Language, Communication and Education Lab @ CUHK English
Welcome to the Language, Communication and Education Lab @ The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK)!
Our lab explores the intersection of language, education, and professional communication in diverse, multilingual contexts. Grounded in applied linguistics and sociocultural theory, we examine how English is used as a medium of instruction (EMI) in schools and universities, and how language shapes communication in professional fields such as healthcare, science, and social services.
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Our research spans classroom discourse analysis, academic literacy development, interdisciplinary collaboration, and the use of generative AI in language and content learning. We work closely with educators, healthcare professionals, and policymakers to address real-world challenges—ranging from translanguaging pedagogies to teacher-student interactions in EMI classrooms, doctor–patient communication, nursing handovers—through empirical research and innovation.
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Our mission is to generate evidence-based insights that enhance teaching and learning, improve communication in professional settings, and contribute to socially impactful, inclusive education across sectors in Hong Kong and beyond.
Associate Professor
Department of English, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Jack Pun is an Associate Professor in the Department of English at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. He has previously taught at the City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, the University of Hong Kong, and the University of Oxford.
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He earned his DPhil/PhD in Education—specialising in Applied Linguistics and Science Education—from the University of Oxford. He also holds a Master of Arts in English Language Studies (with Distinction) and a Bachelor's degree in Chemical Technology with a minor in English, both from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University.
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In recognition of his research impact, he was named among the World’s Top 2% Most-Cited Scientists (Languages & Linguistics) in the 2024 Stanford/Elsevier global ranking. He was also a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (RSA) and the Royal Society for Public Health in 2021.
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Email: jackpun@cuhk.edu.hk
ORCID iD: 0000-0002-8043-7645
Scopus Author ID: 56305768200
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Research Areas/Interests
Jack’s primary research interests focus on Language Education and Health Communication. He works within the field of Applied Linguistics, with research interests in English as medium of instruction (EMI), English language education, second language acquisition (SLA), sociolinguistics and systemic functional linguistics. In particular, he is interested in studying the classroom interaction in EMI classroom, the academic literacy and language challenges of these students under different exposures of EMI instruction. He is a member of the EMI Oxford Research Network within the Department of Education, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK, which conducts research into the extent and effects of EMI around the world.
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His second trend of research is health communication. As a bilingual speaker of Chinese and English, he is motivated to investigate the effectiveness and patient satisfaction of health communication from a cross-cultural and cross-disciplinary perspective. He explores the role of communication in shaping decision making processes at consultations, and how communication affects the quality of care patients received from the health providers in different clinical settings (emergency department, Intensive care unit, nursing handovers, traditional Chinese medicine, veterinary medicine) and how effective communication enhances our understanding of the challenges and expectations in healthcare in worldwide hospital setting. He is a founding member of the Institute for Communication in Healthcare (ICH) at the Australian National University, Canberra, Australia.
