I hold a BA in English (Yunnan Normal, China, 1994), an MA in TESOL (La Trobe, Australia, 2000) and a PhD in Linguistics/Applied Linguistics (La Trobe, Australia, 2005). I joined VUB in 2011 and have since taught on a range of modules on English sociolinguistics, English as a lingua franca in the global context, multilingual practices (English and Chinese), Chinese history and culture, Chinese linguistics, academic English and writing, and communication for university teaching in BA, MA programmes as well as the support programme for academic staff.

I have also served as the supervisor and co-supervisor for MA and PhD theses and as a member of the PhD advisory committees and examination committees.     

Although I trained to be familiar with second language learning and pedagogy, my research interests and expertise mainly reside in the following areas: sociocultural perspectives on second language learning, interculturality and intercultural education, multilingualism and heritage language education. I am particularly interested in the understanding of culture in learning and teaching, identity making and negotiation in the context of border crossing and transnational space.