معرفی
Xuelei Huang serves as Senior Lecturer in Chinese Studies within the Asian Studies section of the School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures at the University of Edinburgh. Appointed as a Chancellor's Fellow before promotion to Lecturer in 2016 and Senior Lecturer in 2019, her academic trajectory includes postdoctoral research at Academia Sinica (Taiwan) and research fellowships at the Nantes Institute for Advanced Studies (France) and International Research Centre for Cultural Studies (Vienna).
Her educational foundation spans:
- Bachelor's degree from Fudan University, China
- Master's degree from Peking University, China
- PhD with summa cum laude from the University of Heidelberg, Germany
Huang's research centers on cultural and social history of modern China through three interconnected lenses: sensory history (particularly olfactory studies as explored in her 2023 monograph), early Chinese cinema examining institutional and global dimensions, and print culture/drama within Republican-era media networks. Her work reveals how microscopic sensory processes and media forms intersect with sociopolitical forces and global cultural flows.
Publication trends demonstrate an evolution from cinema studies (2014) toward sensory history (2022-2023), reflecting interdisciplinary innovation bridging historical anthropology, media studies, and cultural theory. Her scholarship consistently excavates everyday experiences to reinterpret grand historical narratives of modern China.
Major recognitions include:
- Ruprecht Karls Prize for PhD dissertation
- Alexander von Humboldt Foundation Fellowship
- Gerda Henkel Foundation Fellowship
- Chiang Ching-kuo Foundation Fellowship
While currently at full supervisory capacity for PhD students (no new 2025 entries), her research receives competitive funding including the 2024 Royal Society of Edinburgh Research Award for 'The Smell of Scotland' project. She actively bridges academia and public engagement through film curation.
Huang co-curates the China programme for Scotland's Hippodrome Silent Film Festival, presenting restored Chinese silent films like 'The Goddess' and 'Daybreak' to international audiences, demonstrating her commitment to cross-cultural knowledge exchange beyond traditional academic boundaries.
