Xiaotong joined the Institute for Employment Research (IER) in October 2017, where she completed her PhD with a thesis on “The Interaction of Agency and Structure in Female Entrepreneurship and Self-Employment in China”.

Prior to this, Xiaotong earned an MSc in Public Policy from University College London, focusing on “Agenda Setting in China: The Influence of Online Public Opinion and Commercial Media Coverage on the Environmental Policy Agenda regarding Wumai (Beijing Fog) in 2011”. She also holds an MA in Social and Public Policy from the University of Leeds, where she explored “Youth Unemployment in China Since 2000: Problem Analysis, Current Policy Evaluation, and Further Recommendations”. Additionally, she received an LLB in the History of the Chinese Communist Party from Renmin University of China, investigating “American Miscalculations during the Korean War in 1950”.

After working as a Risk Associate I & II in Technology, Data, and Analytics at PwC UK for one and a half years, she is now seeking new opportunities in both industry and academia. Her research interests encompass entrepreneurship, gender studies, and mixed research methods.