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About me 

Welcome to my site! I'm currently an Assistant Professor in Educational Policy Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and I affiliate with the Center for East Asian Studies (CEAS), Interdisciplinary Training Program in Education Sciences (ITP), Institute for Diversity Science (IDS), Data Science Institute (DSI), and Center for Research on College-Workforce Transitions (CCWT). My research interests include gender and racial disparity in STEM education and the school-to-workplace transition, social stratification and inequality, and education systems in East Asia. I'm also interested in survey methods and the application of innovative quantitative methods in social science research. Before starting my current position, I worked at Facebook (now Meta) as a people research scientist. 

I lived in Philadelphia for six years and got my Ph.D. in Sociology and Dual Master's Degree in Statistics at the University of Pennsylvania. Before coming to the U.S., I lived in Hong Kong for seven years, where I received my Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Sociology from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and helped to build nonprofit microfinance projects for poverty alleviation and women empowerment in rural China. I also stayed a semester at University of Miami and another one at the National Taiwan University as an exchange student, and I visited Japan for half a year for language training at the Japan Foundation Kansai Center. I speak English, Chinese Mandarin, Cantonese, and Japanese. 

I am deeply concerned with the underrepresentation of women in STEM areas, because it does not only contribute to the gender wage gap, but also exacerbates the problem of gender stereotypes. Part of my work at Facebook as people research scientist was to promote diversity within the company and the tech industry. I also founded  Women in Kaggle Philly  and organized a series of workshops which provide an inclusive and supportive environment to women who are interested in data science. 

I regularly write for Foreign Policy, Boston Review, and The CGCS Media Wire Blog. I used to be a senior editor and contributor to CNPolitics.org, an independent group committed to introducing academic studies on Chinese society and politics to the general public in China. I also write for the Initium Media Hong Kong and HK01 as a journalist and columnist. Please check them out if you read Chinese! 

Besides (a happy) academic life, I am a professional English-to-Chinese translator. I have translated several books, including both academic and non-academic ones. I also love classical music, houseplants, science fictions, and Japanese detective novels. Last, I'm a big fan of Pusheen the cat - I own 100+ of Pusheen plushies!