About Me

I am an Assistant Professor of Management at Gatton College of Business and Economics, University of Kentucky.

My research interests center around how social networks shape the dynamics in the distribution of individuals’ feelings, behaviors, and cognitions in organizations. I strive to build and refine multi-level theory to explain these phenomena by bridging complex interplay between intrapersonal, interpersonal, and situational driving forces. I then delve into how they coalesce in producing systematic patterns for individuals’ performance, career, and psychological outcomes over time. Specifically, my research consists of three interrelated streams. First, I study how the design of personnel management practices renders individuals with opportunities and constraints to accumulate human and social capital in organizations and institutions. Second, I examine the extent to which one’s interpretation of environmental stimuli and perception of social landscapes are susceptible to social influence and construction processes. Third, I explore what facilitates building a more diverse, equal, and inclusive workplace community. 

My research speaks to the intersection of multiple disciplines by drawing on theory from psychology, organizational behavior, sociology, and human resources. Empirically, I incorporate mixed-method approaches, including archival data, longitudinal field surveys, and field experiments. I employ advanced social network analytical techniques, survival analysis, and hierarchical modeling to bolster my findings. My research aims to enrich the knowledge of dynamic social processes in the workplace and provide implications for people, groups, and organizations to utilize such knowledge to achieve heightened outcomes.

I earned my Ph.D. in Public Policy and Management from Carnegie Mellon University, Heinz College of Information Systems and Public Policy in 2024. I received my M.S. in Public Administration and Government from the London School of Economics and Political Science and Peking University Double Degree Program in 2016. I earned my B.S. in Bioengineering from Peking University in 2014, with a minor in International Relations. Prior to joining Heinz, I worked in Beijing as a data analyst.

For more information, please visit my research page and teaching page or download my full CV.