Welcome to my website!

I am an assistant professor of Chinese and Applied Linguistics at Western Washington University. 

I completed my Ph.D. in Second Language Acquisition at Carnegie Mellon University in 2023. My research focuses on second language reading, language assessment, and bilingual education. I am particularly interested in (1) how cross-linguistic variations affect second language reading development and word recognition; (2) how different types of language assessments measure, predict, and affect students' language learning process; and (3) how to design and evaluate bilingual language learning programs. I am also highly interested in meta-research and quantitative research methodology.

My work has been recognized by different organizations and institutions. I have received the Duolingo Dissertation Award in Language Assessment, the Outstanding Dissertation Award from the International Literacy Association, and the Ruth Crymes Graduate Fellowship from the TESOL convention. I am also a finalist of the 2025 Outstanding Dissertation Award from the American Association of Applied Linguistics. 

Feel free to reach out to me at lix21@wwu.edu.