Yunan Xu

Yunan Xu serves as Assistant Professor of China and Global Development at the Centre of Development Studies within the Department of Politics and International Studies (POLIS) at the University of Cambridge. She concurrently holds the position of section editor for the Key Concepts Section of the Journal of Peasant Studies.

Her academic trajectory features:

• PhD in Development Studies from the International Institute of Social Studies (ISS), Erasmus University Rotterdam
• Postdoctoral Researcher on ERC Advanced Grant project RRUSHES-5 at Erasmus University Rotterdam's International Institute of Social Studies
• Postdoctoral Researcher position at Singapore Management University

Dr. Xu's research centers on China's evolving role in global development frameworks with specialized focus on agrarian transformation. Her work bridges theoretical and empirical analyses of peasant communities within China's development paradigm, evidenced by her editorial leadership at the Journal of Peasant Studies. This scholarly focus positions her at the intersection of political economy, rural sociology, and China's international development engagement.

No scientific awards were documented in the source material. Regarding academic mentorship, the available records indicate no specified advisees or grant funding details. Her institutional affiliation with the Centre of Development Studies places her within POLIS's interdisciplinary ecosystem dedicated to critical development research, where she contributes to advancing scholarship on Global South development dynamics through China's distinctive engagement model.