Heads and New Academic/Teaching Staff of Departments and Centre

Before joining EdUHK, Professor Si Chung Mou was the Head of School of Chinese at The University of Hong Kong (HKU). His major research interests include Chinese linguistics, teaching Chinese as a foreign language, and Chinese culture. He is author of a dozen of academic books published in Hong Kong, Japan, Mainland China and Taiwan. He has contributed a lot in the promotion of recitation and Chinese classics by conducting many research projects on Chinese culture education in Hong Kong schools. Professor Si had served as the Chairman of the Hong Kong Association for Chinese Language in Education, and is now Executive Committee Member of the International Society for Chinese Language Teaching.

Dr Michelle Gu Ming Yu is the Acting Head of ELE. She publishes widely in the fields of language and identity, linguistic ideology, multilingualism and mobility, language policy and planning, and teacher education, with publications appearing in top-tier journals such as Applied Linguistics, Ethnic and Racial Studies, Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, International Journal of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism, System, Journal of Pragmatics, Multilingual, Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, Language and Education, Language Teaching Research, and Computer Assisted Language Learning. She received Research Excellence Award in 2017 and Young Researcher Award in 2015 at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK). She is the editor of book review section at Journal of Asia TEFL and on the editorial board of Multilingual Education book series, Springer.

Dr Jackie Lee Fung King obtained her PhD in Linguistics from the University of New South Wales, Australia. Before joining the University, she worked at Ying Wa College and two different universities in Hong Kong. Her teaching interests include English grammar and pedagogy. Her major areas of research include language and gender, experiential learning, teacher education and grammar instruction. As the new Head of LML, Dr Lee will help create a supportive environment so as to empower all colleagues to work towards the advancement of the Department.

Dr Jeffrey Clapp joined LCS in August 2013, following his PhD studies at the University of California, Irvine. Since then, he worked with the Bachelor of Education (Honours) (English Language) and Co-terminal Double Degree for Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Language Studies and Bachelor of Education (Honours) (English Language) programmes, took up various posts within LCS, and enjoyed getting to know the University and its many hardworking colleagues. As Acting Head of LCS, Dr Clapp hopes to meet people from around EdUHK, find out what others are doing, and help in the continued development of LCS, FHM, and the University as a whole. He would very much like to have coffee or lunch with you!

Dr Pamela Leung Pui Wan is the Head of CLE and Associate Professor in CHL. In recent years, she has been involved mainly in teaching and research on teaching Chinese to non-Chinese speaking students at primary, secondary and tertiary levels.

Dr Liao Xian is an Assistant Professor at CHL. His current research focus is on cognitive factors in learning Chinese as L1/L2, multiple texts comprehension, assessment for learning and effective language teaching strategies. Before coming to EdUHK, he has worked as a lecturer or post doctorate fellow at different institutions across Mainland China and Hong Kong, including Beijing Normal University, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and HKU. His research works appear in various journals such as Educational Research, System and Reading and Writing.

Dr Hiew Cha Kie is an Assistant Professor at CHL. She is from Singapore and she received her PhD in Education from HKU. She was awarded Lee Kuan Yew Gold Medal Award (Singapore) and Lee Shau Kee Fellowship (Hong Kong) for her academic and research achievements. Her research interests include bilingual education, pedagogy and assessment, reading and writing, teaching and learning Chinese as a second language, early childhood education and thinking skills. Dr Hiew has published more than 30 academic papers and conducted various R&D or school-based projects in Singapore and Hong Kong.

Dr Wang Cong is an Assistant Professor of CHL. She has been in EdUHK since August 2018. From September 2016 to July 2018, she worked as a post-doctoral researcher in CUHK. She got two doctoral degrees respectively from the L’institut National des Langues et Civilizations Orientales in France and Shanghai Normal University in 2016. Her research interests are syntax, language contact, language typology and language education.

Dr Ruby Yang Chi Cheung is an Assistant Professor of ELE. She has considerable local teaching experience including that in secondary, sub-degree, undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Her major research interests are teacher education and second language teaching and learning. She has a range of publications in academic journals and presented at different local and international conferences. Besides these, she is actively involved in the editorial boards in a number of journals. Regarding her professional activities, she is a classroom language assessor for Education Bureau and the External Examiner of General Education/Vocational English courses for Hong Kong College of Technology and CCC Kung Lee College. 

Dr John Rogers (PhD, University College London), Assistant Professor of ELE, originally hails from North Carolina in the USA. He has over 15 years’ experience in the field of English language teaching and teacher education. Prior to joining ELE, John worked in the Czech Republic and Qatar as a lecturer and language programme administrator. His research to date has centred on the cognitive mechanisms that underlie second language acquisition, including the roles of attention and awareness in the learning process, how the spacing of instruction influences learning, and issues related to task-based language teaching.

Dr Alice Cheung Hiu Yan, Lecturer II in LCS, graduated from CUHK and HKU. She accomplished her PhD research – a comparative study of Yang Jiang and Jane Austen - at Imperial College London. She is so glad to teach at EdUHK to share her interest in literature and drama with students. Her research interests are Yang Jiang, female comedy, modern Chinese drama, and comparative drama.

Mr Kenneth Poon Loi Ki, Lecturer I in LCS, has engaged in education work related to Chinese history and culture throughout his career. He has abundant experience in teaching in secondary schools, editing textbooks in primary and secondary schools, and teaching and managing sub-degree programmes. Mr Poon received training in education at the Grantham College of Education as the starting point of his career. Holding a belief that professional training in education is a lifelong endeavour for an educator, Mr Poon came back to EdUHK, the place where educators are trained to devote his efforts to giving back his accumulated knowledge and experience to young prospective teachers.