Dr. WAN Yau Ni Jenny 
Assistant Professor
Chair, Departmental Research Committee
Member, Digital Humanities Research Cluster, Mrs Dorothy Koo and Dr Ti Hua Koo Centre for Interdisciplinary Evidence-based Practice and Research
Departmental Representative, Academic Board
 
PhD in Applied Linguistics, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU)
B.A. (Hons) Language Studies with Business, PolyU
Visiting Scholar, University of Technology Sydney (UTS)

Courses Taught
Interdisciplinary Approach to English Studies
Guided Readings in English Studies
Language of Mass and Social Media
Intercultural Communication
Discourse Analysis
English Usage I & II
MPhil Supervision
Honours Project 
 
 
Full Research Profiles and Academic Publications:  
Scopus Author | ORCID ID | Google Scholar | HKSYU Institutional Repository | ResearchGate
Research Areas
Systemic functional linguistics (SFL)
Corpus-assisted discourse analysis
Digital healthcare communication
Scientific and ethical discourse
Heritage tourism discourse
 
Core Research Interest

My research examines how language constructs and negotiates interpersonal meaning, attitudes, and care in digital and institutional discourses surrounding difficult human experiences.

Competitive Research Funding
  • Faculty Development Scheme (FDS), Research Grants Council, Hong Kong
Wan, Y. N. (PI), Zeng, W. H. (Co-I), Li, W. O. (Co-I). Perceptual and experiential misalignment in digital visitor narratives: A triangulated analysis of Appraisal, Topic Modeling, and Sentiment in Hong Kong’s heritage transport discourse 
(遊客數碼敘事中的感知與體驗偏差：香港歷史交通語篇的態度評價、主題建模與情緒三向分析). 
2027–2028. HK$484,259.
 
Wan, Y. N. (PI). Anticipatory grief in digital communication: Narratives in hospice care centre websites and support group forums (數位傳播中的預期性悲傷：寧養關懷中心網站與病人支援論壇中的經歷敘述).
2026–2027. HK$512,476.
 
  • University Research Grant (URG), Hong Kong Shue Yan University
Wan, Y. N. (PI), Li, W. O. (Co-I). Medical research ethics in neurocognitive disorders: A corpus-based analysis of pediatric and older adult clinical research articles.
2026–2028. HK$29,525. 
 
Wan, Y. N. (PI), Forey, G. (Co-I). E-care support: Comparing the communication strategies of Hong Kong and UK public hospice care centre websites.
2024–2026. HK$12,352.50 (Completed).
 
Selected Refereed Journal Publications
  • Healthcare communication and digital end-of-life discourse
Wan, Y. N. (R&R) Discursive constructions in hospice communication. (SSCI Q2; 5-year IF: 2.8)
 
Wan, Y. N., & Zeng, W. H. (2026). Constructing digital support at end-of-life: A cross-cultural analysis of interpersonal engagement on hospice websites. Health Communication, 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2026.2675708
 (SSCI Q1; 5-yr IF: 3.7)
 
Wan, Y. N., Forey, G., & Zeng, W. H. (2026). Digital framing in end-of-life communication: Constructing “good death” support in the discourse of hospice care institutions in the UK and Hong Kong. Healthcare, 14(9), 1187. 
https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare14091187. (SSCI & SCIE Q1; 5-yr IF: 3.3)
 
  • Scientific and ethical discourse
Wan, Y. N., & Li, W. O. (2026). Ethical positioning and interpersonal framing in pediatric neurocognitive research papers: A corpus-based discourse analysis. Ethics & Behavior, 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1080/10508422.2026.2717088 (SSCI Q2; 5-year IF: 2.5)
 
  • Visitor discourse and heritage communication
Wan, Y. N., & Li, W. O. (R&R) Discourse on psychological theory in heritage tourism. (ESCI, Scopus Q1: 5-year IF:3.5)
 
Wan, Y. N. (2026). Digital visitor discourse on massacre memorials: Appraisal and collocational analysis in family and school learning contexts. Cogent Social Sciences, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/23311886.2026.2686011. (ESCI; Scopus Q1; 5-year IF:2.1)
 
Wan, Y. N. (2025). The evaluative language of dark tourism: Exploring visitors’ attitudinal meanings of Holocaust memorials. Current Issues in Tourism, 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2025.2541063 (SSCI Q1; 5-year IF: 6.0)
 
Wan, Y. N. (2024). Framing negative eWOM via conjunctions: The language of customer communication in the luxury hotel sector on social media. Training, Language and Culture, 8(2), 76-93. https://doi.org/10.22363/2521-442X-2024-8-2-76-93 (SCOPUS Q1) 
 
Invited Encyclopedia Chapter
 
Forey, G., Wan, Y. N., & Lockwood, J. (2026). Language in call centres. In H. Nesi & P. Milin (Eds.-in-Chief), International Encyclopedia of Language and Linguistics (3rd ed., Vol. 8, pp. 72-79). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-323-95504-1.00387-2.
 
Selected Conference Presentations
  • Health communication and hospice discourse
Wan, Y. N. (forthcoming). “Anticipatory grief, emotional resilience, and adaptation in digital hospice narratives: Implications for end-of-life care in Hong Kong and the United Kingdom”. Paper at APRU Global Health Conference 2026 Resilience & adaptation: Navigating the evolving landscape of global health in a changing world. Hong Kong Chinese University, Hong Kong China, 7-9 December 2026.
 
Wan, Y. N. (2026). “Grieving in the digital space: A systemic functional linguistic study of anticipatory grief in hospice narratives”. Paper at International Systemic Functional Congress 2026: Global Voices and Local Impacts: Advancing Language Education through Systemic Functional Linguistics, Hong Kong Metropolitan University, Hong Kong China, 11-16 July 2026.
 
Wan, Y. N. (2026). "Grief in words: Exploring emotional resilience in digital hospice narratives”. Paper at the International Conference on Human Resilience: Navigating Life Changes & Challenges (HRCONF2026). Hong Kong Shue Yan University, Hong Kong China, May 27-30, 2026.
 
Wan, Y. N., & Zeng, W. H. (2026). “Digital healthcare discourse: A comparative study of public hospice websites across cultures”. Paper at Symposium on Language Science (ISLS) 2026: Interdisciplinary Research and the Legacy of Yuen Ren Chao, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong China, 8-9 May 2026. 
 
  • Ethical and scientific discourse

Wan, Y. N. & Li, W. O. (forthcoming). “Bioethical discourse in neurocognitive research articles: A pilot study of roles and voices”. Paper at International Symposium on Language Science and Human Well-Being (ISLSHW 2026), City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong China, 14 November 2026.

Wan, Y. N. & Li, W. O. (2026). “Ethical considerations in health and care research: Analyzing Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) case reports in neurocognitive research”. Paper at International Systemic Functional Congress 2026: Global Voices and Local Impacts: Advancing Language Education through Systemic Functional Linguistics, Hong Kong Metropolitan University, Hong Kong China, 11-16 July 2026.

Wan, Y. N. & Li, W. O. (2026). “Research ethics in scientific writing: Ethical discourse in pediatric neurocognitive disorder studies”. Paper at Innovations in Language Education: Advancing Pedagogy, Practice, and Research, The Centre for Applied English Studies (CAES), The University of Hong Kong (HKU), and the Association of Hong Kong Language Centres (AHKLC), Hong Kong China, 2-3 June, 2026.

Academic Recognition and Professional Service
  • Journal Review Service
Health Communication (2026 - present)  (SSCI Q1)
Cultural Trends (2025 - present) (SSCI & AHCI Q1)
 
  • Invited Reference Work Contribution
 
  • Invited Research Development Seminars

Wan, Y. N. (2026). “The ALPHA path: Structuring competitive FDS proposals”. Presentation at Seminar on CRFS 2027/28 Preparation, Research Office of the Hong Kong Shue Yan University, Hong Kong, China, Jun 26, 2026.

Wan, Y. N. (2025). “From seed to fruit: Language features and cross-sectional linkages in the objective, impact statement, and budget of FDS grant proposal”. Presentation at Preparing Impact Statement and Budget for RGC’s CRFS for the 2026/27 Exercise, Research Office of the Hong Kong Shue Yan University, Hong Kong, China, Nov 21, 2025.

  • Invited Research Dissemination

Wan, Y. N. (2025) “Digital communication in dark tourism: Interpreting visitor narratives in China’s War of Resistance Museums and Memorials.” 「價值觀教育研討會」，香港樹仁大學田家炳孝道文化教研中心主辦  Hong Kong, China, Dec 21, 2025.