CHUNCHENG LIU

I am a sociologist of knowledge and technology who studies the politics of data and classifications. I am currently a postdoctoral researcher at Microsoft Research New England and will be joining Northeastern University as an Assistant Professor of Communication and Sociology in Fall 2025. I earned my Ph.D. in Sociology and Science Studies at the University of California, San Diego. 

My current research investigates the politics of sociotechnical systems that surveil and classify citizens. My ongoing book project is an ethnography that examines the design and implementation of a Chinese municipal social credit system, which scores citizens with approximately 400 behavioral indicators, ranging from "mistreat your parents" to criminal offenses. I have published articles on its constituents of metric, problematic adoption of machine learning, as well as the public perception of its expanding surveillance and punishment. I have also examined the organizational politics and public opinion surrounding contact tracing applications, generative AI tools, and government data-driven systems.

Previously, I have studied how public health institutions classify sexual minorities and COVID-19, an interest that stemmed from my earlier work on HIV/AIDS research and intervention.

My works have been published in leading journals such as Big Data & Society; Journal of Contemporary China, Social Science & Medicine; Sociological Forum; and Science, Technology & Human Values. I have received awards and funding from American Sociological Association, Association for Asian Studies, and Horowitz Foundation for Social Policy, and others. I have also been featured in various media outlets such as The Guardian, BMJ, and RestofWorld.