Faculty of Humanities | Human Resources Office

Faculty of Humanities of The Hong Kong Polytechnic University is among the youngest humanities faculties in Hong Kong. The Faculty is dedicated to creating synergies among language, communication, history, culture, and technology in education and research, highlighting both the discovery and the transfer of knowledge. It is a leading tertiary education provider in Greater China and Asia in the fields of language sciences, language technologies, Chinese-English bilingual studies and translation, intercultural communication, and cultural and historical studies of China. It is also exceling in areas such as speech therapy, language neuroscience and healthcare communication. The Faculty has more than 230 academic and teaching staff from around the world dedicated to research excellence and quality education, providing cutting-edge interdisciplinary research and world-class education programmes.

PolyU’s Arts and Humanities is ranked among top 10 in Asia¹. In the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2024, we are ranked 100th globally in both the subject of Linguistics and the broad subject area of Arts and Humanities. Our research not only contributes to knowledge discovery, but also knowledge transfer to impact our community and the society at large. For example, we examine the relationship among language, ageing and cognitive decline, with the aim of detecting early signs of neurodegeneration so as to design methods of effective intervention; we investigate how large language models can perform like the human brain so as to provide insights to both brain sciences and AI developments; we develop child-robot interaction systems to promote language and communication skills in children who are at risk for autism; we investigate approaches to reduce communication hurdles between patients and doctors; we examine the impact of cognitive and language problems on employment, social relationships, family role and leisure activities in people with Long COVID; we conduct research into the health and other professional contexts in Hong Kong and across the Asia-Pacific region; we look into how Chinese traditional thoughts influence Hong Kong society nowadays, and we also explore urban history and culture in Hong Kong and Mainland China.

Our undergraduate and postgraduate programmes aim to equip students with essential knowledge and practical skills applicable to a wide range of professions. Situated in the culturally vibrant urban context of Hong Kong, the Faculty offers programmes that meet the demands of a multicultural, knowledge-based, and technology-intensive society. This prepares students for successful careers not only in the Greater China region but also on a global scale. While we maintain traditional perspectives on Chinese linguistics, history, and culture, we also embrace and integrate cutting-edge interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary research in fields such as computational analysis, neuroscience, and digital humanities in traditional history, cultural and language studies. The Faculty also offers comprehensive study programmes in Chinese, English, and other Asian and European languages, fostering proficiency in multilingualism and intercultural communication. Finally, we aspire to be leaders in the application of AI and digital technologies in humanities education and research, showcasing our commitment to innovation and excellence. We welcome international collaborations with institutions and researchers from around the world to provide synergies in all humanities fields.

Recently, the Faculty has established the Yuen Ren Chao Prize in Language Sciences (Chao Prize). The Prize further reinforce our commitment to upholding the PolyU motto, “To learn and to apply, for the benefit of mankind”, contributing to knowledge discovery, knowledge transfer, and societal impact.

For information about the research areas of the Faculty, please visit the Faculty’s website or contact Prof. Ping Li at ping2.li@polyu.edu.hk.

¹ Ranked 5^th and 6^th respectively in the US News and World Report’s 2024-25 Best Global Universities for Arts and Humanities and the Times Higher Education World University Rankings by Subject 2024.