I am a Ph.D. candidate in sociology and science studies at the University of California, San Diego. Starting in Summer 2023, I will be a postdoctoral researcher at Microsoft Research New England Social Media Collective. From Fall 2024, I will be an Assistant Professor of Communication Studies and Sociology at Northeastern University. My research interests span science and technology studies (STS), political sociology, critical data studies, economic sociology, medical sociology, and mixed methods.
My research agenda focuses on the politics of classification in action. Empirically, I work on two domains. First, I investigate the artificial intelligence (AI)-powered algorithmic systems that surveil and classify citizens. My dissertation, an ongoing book project, examines the contestation and multiplicity of Chinese Social Credit Systems across different stages. I also studied the enactment and public perception of the contact tracing application in China.
Second, I critically reexamine public health institutions that classify sexual minorities and diseases under diverse sociopolitical structure. My latest work under this theme compares how experts from different societies classify COVID-19 in their narrative. My interests in public health was originated from my previous work with UNC Project-China, where I conduct HIV/AIDS health communication research and interventions in China for two years.
My works have been published in leading journals such as Big Data & Society; International Sociology; Journal of Contemporary China, Journal of the International AIDS Society; Social Science & Medicine; Sociological Forum; and Science, Technology & Human Values with more than 900 citations. I have received several awards from the American Sociological Association and Association for Asian Studies. My research has been funded by the American Sociological Association, Association for Asian Studies, Chiang Ching-kuo Foundation, Horowitz Foundation for Social Policy, Surveillance Studies Network, Overseas Young Chinese Forum, and multiple UC San Diego internal fellowships.