What led you to your career as an academic and researcher?
It is passion and commitment to social work that led me to my career as an academic and researcher. Social work is a profession that helps people, and there is a great need for its development in contemporary China. I want to improve people's quality of life and contribute to the profession through my research and practice.
What are your main research areas and interests?
My main research areas and interests are occupational social work, cross-national comparative social work, work-family conflict of working women, and the application of group counseling in enterprises and schools.
Can you briefly introduce your home institution?
I come from China University of Labor Relations. With nearly seventy years of history, it is a multidisciplinary university covering economics, management, law study, literature, engineering, and art. The teaching and research of the university are at the advanced level in the fields of labor relations, labor law, social work, trade union theory and practice, labor safety, labor and social security, corporate democratic management, and the history of Chinese workers' movement.
What aspects of being a visiting scholar at Columbia are exciting to you?
I am honored to be a visiting scholar at Columbia University, where there are rich academic resources and a great academic atmosphere. The libraries have a huge collection of books. Top and cutting-edge lectures in many different disciplines are available. The students are very diligent and aspiring.
What are your main research activities during your stay at Columbia and in NYC?
My main academic activity is to continue my research on the work-family conflict of working women, hold related discussions with professors and scholars here, read the literature and conduct field interviews. I am willing to share my research with anyone who is interested. I will also participate in workshops for group counseling to improve my ability in social work practice.
