Where are you from?
I was born in Hunan, China. Because of study, work and family, I lived in several different cities in China, from the South to the North. I stayed in Beijing for several years before I came to the Netherlands in 2011. In the Netherlands, I have spent most of my time in Amsterdam, where I live together with my family and my pet.
Where did you do your studies/What did you study?
I consider myself as a multidisciplinary social scientist. I have obtained many academic degrees in different fields, such as a Bachelor degree in Psychology, a Bachelor degree in English, a Master degree in Social Psychology and a Master degree in Human Resource Management and Assessment. Last October, I obtained my Doctorate degree in Social Psychology at VU Amsterdam. My dissertation is about the Psychology of Loss Management.
Why did you choose Erasmus School of Philosophy to do your postdoc?
I have a genuine interest in Philosophy, but due to various reasons, I did not have any chance to develop this interest as an academic pursuit. In 2016, I attended a course called Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) for researchers at VU Amsterdam, and was deeply impressed by the RRI thematic elements, such as public engagement, open access, gender equality, ethics, and science education. After my PhD, I fortunately found there was a postdoc position in RRI at Erasmus School of Philosophy. This time, I followed my heart and fortunately won the opportunity to explore RRI and Philosophy at a well-known School of Philosophy.
What is your research about?
My current research at Erasmus School of Philosophy is mainly about two RRI projects: RRING (Responsible Research and Innovation Networked Globally, please see: https://rring.eu/) and GRRIP (Grounding RRI Practices, see: https://grrip.eu/).
RRING is a truly global project divided into 5 geographic zones, covering the globe. It aims to establish a sustainable RRING community by the end of April 2021. My work for this project is about the quantitative data analysis of the global survey data.
GRRIP is working on embedding sustainable Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI practices) in 4 research performing organizations (RPO) and 1 dual-function RPO and research funding organization (RPO/RFO) (total 5 RPO&RFOs) in the marine and maritime sectors to achieve institutional and cultural change. My work for this project is mainly about Monitoring and Evaluation of the RRI interventions in the 5 RPO&RFOs.
What are your expectations of the postdoc?
I think I will learn a lot from working on the two big international RRI projects and with colleagues from Erasmus School of Philosophy. Because I am interested in Philosophy, I believe my colleagues with various expertise in this field will teach me lots of new knowledge and give me many inspirations for enriching my research thoughts for the next career steps. Meanwhile, as a social scientist with a multidisciplinary background, I will try my best to make my expertise complementary and beneficial to other colleagues’ work.
What are your first impressions of the Erasmus University and the city Rotterdam?
I visited Rotterdam before and found Rotterdam very open, modern and international. Erasmus University also left the same impression to me. I believe I will like this city as much as I like Amsterdam. I will surely enjoy working at Erasmus University Rotterdam.