Our team | AICDL

CURRENT MEMBERS

Yiran Du holds a Master of Education degree in Human Development & Education from Harvard University and is pursuing a Master of Research degree in Cognitive Neuroscience at University College London. His research interests include verbal irony, autism, and computer assisted language learning (CALL). He explores the cognitive and neural mechanisms of verbal irony comprehension and use AI tools to improve language skills among both typical and autistic populations.

Zifei Liu is a student at the Graduate School of Education at the University of Pennsylvania. Her research interests lie in language education, first/second language acquisition, and computer-assisted language learning (CALL), exploring these areas from social and cognitive dimensions. She had research experience by working as the research assistant in labs during undergraduate studies, including themes of language and cognition and child development. She also participated in "The International Congress for the Study of Child Language" (IASCL 2024) to share findings.

Yinan Xia is an undergraduate student specializing in English Studies (Linguistics pathway) at Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University. Her research interests include computer-assisted language learning (CALL), second language acquisition, and language and media.

Zheni Yan is an undergraduate student specializing in Translation and Interpreting at Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University. Her research interests encompass computer-assisted language learning (CALL), second language acquisition, and the intersection of translation and society. With several years of experience in English teaching, she has developed a passion for educational research and practice, particularly in working with children. Zheni is enthusiastic about exploring innovative approaches to language learning and applying her findings to enhance educational outcomes.

Kunjie Jia, born in February 2007, graduated from Huanghua High School in June 2024 and will be pursuing an undergraduate degree at Shandong University. In October 2021, Kunjie participated in the Winter Olympics Young Reporter Competition, earning a spot in the “Top 10” in Hebei province and the title of “Young Winter Olympics Reporter” in the final competition. In August 2022, Kunjie achieved an IELTS score of eight and volunteered at the Huanghua Star Wings Rehabilitation School, assisting autistic children. In 2024, Kunjie received offers from UBC, Trinity College Dublin, the University of Leeds, and University College Dublin, ultimately choosing to study at Shandong University after scoring 626 on the Gaokao. Kunjie's hobbies include playing the piano, playing table tennis, and writing, with a strong interest in linguistics and pragmatics.

Kunkun has now officially joined the lab team as the "Chief Curiosity Officer (CCO)." As the feline supervisor of the lab, Kunkun's main responsibilities include overseeing daily activities and ensuring everything runs smoothly with a keen eye. Kunkun meticulously inspects every corner of the lab, especially those often overlooked places like under desks and inside boxes. Serving as the team's emotional supporter, Kunkun brings comfort and relaxation to every member with gentle purrs and affectionate head bumps. Kunkun is particularly skilled at detecting snacks from a distance and can nap anywhere, anytime, ensuring the lab environment remains cozy and welcoming. Although Kunkun's work hours are entirely up to their mood, their presence undoubtedly adds endless joy and energy to the lab.

COLLABORATORS

Bin Zou, Ph.D.

Senior Associate Professor, Department of Applied Linguistics, Xi'an Jiaotong Liverpool University

Email: Bin.Zou@xjtlu.edu.cn

Dr. Bin Zou received his PhD degree in TESOL and Computer Technology from the University of Bristol and his MA degree from the University of York, UK. He is the Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Computer-Assisted Language Learning and Teaching, published by IGI Global, USA. This journal has been indexed by ESCI, Scopus, etc. Dr. Zou’s research interests include Applied Linguistics, ELT, EAP, CALL, mobile learning, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Corpus. He has given presentations at international conferences including AILA, IATEFL, BAAL, BALEAP, EUROCALL, WorldCALL, GloCALL, IALLT, etc. He was in Practitioner Plenary Panel at 2019 BALEAP Conference in Leeds, UK. He was the editor or co-editor of several books including Innovation in Language Learning and Teaching: The Case of China (with Professors Hayo Reinders and David Nunan), published by Palgrave Macmillan, UK. He has published a number of papers in journals including SSCI and CSSCI journals as well as chapter books. He has also been involved in reviewing papers for SSCI Journals of Computer-assisted language learning, Computer-Assisted Learning, Language Learning and Technology, System and Language Learning Journal. One of his papers in AI published by Palgrave Macmillan, UK was selected in Research Highlights from China collection in 2020 by Springer and Macmillan Publishers.He was a senior tutor/associate professor at the English Language Centre and had taught EAP for more than 10 years. He has given keynote presentations at national EAP teacher training workshops in Beijing, Shanghai and Suzhou and symposiums in China and the UK. He has trained more than 1,000 EAP teachers since 2014. He has also been invited to give talks on EAP, CALL or AI at Nanjing University, Wuhan University, Sun Yat-sen University, Shandong University, Shanghai University of Finance Economics, Macau University and the University of Southampton, etc. He is currently teaching MA TESOL course and supervising MA and PhD students at the Department of Applied Linguistics. He was an external examiner for a PhD candidates viva at the University of British Columbia, Canada. He is a fellow of UK Higher Education Academy, executive committee member of China Computer-Assisted Language Learning Association and a committee member of China ESP Association and China Education Technology for Foreign Language Association.

Huimin He, M.A.

Language Lecturer, English Language Centre

Email: Huimin.He@xjtlu.edu.cn

Huimin He is currently an English Language Lecturer at the English Language Centre, School of Languages. She is also a fellow of the Higher Education Academy (HEA, the UK). Her research interests include second language writing, EAP pedagogy, discourse analysis and computer-assisted language learning. Huimin He received both her Bachelors Degree and Masters Degree from Sun Yat-sen University 中山大学 (Zhuhai Guangzhou, China). She majored in English, including English literature as well as translation and interpretation, when she was an undergraduate. In her postgraduate program, her field of study was Applied Linguistics with a focus on Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL), discourse analysis and Pragmatics. Prior to starting a career at XJTLU, she taught English at Guangdong Technical College of Water Resources and Electric Engineering as a part-time instructor.

Chenghao Wang, MSc

PhD Student, Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University
Email: chenghao.wang21@student.xjtlu.edu.cn

Chenghao (Ian) Wang is a full-time PhD student at the Department of Applied Linguistics, Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University. His research interests include computer-assisted language learning (CALL), AI-CALL, AIGC, and VR-enhanced language learning.