I am a sociologist at the Institute for Decentralized AI and a graduate of the University of Oxford. My research examines fictosexuality, female agency, queer intimacy, and digital subcultures in East Asian media cultures. I work in English and Mandarin and use qualitative research to understand how people describe their identities and make sense of relationships that matter to them.
Research
I am interested in how people explore gender, sexuality, and intimacy through fiction and digital media. My work asks what relationships with fictional characters mean to the people who experience them, how those relationships fit into everyday life, and how people negotiate social expectations about identity and desire.
My research uses semi-structured interviews and qualitative analysis. Working across English and Mandarin, I pay attention to participants’ own language and to the meanings that can change or become less clear in translation.
My current interests also include AI companionship and identity exploration. I want to understand how people interpret conversations with chatbots, how a model’s assumptions shape those conversations, and how AI can support reflection while leaving people in control of how they understand themselves.
Selected presentations
- From Sanciyuan to Erciyuan: Fictosexuality, Female Agency and Queer Intimacy in Chinese ACGN Culture. Queer and Feminist Perspectives on Japanese Popular Cultures Symposium, 2026. Program
- The Invisible Sexual Minorities: Queer Men’s Sexuality and Identity Construction in Australia. XX ISA World Congress of Sociology, Melbourne, 2023. Program
I have also presented my research at the American Sociological Association Annual Meeting.
Background and community
I studied at the University of Oxford and the Australian National University. My experience includes conducting LGBTQ+ research at undergraduate and postgraduate levels and serving as a representative for the University of Oxford LGBTQ+ Society.
In 2022, I received the Global Undergraduate Awards’ Oceania Regional Winner award in Social Sciences: Anthropology & Cultural Studies. Award listing
Contact
You can find me on LinkedIn.