new theoretical insights, robust empirical evidence, and practical solutions that address real-world communication challenges in rapidly changing professional environments.

A key goal of RCPCE is to lead research on the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into professional communication. We aim to examine how AI tools, generative technologies, automated writing systems, language analytics, and human-machine interaction are transforming the ways professionals create, interpret, evaluate, and circulate knowledge. Our research investigates not only the opportunities AI offers for enhancing communication efficiency, accessibility, training, and innovation, but also the ethical, linguistic, pedagogical, and organisational questions it raises. By critically engaging with AI, RCPCE seeks to support responsible, human-centred, and context-sensitive applications of emerging technologies in professional and educational settings.

Our wider research focus spans professional discourse, workplace communication, language and technology, intercultural and multilingual communication, corpus-assisted discourse studies, digital communication, professional writing, and communication pedagogy. We are particularly interested in how professionals communicate expertise, negotiate identity and relationships, manage complex tasks, and build trust across diverse institutional, cultural, and technological contexts. Through interdisciplinary and collaborative approaches, we examine communication not only as language use, but also as a strategic, ethical, and socially consequential practice.

As a global-leading research centre, RCPCE aims to shape the future of professional communication research by fostering high-quality scholarship, developing innovative methodologies, and building strong partnerships with academic, industry, government, and community stakeholders. We are dedicated to producing research that informs theory, enhances professional practice, supports education and training, and contributes to policy, organisational development, and digital transformation.

The Centre also plays an active role in nurturing the next generation of researchers and communication professionals. Through research projects, seminars, publications, conferences, postgraduate engagement, and knowledge-transfer initiatives, RCPCE provides a dynamic environment for intellectual exchange and professional growth.

Welcome to RCPCE. We invite you to explore our research, engage with our community, and join us in advancing excellence, innovation, responsible AI integration, and global leadership in professional communication.