معرفی
Dr. Yuanyuan Chen serves as Senior Lecturer in History & Theory of Animation at Ulster University's Belfast School of Art within the Faculty of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences. Her academic leadership extends to co-directing the BDes (Hons) Animation program, shaping curriculum development and student supervision across undergraduate and postgraduate levels.
Research interests span contemporary Chinese animation with specific focus on modernism/postmodernism influences since the 1980s, Shanghai Animation Film Studio, Asian animation traditions, experimental techniques, non-fiction animation, and East Asian cinema. Her work explores the intersection of animation with emerging technologies including VR/AR applications and digital distribution platforms.
Recent publications analyze Chinese animation adaptations of Western narratives (e.g., Snow White), danmaku commentary systems on Chinese video platforms, and Northern Ireland's post-conflict animation industry development. Current research includes a monograph under contract with Edinburgh University Press examining Shanghai Animation Film Studio's historical evolution from 1950s-1990s.
As active supervisor, Dr. Chen mentors PhD candidates including Yinan Wu (Chinese traditional aesthetics in children's design) and Dara Flanagan (collective memory through animation), building on her successful supervision of Rebecca Crawford's DfE-funded thesis on visual novel perceptions.
Professional engagement includes editorial board membership for Alphaville: Journal of Film and Screen Media, co-founding BAFTSS Animation SIG, and serving as peer reviewer for Animation: An Interdisciplinary Journal, Journal of Cinema and Media Studies, and other leading publications. Current research projects involve AHRC-funded Green Transition Ecosystem initiatives and EPSRC-supported virtual production pipelines for theatre.
