Her research lies at the intersection of applied linguistics, language pedagogy, and intercultural communication, with a focus on how multilinguals negotiate identities and socialize into globalized workplaces and educational contexts. As a language pedagogue, she specializes in language program building and teacher training.

Previously she held an Andrew W. Mellon postdoctoral fellowship at Oberlin College, US, and has directed intensive study abroad Chinese programs including the Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) program and DKU’s Chinese Intensive Summer Language (CISL) program. Her recent publications focus on Third Space as a new frame of conceptualizing foreign language teaching and learning, transcultural encounters, and the interplay of multilingual individuals and contexts in the dynamic co-construction of identities and relationships.