HUMA Successfully Hosted Postgraduate Conference on Interdisciplinary Research in Humanities and Social Sciences in the Digital Age
The Division of Humanities (HUMA) successfully hosted the Postgraduate Conference on “Interdisciplinary Research in Humanities and Social Sciences in the Digital Age” on January 10, 2026, in collaboration with the Yue Lu Academy of Hunan University and the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at Beijing Normal-Hong Kong Baptist University. The conference brought together over 30 outstanding postgraduate students from around the world to discuss pioneering research and explore the transformative impact of digital humanities, artificial intelligence, and other cutting-edge technologies on the future of humanities and social sciences.
The opening ceremony was attended by prominent scholars in the field of humanities and social sciences, including Professor Chen Zhi, President of Beijing Normal-Hong Kong Baptist University, Professor Xiao Yongming, Dean of Yuelu Academy of Hunan University, and Professor Cameron Campbell, Acting Dean of the School of Humanities and Social Science at HKUST.
The conference showcased a series of presentations. Mr. Jiang Ao, an MSc student in Global China Studies, and Mr. Jiang Yihang, a PhD student from the Academy of Interdisciplinary Studies, introduced their revolutionary new algorithm for acquiring digital humanities data. This new algorithm significantly advances the ability of researchers to conduct large-scale data analysis, enhancing the accuracy and reliability of humanities and social sciences research through multi-source validation.
In a highly innovative presentation, Ms. Liang Xiaojing, an MA student in Chinese Culture, and Ms. Li Jialu, an MSc student in Global China Studies, revealed their groundbreaking work in applying Named Entity Recognition (NER) technology to literary geography. Their research team not only identified the most effective machine learning models for literary geography studies but also achieved a leading advancement in the macro-visualization of geographic imagination in literary texts, setting a new benchmark in the field.
Mr. Hu Guanyi, an MA student in Chinese Culture, presented a study on the emotional tone of museum exhibit labels at the Hong Kong M+ Museum. His research, which utilizes the latest deep learning and natural language processing models, offers a revolutionary approach to analyzing museum narratives, quantitative analysis of exhibit labels, offering invaluable insights for curators globally.
These exceptional presentations, among others, underscored the conference’s position at the forefront of global academic dialogue in the digital humanities. In addition to these major contributions, several other postgraduate students from HKUST also played key roles in the collaborative research projects. These studies were guided by Dr. Steve Ma from HUMA.
As the first collaborative conference on digital humanities research between Hong Kong and mainland China, this event served as a global platform, showcasing the latest and most impactful advancements in humanities and social sciences in the digital age. It further solidified the School’s leadership in interdisciplinary and digital humanities research, while offering postgraduate students an exceptional international stage for academic exchange and publication. This prestigious conference further demonstrated the School’s commitment to advancing innovative research in the digital age.
