About Me
Profile
- Innovative Urban Designer, Researcher, and emerging academic with a robust blend of industry experience and scholarly expertise.
- PhD research specialises in an AI-driven taxonomy for urban screens and augmented public spaces, employing data-driven (machine learning) clustering methodologies and creating an Augmented Public Spaces Index (APSI) to assess the quality of spaces.
- Interdisciplinary approach combining urban design, digital technologies, and social sciences to address urban challenges.
- An urban designer with five years of experience in China's highly competitive construction industry.
- International experience through education in the UK and professional experience in China, offering diverse perspectives on urban planning.
- Bilingual in Mandarin (native) and English.
- Continuing involvement in voluntary activities; keen independent traveller and photographer.
Education
PhD in Architecture
University of Liverpool, Centre for Architecture and the Visual Arts.
Supervisors: Prof. Richard Koeck; Dr. Francesca Piazzoni
Research focuses on the evolution of urban screens using machine learning, empirical studies, and qualitative analysis, as well as the development of an augmented public space index for comparative typological assessments of augmented public spaces.
Specialization: Urban Screen, Augmented Public Spaces, VR-Based Data Visualisation.
MA in Urban Design
University of Sheffield
Conducted fieldwork in Milan under the supervision of Beatrice de Carli as part of the Inclusive Design Group, focusing on social housing for immigrant communities to promote inclusive urban design.
Completed the thesis 'Careful Urban Regeneration' (fieldwork in Germany) under the supervision of Dr. Florian Kossak.
BA in Landscape Architecture
Soochow University
Key modules: Landscape Architecture Design, Psychology of Environment & Behaviour, Urban Landscape Ecology, Project Management, CAD, History of Chinese Landscapes.
Work Experience
Urban Designer/Urban Planner/Researcher
Shanghai Urban Planning and Design Research Institute
- Develop conceptual urban plans by receiving client briefings, conducting research and site visits, analysing the site, and discussing details within the team before the initial plan.
- Contributed to major urban planning and design projects focusing on industrial upgrading, urban renewal, and cultural heritage preservation.
- Integrated digital design strategies by employing GIS, API-based methodologies, and other data-driven tools to enhance urban planning processes.
- Collaborated with multidisciplinary teams to incorporate emerging digital technologies into planning practices and participated in research projects that informed strategic urban design decisions.
- Awarded several accolades for involvement in various high-profile and prestigious projects across China.
Publications
Challenging Surveillance Capitalism in Urban Public Spaces Through Gamified Spatial Practice Simulation with Virtual Reality: A Case Study of Piccadilly Circus
Machine Learning-driven Comparative Study: Morphological Taxonomy in Screen-Based Building Clusters
Skills & Proficiency
