李主圣博士

Join Our Research Community 

Founded in 2018, the IDLE Lab is a global network of researchers and practitioners committed to empowering learners to become lifelong, lifewide, and autonomous language users in the post-AI era. We explore how informal digital practices—from social media to GenAI—can transform language education, inspire creativity, and foster both personal and professional growth. 

Who We're Looking For

We welcome collaborators who are not only skilled but deeply motivated to make learning more human, equitable, and meaningful:

• Purpose-Driven Collaborators: You care about creating inclusive and transformative learning ecosystems.

• Creative Practitioners: You bring real-world expertise and a passion for designing learning experiences that matter. 

• Critical Thinkers: You value deep thinking, rigorous inquiry, and shared discovery.

• Impact-Oriented Innovators: You strive to turn theory into tools, frameworks, and practices that uplift communities and close opportunity gaps.

A Supportive Environment for Growth

Our lab is built on authentic mentorship and inclusive collaboration. Guided by our Pathway to Impact model, we don’t just work alongside one another—we co-create. This spirit of collaboration leads to co-authored publications, community-driven projects, and professional growth that extends beyond academia—directly benefiting the classrooms and communities we serve, particularly those that are under-resourced, under-studied, and marginalized.

Current Opportunities 

We invite passionate individuals at all levels to join us in advancing this mission. Applications are open for: 

• Junior Research Fellow Scheme (JRFS) 

• Hong Kong PhD Fellowship Scheme (HKPFS) 

• Research Postgraduate (RPg) & Doctor of Education (EdD)   

• Visiting Researcher positions

Why Join the IDLE Lab?

Joining the IDLE Lab means gaining more than a research position—it means becoming part of a purpose-driven professional family. You’ll cultivate versatile skills and a mindset that opens doors to diverse futures, including careers in: 

• Academia & Research: Professor, Postdoc, Research Scientist

• Education & Design: Learning Experience (LX) Designer, Curriculum Specialist, Teacher, Principal

• Social Impact & Policy: NGO Program Director, Policy Analyst, Monitoring & Evaluation Expert 

• Business & Innovation: EdTech R&D Engineer, Chief Learning Officer, Startup Founder, AI Consultant 

How to Apply

If our mission resonates with you, we’d love to hear your story. To begin the conversation, please complete our Supervision & Collaboration RequestForm. For inquiries about (virtual) internships, email your CV and a brief statement of research interests directly to our team.

[Core Research Team]

Postdoc 

• Artem Zadorozhnyy (PDFS, 2022-2025): Revisiting pedagogies for developing L2 digital literacies

RPg

• Han Xie (HKPFS, 2025–): Exploring EFL learners' emotions in AI-mediated IDLE speaking

• Nguyen Hoang Mai Tram (Belt & Road Scholarship, 2025–): Linking positive psychology, L2 engagement, and L2 outcomes of EFL learners in AI-assisted language learning

• Wan Yee Lai (Winsy)(RPg Studentship, 2023–): AI in the classroom: Enhancing EFL students' speaking through informal digital learning in resource-limited contexts 

EdD

• Shuxin Liu (Beca) (2025–): Effects of the Brain-Targeted Teaching (BTT) model in higher education ESL courses 

• Men Fangyu (Fiona) (2025–): The role of IDLE in developing career competencies among university students in China

• Xian Liu (Chrystal) (2024–): The Impact of IDLE on English speaking proficiency: Insights from less-resourced ethnic region

• Xinwei Pan (Queenie) (2024–): Linking students’ psychological needs to L2 Chinese use: Role of informal digital learning of Chinese and emotions

• Jiana Liu (Nana) (2022–2025): The Impact of positive psychology on intercultural competence of Chinese EFL students: IDLE as a mediator 

• Lu Qiao (Gloria) (2021–2025): IDLE among young EFL learners in Mainland China: Ecological systems theory perspectives

• Linlin Liu (Publication Awards, 2020–2024): Why do EFL learners’ willingness to communicate, enjoyment, and anxiety in an online class fluctuate dynamically? 

MA  

• Yiling Lai (2023): Teacher emotional well-being and student enjoyment

• Ying Lu (2020): Ideal L2 self and willingness to communicate

RA 

• Chuxu Yu (Tricia) (2025–)

[Internal Collaborations]

RPg

• Artem Zadorozhnyy (HKPFS, 2018–2021): IDLE in Kazakhstan (PS: Baohua Yu)

EdD 

• Shiyuan Wen (2024–): Informal digital learning of languages other than English in China (PS: Ellen Zhang)

• Shanshan Guo (2022–): Enhancing Chinese undergraduate students’ speaking: Effects of teacher support in AI-IDLE (PS: Ruth Wong)

• Hetian Yu (2022–): EFL students’ emotion regulation in response to feedback (PS: Lan Yang)

Internal Examiner (Ph.D. Dissertation)

• Zhang Chang (2025): Meaning-making strategies in university students' digital multimodal composing (PS: Lixun Wang)

[Global Research Partnerships]

Co-supervision

• Joshua Lee (U Macau, 2024–): Extramural language learning (PS: Barry Reynolds)

Visiting Researcher

• Seunmin Eun (Seoul National U, 2025): Willingness to communicate with AI (PS: Young Hoan Cho)

External Examiner (Ph.D. Dissertation)

• Nedaa Alshehri (Western Sydney U, 2023): Using digital storytelling to promote authorial agency in learning EFL in Saudi Arabia (PS: Lynde Tan & Criss Jones Díaz)

• Ali Soyoof (Monash U, 2023): Using digital technologies  for English language learning at home (PS: Janet Scull & Katrina Tour)

External Examiner (Ph.D. Proposal Defense)

• Phan Phuong Thao Nguyen (Edith Cowan U, 2024): IDLE: Vietnamese ESL pre-service teachers (PS: Nicola Johnson)