I am a PhD candidate in the Department of Language Science and Technology at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU), where I am supervised by Prof. Yu-Yin Hsu and Prof. Yao Yao.
My research explores how listeners and speakers use prosody to shape meanings in communication, with a particular interest in the perception and production of Mandarin prosodic focus. To address these questions, I combine methods from acoustic analysis, behavioral (including eye-tracking) and neuroimaging methods, aiming to better understand the cognitive mechanisms of spoken language use. You can find more details about my ongoing projects here.
I also contribute to the academic community as a peer reviewer for conferences such as the Annual Meeting of the American Psychological Association (APA), the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society (CogSci), and the International Congress of Phonetic Sciences (ICPhS), etc.
Outside academia, I enjoy reading manga, swimming, and painting, and I am a devoted Stardew Valley farmer with a digital farm. My background in graphic design has allowed me to create logos (e.g., for The Modernist Studies in Asia Network (MSIA)) and visual materials for experiments. I also remain active in debate, having captained the Mandarin Speech and Debate Association at EdUHK and continuing to coach debaters.
Background & Activities
- 2023–Present | PhD | The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
- 2020–2021 | MSc in Language Sciences (Distinction) | University College London
- 2016–2020 | BA in Language Studies (First Class Honours) | The Education University of Hong Kong
- Fall 2025 | TA, Description of Chinese I: Words and Sentences (TPG) | PolyU
- Spring 2025 | TA, Introduction to Modern Chinese (UG) | PolyU
- Fall 2024 | Lecturer, Introduction to Phonology | HK Linguistics Olympiad
- Spring 2024 | TA, Fun with Language (UG) | PolyU
- (Feb 2026) Our paper on Prosodic Adaptation was accepted for a talk at ICPL IV in Cologne, Germany!
- (May, 2025) Successfully passed my confirmation of thesis proposal at PolyU.
- (April, 2025) Our paper has been accepted by CogSci 2025 as a talk in San Francisco, the USA (30 July – 02 Aug, 2025). Looking forward to share my current work with you!
- (August, 2024) Our papers have been published and presented at Speech Prosody 2024 and CogSci 2024!
- (April, 2024) My collaborated paper has been accepted by CogSci 2024 in Rotterdam, The Netherlands (24 - 27 July 2024)! It’s also my first time to get an acceptance letter from CogSci.
- (March, 2024) Our two papers have been accepted by Speech Prosody 2024 held in Leiden, The Netherlands (02 – 05 July 2024)!