A heartfelt thank you to all presenters and attendees who made the EPL Brown Bag Seminar Series in Semester 2, 2025–26 such a success. This semester’s series highlighted the Department’s vibrant research culture and broad expertise, with colleagues sharing work on a wide range of timely and important topics. The series opened with an engaging “Ask Me Anything!” session led by Prof. Zachary Walker, Head of Department, setting the tone for a semester of lively discussion and intellectual exchange.
Reflecting on the series, organiser Dr Ewan Wright said: “These in-person meetings have been a highly productive way to share expertise and experiences among EPL colleagues and students, whilst also helping to build a strong community in the department.” Subsequent seminars explored themes including international student experiences, parental values, research methodologies, policy and political contexts, doctoral education, and private tutoring decisions.
Presentations included:
· Dr Tina Gao: "I No Less Belong”: Navigating Access and Integration among International Undergraduate Students in Hong Kong
· Dr Trevor Lee: Beyond the Neoliberal Box: Parental Values and the Search for Alternatives in Hong Kong
· Dr Adam Poole: The necessity of autoethnography in educational research
· Dr Jason Lin: Navigating red lines: political risk management and national education in Hong Kong’s universities
· Dr Ying Ji: For credentialing and academic quests: bounded agency of professional doctoral students
· Dr Euan Auld: Reflections on salvation stories and messianic leadership in global education policy
· Ms Yvette Leung: Compatibility over Scores: How Relational Factors Shape Parents’ Choice of Private Tutoring
Thank you once again to everyone who contributed to this semester’s series and helped strengthen our scholarly community.
