Director of the Center for Language Education

Hong Kong University of Science and Technology: School of Humanities and Social Science

Location

Center for Language Education, HKUST, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR

Open Date

Apr 14, 2026

Description

HKUST

Founded in 1991, HKUST is a publicly funded international university dedicated to undergraduate and postgraduate education and research in science, engineering, business & management, and humanities & social science. We seek to nurture students with entrepreneurial spirit, innovative thinking, and global outlook and strive to work together to make a strong societal impact.

The University is ranked as one of the most international universities in Asia comprising four Schools and an Academy of Interdisciplinary Studies and multiple research institutes/central research facilities; and the Hong Kong government has recently endorsed our competitive bid to develop a new Medical School. While actively growing, at present there are around 970 faculty members, and an enrollment of about 11,000 undergraduate and 8,700 postgraduate students. English is the language used in all teaching, research, and administration.

HKUST is celebrating its 35th Anniversary this year with a strong presence in global higher education. It has received many international recognitions including citations and rankings; for example, HKUST ranks 6th in the QS Asia University Rankings 2026, 3rd in the Times Higher Education Young University Rankings 2024, and 19th globally (1st in Hong Kong) in the Times Higher Education Impact Rankings 2025. A total of 11 subjects offered by HKUST are ranked among the world’s top 50 in the QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026. Moreover, it has consistently been ranked within the world’s top 30 in the Global Employability University Ranking, reflecting the strong competitiveness of its graduates.

At the heart of the University’s pursuit of excellence in teaching, research, and societal impact lies uncompromising efforts to recruit and retain the best talents globally and locally. We seek to diversify HKUST’s critical mass of world-class academics, researchers, staff and students in order to drive cutting-edge education and research initiatives and deliver academic and administrative excellence. The University promotes a diverse learning environment that enhances student development of their creativity, innovative thinking and global outlook, especially in today’s rapidly changing society, and technological and AI development. Proactive faculty recruitment is undertaken from around the world in all disciplines of the University. HKUST upholds the values of diversity and an inclusive and collaborative community.

Center for Language Education

The Center for Language Education (CLE) is an academic teaching unit within the School of Humanities and Social Science (SHSS). The primary mission of the CLE is to deliver the University’s UGC-funded language enhancement programs for English and Chinese to UG and PG students from all Schools in the University. The CLE has 72 full-time teaching staff (16 Senior Lecturers, 50 Lecturer I, and 6 Lecturer II), 8 teaching/project support staff and 17 non-academic support staff including its own full-time Instructional Designer.

The CLE has a dynamic and progressive outlook with a mindset of continuous adaptation in response to changing needs. In 2024-25, the CLE delivered a completely revamped Chinese curriculum with two streams: i) Chinese as a foreign language for non-Chinese background students and ii) Chinese for specific purposes for students with Chinese proficiency from HKDSE Level 3 through to native Mandarin speakers. A new English curriculum with two pathways has also been introduced for the first time this year.

The CLE’s newly introduced curriculum has been designed to provide a rich set of elective choices including Communication courses as well as elective Broadening courses within the University’s Common Core. Additionally, the Center makes a strong contribution to a Master of Arts degree in International Language Education with separate concentrations in English and Chinese teaching. It also has a small but growing third languages program, including Japanese, Spanish, and French, and an active program of extra-curricular activities to promote language and culture. The Center also has an active scholarly orientation. Together with the Department of Computer Science and Engineering, it recently secured HKD 30 million for a bid from the QEF to develop an AI-assisted VR English speaking programme in secondary schools.

The Center has a robust, well-functioning internal management structure and enjoys solid support from the University senior management. This has allowed it to become a leader among language centers especially in terms of pedagogical innovation with use of technology for language learning, using approaches based on the latest scholarship in language education. Its proactive approach to Human-AI orchestration is a particular strength.

Job Functions

The Director provides leadership and vision to achieve excellence in language education at HKUST. With responsibility for a Center at the cutting edge, there is great opportunity to shape language education especially in terms of human-AI interaction for language learning at scale. Reporting to the Dean of the School of Humanities and Social Science, a strong applicant will

• provide strategic leadership and vision for CLE, and the center’s goals and initiatives for language teaching, learning and assessment;
• be a leader in language education with an international profile, providing a visible external face which brings recognition to current innovation in language education, while also building on strengths of the Center for positive impact in the language education sector;
• ensure teaching of the highest standard of quality assurance which challenges all students to work to their potential;
• maximise technological innovation for teaching in a way that strictly adheres to pedagogic principles and ethical use;
• work collaboratively with departments and units in the University to ensure an approach to language education that aligns with university practices and priorities;
• be transparent in decision-making, with effective communication within and beyond the CLE;
• effectively deploy human, financial, and other resources.

Additionally, the CLE Director also holds the title of Associate Dean, working closely with the Associate Provost Teaching & Learning to ensure delivery of the mission of the University with regard to language education. The CLE Director may also hold a concurrent appointment as Associate Professor/Professor in the Division of Humanities as appropriate depending on qualifications of the candidate.

Terms & Applications/Nominations

Terms of appointment and remuneration are highly competitive. Starting salary will be commensurate with qualifications and experience. Fringe benefits including housing, annual leave, medical and dental benefits will be provided as applicable to contract type. Fixed term contract holders will receive gratuity payable upon completion of contract.

Appointment to the position will be offered a three-year fixed-term contract, renewable subject to mutual agreement. If appropriate, research active applicants with a substantial publication record may be considered for a substantiation track appointment.

Additional information about the University and the Center for Language Education is available on the websites https://hkust.edu.hk/ and https://cle.hkust.edu.hk/ respectively.

Qualifications

Applicants should have

• a doctoral degree in an area directly relevant to language education;
• a distinguished record of academic achievement with evidence of scholarly expertise in language studies, applied linguistics or language learning;
• demonstrated commitment to excellence and leadership in curriculum development and pedagogy;
• a track record of driving innovation in education with an understanding of the place of language education in a prestigious EMI university in Hong Kong;
• experience leveraging digital technologies for language teaching and learning, with a depth of understanding of the potential for AI in communication that is both effective and ethical;
• administrative capability to lead a large academic teaching unit, including resource management and team-building abilities;
• excellent communication skills for use in a multilingual and multicultural academic environment, and with stakeholders external to the CLE, both within the university and beyond.

Application Instructions

Applications should be submitted to the School of Humanities and Social Science via Interfolio with (i) a cover letter and (ii) a full CV. Review of applications will start from 1 May 2026 and will continue until the position is filled.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

HKUST is an equal opportunities employer and is committed to our core values of inclusiveness, diversity, and respect.