Senior Lecturer
- BA (Hons.), Hong Kong Polytechnic University
- MRes in Applied Linguistics, Lancaster University
- PhD in Applied Linguistics, Lancaster University
- Fellow, Chartered Institute of Linguists (FCIL)
- MIEEE, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
- Chartered Linguist
Ken gained his first degree in Translation and Chinese (1st Hon.) from Hong Kong Polytechnic University. He then furthered his education at Lancaster University, UK, where he obtained his Master of Research (MRes) and PhD, both in Applied Linguistics. He has also recently completed a professional certificate in leadership and management in education via edX. He has published on a wide range of topics including the assessment of reflection and independent learning, English as a lingua franca, English learning experiences, genres, EAP/ESP in key SSCI journals such as Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, Higher Education, Journal of English for Academic Purposes, Language and Education, Oxford Review of Education and System. His other research interests include written discourse analysis, identities and roles in writing, social learning theory (particularly Community of Practice) and Systemic Functional Linguistics. With colleagues from CAES and two other universities, he has secured UGC funding for and successfully completed a collaborative project titled Online Project for the Improvement of University Speaking (OPTIMUS) (http://optimus.hku.hk).
At CAES, he is primarily responsible for teaching on the two MA programmes and supervising PhD students. He has supervised more than 20 MA dissertations and 9 PhD theses to successful completion. He has taken up the coordinatorship of the MA in Applied Linguistics (MAAL) programme and has been deputy programme director of the MATESOL programme since July 2018. He was the Chair of the Publicity and Outreach Committee from 2010-2017.
He has also been awarded two Knowledge Exchange Grants to lead the development and evaluation of ProWriteHK (http://caes.hku.hk/prowritehk), a professional communication website for the general public.
Special Interest Groups:
Genres
In-House Committees:
CAES Management Committee,Departmental Research Postgraduate,Engagement, Research and Impact Committee
Professional Affiliations:
- Chartered Institute of Linguists
- Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
Other Major Administrative Roles:
- Member, MATESOL Board of Studies
- Deputy Programme Director, MATESOL
Selected Publications / Presentations:
- Lau, K., Lin, C-Y., & Odle, E. (2021). “I’m just saying maybe…”: Engagement in dissertation defenses. Language and Education, 35(1), 1-21. (SSCI)
- Lin, C-Y., & Lau, K. (2021, advanced online publication). “I found it very special and interesting”: Evaluative language in Master’s thesis defenses in Taiwan universities. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, Doi: 10.1016/j.jeap.2021.101035 (SSCI)
- Wu, C-H., & Lau, K. (2021). Engaging senior-year admitted students’ academic literacies across the discipline: A language practitioner’s perspectives. Innovations in Education and Teaching International, 58(3), 294-304. (SSCI)
Grants / Awards / Other Achievements:
- UGC Language Collaborative Fund [HK$2,380,000]: Online Project for the Improvement of University Speaking (OPTIMUS) (Co-PI with D. Gardner)
- (with David Gardner) Best Presentation Award and Excellent Paper Award by Chartered Institute of Linguists, Hong Kong Society for the paper “A new generation: Profiling Hong Kong tertiary English learners”
- Knowledge Exchange Grants: ProWrite: One Click to Success (2014-2015); Engage, Empower & Enhance: An Evaluation of the Impact of ProWriteHK (2015-2016)