My Life
2017 - Present
Sciencepreneur | Technology Ethics & Value Sensitive Innovation
University of Zurich
Zurich, Switzerland
After a sabbatical year in Argentina where I dived deep into the topic of mind-body relationship through tango, I followed my heart and returned to academia. I have a broad research interest in the ethics assessment and responsible governance of emerging and future technologies, such as AI, robotics, and autonomous systems. Through empirical studies of these transformative technologies of both enabling and disruptive nature, I aim to address the ethical, social, legal, and regulatory challenges they pose to society, explore responsive analytical approaches in the understanding and evaluation of them, and propose practical governance tools for the design, development, and use of them. Conceptually, I am interested in exploring philosophical notions such as identity, agency, autonomy, responsibility, justice, and the good life. Methodologically, I seek to draw draw on insights gained through transdisciplinary research in participatory and co-creation processes.
2010 - 2016
Project Manager | Applied Ethics
International Organisations
Geneva, Switzerland
Prior to returning to the academic world, I lived in Geneva for six years. During this time, I started off working for the United Nations on ethics policy development and implementation. In 2013, following the rapid surge of corporate social responsibility, I ventured into the private sector working for a Fortune 500 on business ethics. In 2015, driven by the inner search for purpose, I joined the NGO sector working for a renowned humanitarian organisation on ethics policy assessment. As a highly motivated young professional, these experiences helped pave a career path that I was committed to pursuing. Along the journey, I was also confronted with my own values, principles, and convictions – which was one of the most precious revelations, and which led me to the next life chapter in science.
2007 - 2011
Graduate Studies | Applied Ethics
& Political Science
Utrecht University, Netherlands
Norwegian University of Science & Technology, Norway
Linköping University, Sweden
Having gone through a serious accident and lived on crutches for months, I promised myself to travel the world upon recovery. This brought me to Europe, where I lived in Scandinavia for three years and completed two Master’s studies in Sweden, Norway, and the Netherlands. My intellectual search was purely driven by curiosity – I was eager to understand where China stood on the global stage, what made China so controversial, how the world was organised, and why people suffered from poverty, disease, and injustice. I initially looked for answers in politics, and soon realised that philosophy was more illuminating – which apparently set forth both an intellectual and a professional journey that I eventually embarked upon years after.
2003 - 2007
Entrepreneur | Consultancy
Beijing, China
Immediately after graduating from university, I set up my own startup where I provided consultancy services and language and culture trainings to foreign expats and diplomats. I was young and free, life was full of adventure and inspiration, and the future meant that the sky was the limit. We live only once in our 20s, and mine was a true bliss.
1998 - 2003
Undergraduate Study | International Affairs
Beijing International Studies University, China
My university life in Beijing became an eternal nostalgia the moment it all ended. I was always curious, never tired of learning, and eager to explore and experiment. What I remember most about school life was the time I spent with my friends, strolling around the city, escaping lectures for cinemas, taking part-time jobs to make pocket money, or just laying on campus lawns daydreaming. My Beijing in its most authentic spirit has long gone, so has my youthful bond of simple but fearless joy.
Pre -1998
Slowly Growing Up
Beijing, China
My upbringing was very different from that of my friends. I was extremely lucky that my childhood was not filled with endless math exercises or extracurricular activities, but with fun playing and free reading. Having a natural aptitude to articulate, to engage, and to connect, I became a sought-after storyteller at an early age, touring around the city giving “talk shows”. Years later, when I accidentally got into improv theatre, I instantly rejoiced in my young self – or perhaps – at my unleashed talent in its most fresh and authentic form.