I am Yueran, a PhD student in Social Science at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST). Prior to entering the PhD program, I received a Bachelor’s degree in Information Management and Information Systems from Nanjing University in 2020, a Master’s degree in Modern Chinese History from Nanjing University in 2023, and an MPhil in Social Science from HKUST in 2025.
My academic interests initially began with citation network analysis, but gradually shifted toward the history of higher education in modern China and quantitative historical research during my MA studies. My Master’s thesis, Becoming Experts and Utilizing Experts: A Study of the Mining and Metallurgical Experts in Modern China (1872–1937), focused on the emergence and utilization of engineering experts in Republican China.
Since joining HKUST in 2023, my research has centered on the bureaucratic system of Qing China, with a particular interest in the career trajectories and stratification of government officials, primarily utilizing the CGED-Q databases developed by the Lee-Campbell Research Group. I have already written my MPhil thesis on this topic, titled Fragmentation and Divergence: Career Paths of Local Civil Officials in Late Qing China (1830–1905). I plan to expand upon this research in my PhD studies and connect it with broader topics in sociology and political science.