Naming

  • Wei Lai, ‘ 魏莱 ’, has the same Chinese pronunciation as ‘future(未来)’.

Brief

  • Postdoctoral Fellow, Department of Language Science and Technology, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (2024 – present). PhD, School of Design, PolyU (2019 – 2024), on embodied AI teachers and instructional gesture: empirical studies of word–gesture alignment, learning performance, and student perception, plus working lecture prototypes evaluated with students. Also prototype health and social apps.
  • University teaching: Lecturer, Visual Communication Design (BA), Chongqing University of Education (2017 – 2024) and Chongqing Vocational College of Art and Engineering (2016); Teaching Assistant, Interaction Design (MDes) and Interactive Media (BA), PolyU School of Design (2019 – 2022).
  • Keywords: Embodied AI Teachers; Embodied Pedagogical Agents; Instructional Gesture; Multimodal Interaction; AI in Education; Multimedia Learning.

Current Research

  • Multimodal corpus of dialogue, gesture, gaze, social-interaction cues, and fNIRS (in progress; PolyU × South China Normal University).
  • Ongoing research on instructional gesture and embodied pedagogical agents.

Education

  • School of Design, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University（香港理工大学设计学院）, Hong Kong SAR, China

  • Central Saint Martins, University of the Arts, London, London, UK

    • MA. 2013 – 2015, Character Animation, specializing in 2D Animation, Computer Art, and Illustration.

  • College of Animation and Digital Arts, Communication University of China（中国传媒大学动画与数字艺术学院）, Beijing, China

    • BA. 2008 – 2012, Animation, specializing in 2D Animation, Motion Images, Film Editing, Computer Art, Interaction Design, and Illustration.
    • ‘08 - ‘20 Arts Portfolio

Experiences in Universities

  • 2026 – Present, Postdoctoral Fellow, Chen Si Lab, Department of Language Science and Technology (LST), The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
  • 2024 – 2026, Postdoctoral Fellow, Brain, Language, and Computation Laboratory (BLC Lab), Department of Language Science and Technology (formerly Chinese and Bilingual Studies), The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
  • 2023 – 2024, Research Associate, Consultancy Services for Well-Being Design Guide in Public Housing Development, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University and Architecture Commons
  • 2017 – 2024, Lecturer, Visual Communication Design (BA), Arts College, Chongqing University of Education
  • 06-12 2022, Research Assistant, The Challenges and Opportunities in AIoT UX Design: A Comparison Study of AIoT, IoT and Conventional Healthcare Appliances, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
  • 2019 – 2022, Teaching Assistant, Interaction Design (MDes), School of Design, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
  • 2019 – 2022, Teaching Assistant, Interactive Media (BA), School of Design, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
  • 2016, Lecturer, Visual Communication Design (BA), Chongqing Vocational College of Art and Engineering, Chongqing

University Service

  • 2021 – Present, Senior Hall Tutor, Hung Hom Halls (LS Hall), PolyU. Coordinating hall tutors, student mentoring, and hall educational activities.
  • 2023 – 2026, Peer review for Brain and Language, IEEE Transactions on Learning Technologies, Education and Information Technologies, JMIR mHealth and uHealth, European Journal of Education, ACM CSCW, and IASDR.

Experiences in Industry

  • 2023, Cameraman, Public Art Commission Treatment III, Melbourne
  • 2019, Animator, Minsheng Bank, Beijing
  • 2017-2022, Visual Designer, Arts College, Chongqing University of Education, Chongqing
  • 2017-2019, Instructor&Consultant, Art Creativity Global, Chongqing
  • 2017, Cameraman and filmmaker, Fwong Makeup &Styling Studio, Chongqing
  • 2017, Visual identity designer, Cube Art Centre, Chongqing
  • 2016, Filmmaker of post production, Dr.Ray Ltd, Zhuhai
  • 2016, Animator of Experimental Film, Reorder Film Production Studio, Berlin
  • 2014, Stop-motion Designer and Animator, Now They Are Here, Now They Are Not, English National Opera, London
  • 2014, Visual designer and filmmaker of post production, Streetstories Social Network, London
  • 2014, Filmmaker of Adverse Reaction, The Old Operating Theatre, Museum Herb Garret, London
  • 2009, Design Assistant, Zendai Art Centre, Shanghai

Grants

  • 2025, Postdoctoral Matching Fund, PolyU
  • 2025, Co-Principal Investigator, MOE Humanities and Social Sciences Project. From Myth to Gameplay: The transmediation of symbols and construction of identity in gamified worlds.
  • 2023, Additional Top Conference Grant, PolyU
  • 2020, Co-Principal Investigator, Municipal Education Commission of Chongqing. Data visualization-based learning analytics system.
  • 2019, Teaching Postgraduate Studentship, PolyU
  • 2019, PI, CQUE Teaching Research Grant. Five-dimensional assessment for illustration design.

Projects

  • 2020 Project Second Leader, Design and development of data visualization-based learning analysis system for the Science and Technology Research Project of the Municipal Education Commission
  • 2019 Project Leader, ‘Five-Dimensional’assessment and evaluation system of Illustration Design for University-level project
  • 2019 Participated in ‘1+1+1’experiential teaching mode of fashion design for University-level project
  • 2017 Participated in Chongqing municipal-level project-speciality visual communication design department

Publication

Journal and conference papers

Posters

  • Gender differences in students’ perceptions and outcome of feedback from embodied AI instructors. Mingjun Zhai, Lai Wei, Zhe Gao, Ping Li. CogSci 2026 (poster; Rank A Cognitive Science).
  • The roles of gestures in dyadic interaction: Associations with effective communication, emotion regulation and individual traits. Lai Wei, Mingjun Zhai, Suiping Wang, Ping Li. ISGS ‘25 (poster; Rank A Gesture Studies).
  • From human lecturers to pedagogical agents: Investigating word–gesture alignment for instructional gesture design. Pangrui Xing, Lai Wei, Kenny K. N. Chow. ISGS ‘25 (poster; Rank A Gesture Studies).
  • How shared interactive experiences reshape the semantic representations of abstract concepts. Mingjun Zhai, Lai Wei, Ping Li. CogSci 2025 (poster; Rank A Cognitive Science).

Under review

  • Delivering Personalized LLM-Generated Feedback Through Embodied Pedagogical Agents: The Roles of Visual Realism and Perceived Humanness. Mingjun Zhai, Lai Wei, Zhe Gao, Jiaxin Chen, Yongqing Li, Ping Li. Computers & Education.
  • Beats and pointing with English not, n’t and no across grammatical class and medium. Lai Wei, Pangrui Xing, Kenny K. N. Chow. Gesture Studies.
  • Culturally grounded but socially malleable: Cooperative dialogue recalibrates abstract concept representations. Mingjun Zhai, Lai Wei, Yingying Peng, Ping Li. Communications Psychology (Nature Portfolio).

Recognition

  • 2023 Invited presentation, ChinaVis 2023 (Visualization and Visual Analytics)
  • 2021 Best Presenter Award in the 12th PhD Colloquium on Design Research, hosted by Tsinghua University’s Academy of Arts & Design
  • 2019 Product design “Continuing"primary selection to The 13th National Exhibition of Fine Arts, China
  • 2016 Animation In Black, Adverse Reaction won the second place of the best 2D Animation Animex Awards 2016, NY.
  • 2016 Animation In Black, Adverse Reaction were selected Semi-Finalist International Open Film Festival (IOFF), NY
  • 2015 Animation In Black won the second place of the best 2D Animation in The World Animation Celebration, CA.
  • 2015 Animation In Black official selection to British Animation Awards, London.
  • 2015 Animation In Black official selection to Semifinalist Adobe Design Achievement Award.
  • 2015 Animation In Black official selection to Taiwan International Children’s Film Festival, Taiwan.
  • 2015 Animation In Black official selection to China Independent Animation Film Forum, Nanjing.
  • 2015 Animation In Black official selection to Lascatolablu ENJOY! Animation Film Festival, Italy.
  • 2015 Animation In Black official selection to AnimaSyros International Animation Festival, Greece.
  • 2015 Animation In Black official selection to India International Children’s Film Festival, India.
  • 2015 Animation In Black official selection to Near Nazareth NN Festival.
  • 2015 Animation In Black, Adverse Reaction official selection to Blackbird Film Fest.
  • 2015 Animation In Black official selection to Chinese Women Film Fest.
  • 2015 Animation In Black official selection to Queen City Film Festival.
  • 2015 Animation In Black official selection to Visionaria Film Fest.
  • 2015 Animation Adverse Reaction official selection to Title Ruse Film Festival.
  • 2014 Animation Adverse Reaction official selection to IN. S. A. N. E. Animation Film Festival.
  • 2012 Animation Bear Has Child mentioned award in China Graduate Animation Competition, Beijing.
  • 2012 Animation Bear Has Child mentioned award in Beijing Film Academy.
  • 2012 Animation Bear Has Child mentioned award in Animation Competition, Beijing.
  • 2009 Won the third prize of MLBTM graffiti Competition.
  • 2008-2012 Won the Outstanding student.
  • 2008-2012 Won the Third-class scholarship

Exhibition

  • A Technological Perspective on Fashion Design, First China Fashion Industry Innovation and Entrepreneurship Conference, Hangzhou, 2019
  • ‘iSTART Children’s Art Festival’ at A4 Museum,Group Exhibition, Chengdu, 2019
  • ‘Independent Animation Film Screening’ at The Post Mountain Gallery Group Exhibition, Beijing, 2019
  • ‘24 Frames Childhood’at Chengdu Contemporary Image Museum Group Exhibition, Chengdu, 2019
  • ’+8 Chinese Independent Animation Screening’ at A4 Art Museum, Group Exhibition, Chengdu, 2019
  • Taiwan International Children’s Film Festival 2016, Tour Exhibition, Taiwan, 2016.5-2015.8
  • ‘CUT’in The Old Operating Theatre, Museum Herb Garret, London, Group Exhibition, London, 2012

Conferences

  • 2026 Presenter ACM Creativity & Cognition (CC ‘26)
  • 2026 Poster CogSci 2026
  • 2025 Poster International Society for Gesture Studies (ISGS ‘25)
  • 2025 Poster CogSci 2025
  • 2023.10 Presenter The 2023 Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work and Social Computing, Minneapolis
  • 2023.10 Presenter The 10th Congress of the International Association of Societies of Design Research, Milano
  • 2023.7 Invited speaker The 10th China Visualization and Visual Analytics Conference, Chongqing
  • 2022.11 Presenter International Conference on Advances in Mobile Computing and Multimedia Intelligence, Virtual
  • 2021.12 Presenter The 9th Congress of the International Association of Societies of Design Research, Hong Kong
  • 2021.4 Presenter The 12th PhD Colloquium on Design Research, Beijing
  • 2019.12 Presenter ‘Wide Vision’International Forum of Visual Culture 2019: The View of Cross-disciplinarity, Guangzhou
  • 2018.11 Invited speaker Delivered a speech in Animation Scholars Roundtable Forum (Chengdu) and Western Universities Students Animation Festival Academic Proseminar
  • 2018.11 Invited speaker The 3rd Annual Conference of Chinese Animation Studies, Chengdu
  • 2018.10 Presenter Delivered a speech in China Youth Animation Scholars Forum, Beijing
  • 2018.9 Presenter The 3rd International Conference on Education Research and Reform, Macao

Expertise

  • Languages: Mandarin (native), English (fluent).
  • Research Methods: Mixed methods, Lab experiment, Discourse analysis, Multimodal discourse analysis, Case study, Semi-structured interview, Survey, Thematic analysis, Speech analysis in phonetics, Corpus analysis.
  • Design Methods: User-center design, User Experience Design, User Test, Participatory Design, Laddering interview.
  • Research Tools: Eye tracking, EyeLink, ELAN, CLAN, SPSS, R, Praat, NVivo, Prism 9, VOSviewer, Microsoft suite.
  • CAD Tool: Adobe suite, TVPaint, Final Cut Pro, Nomad, Reality Composer, Procreate, Cinema 4D, Figma.

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