Yiran Xu

I am an applied linguist and writing researcher interested in how multilingual writers develop academic and disciplinary voices across diverse institutional contexts. I approach writing not simply as a set of skills to be mastered, but as a meaning-making practice through which multilingual learners negotiate identity, expertise, and belonging. My work explores how language diversity functions as a resource, rather than a deficit, in academic and professional settings, and how writing becomes a site where linguistic experience, disciplinary knowledge, and social imagination intersect. 

When I am not working, I enjoy spending time outdoors, experimenting with new recipes, exploring local restaurants, and I also enjoy drawing.

I'm an Assistant Professor of Writing Studies in the Department of Global Arts, Media and Writing Studies at the University of California, Merced. I received my Ph.D. (2020) in Applied Linguistics from Georgetown University, M.A. (2014) in Educational Studies from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.