I am thrilled to have joined The Hong Kong Polytechnic University as a new Principal Investigator and Assistant Professor.

Why the move? Life is an experience, and I believe enthusiasm is our best guide. Among life’s many choices, I always choose the one that follows my heart.

Prior to joining PolyU, I was an Associate Professor at the Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) in Beijing, China. From November 2021 to November 2023, I served as a Research Associate at the Neuroscience of Language Lab (NelLLab) at New York University, collaborating with Prof. Liina Pylkkänen. (I love New York!!!). I completed my Ph.D. in June 2018 at the National Laboratory of Pattern Recognition (NLPR), CASIA, under the supervision of Prof. Chengqing Zong. My academic journey began with a B.S. degree from Northeastern University in June 2013.

Research Interests

My research sits at the intersection of artificial intelligence, neuroscience, and linguistics. I am passionate about building bridges between human and machine intelligence.

AI for Neuroscience: Aligning Generative AI with Human Cognition

• Investigating the neural mechanisms of language representation and composition in the human brain.
• Developing methods for alignment between AI models and human cognitive processes.
• Studying intelligence emergence and developmental biomarkers through computational models.

Brain-Computer Interface (BCI)

• Designing cutting-edge, multimodal brain-computer interfaces.
• Advancing robust BCI systems for real-world applications (“BCI in the wild”).
• Exploring novel BCI applications in communication and healthcare.

AI Applications in Education and Healthcare

• Developing AI tools for language learning and support for developmental disorders.
• Creating assistive technologies for aging populations and aphasia rehabilitation.
• Building emotionally intelligent chatbots and brain simulation models.

Computational Language Science

• Enhancing the interpretability and robustness of large language models (LLMs).
• Creating standardized benchmarks and testing materials for evaluating AI in linguistic tasks.

Speech Processing

• Building automatic speech recognition (ASR) systems for children and low-resource languages.
• Solving challenging auditory scenes, such as the cocktail party problem.

✨ Latest News ✨

🌟 Open Positions (Updated Sep 11, 2025): I am actively recruiting motivated Ph.D. students to start in 2026 (Jan, May, or Sep). I also welcome applications for Research Assistant (RA) positions (remote or in-person) and collaborations from students at all levels (undergraduate, Master’s, Ph.D.).

Ideal candidates have a background in Computer Science, Engineering, Psychology, Linguistics, or a related field, and possess a strong motivation for interdisciplinary research.

If you are genuinely passionate about these research areas, please contact me at shaonan.wang@polyu.edu.hk. Please note that due to the high volume of emails, I may not be able to respond to every inquiry.