Prior to joining EdUHK in 2018, Professor Michelle Gu Mingyue was Assistant Professor at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) from 2012 to 2017. She is a prolific scholar with publications in top academic journals in the fields of linguistics and languages. She developed theoretical frameworks to advance the areas of language and identity, multilingualism and mobility, family language policy, and the interaction between language, culture and ethnicity. She has theorised the concept of Digital Trans-literacies to understand identity exploration and self-concept clarity among youths in a digital world such as social media. 

Professor Gu has secured multiple competitive external research grants as Principal Investigator (PI), including the General Research Fund (GRF) and the Humanities and Social Sciences Prestigious Fellowship Scheme (HSSPFS) from the Research Grants Council, the PICO-funded Public Policy Research Grant, and the Standing Committee on Language Education and Research (Research and Development) Grant. She has also engaged in World University Network projects and collaborated extensively with international scholars.

At the policy level, Professor Gu’s publications have received policy citations across different countries/regions, including policy documents from UNESCO, World Bank, OECD, etc, showcasing the social impact of her research.

Professor Gu received the President’s Award for Individual Research Excellence at EdUHK in 2022, the Research Excellence Award at CUHK in 2017, and the Young Researcher Award at CUHK in 2015. She is listed among Stanford University’s world’s top 2% most-cited scientists and is an elected Fellow of the Hong Kong Academy of the Humanities.