Research Students

Current Master's Students

Benjamin Harris

M.Soc.Sci (Sociology)

e0418221@u.nus.edu

Research Interest:
Anthropology of the Senses, Sound Studies, Phenomenology, Social Activism in Southeast Asia, Critical Theory

Chek, Jamie (Yun Ning)

M.Soc.Sci (Sociology)

jaime.chek@u.nus.edu

Research Interest:
Sociology of Deviance, Criminal Justice Systems, the Sociology of Law, Social Capital, the Sociology of Education, and Urban Sociology

Kawai Mirei

M.Soc.Sci (Sociology)

mirei.kawai@u.nus.edu

Research Interest:
Labor Economics, Social Demography, Fertility, Sociology of Family, the Life Course and Aging, East Asia, Southeast Asia

Khaw Mei Shan Nicole Alethea

M.Soc.Sci (Sociology)

nicole.alethea99@gmail.com

Research Interest:
Body & senses; Sports; Gender & Sexuality; Medical Anthropology; Ethnography

Lew Fiona

M.Soc.Sci (Sociology)

fionalew@u.nus.edu

Research Interest:
Sociology of Family, Children, and Parenting

Liu Yihan

M.Soc.Sci (Sociology)

ll_ll@u.nus.edu

Research Interest:
Gerontology, population studies, caregiving, minor ethnicity and religion in China (exploring)

Nah Mei Chu Samantha Rachel

M.Soc.Sci (Sociology)

samantharachelnah@u.nus.edu

Research Interest:
Human-Animal Relations, Urban Sociology, Ethnography

Ng Wan Ying Gwendaline

M.Soc.Sci (Sociology)

gwendaline.ng@u.nus.edu 

Research Interest:
Political Sociology, Political Economy, Social Movements

Ng Zu Xiang

M.Soc.Sci (Sociology)

zuxiangng@u.nus.edu

Research Interest:
Discretionary accountability among energy experts in Singapore

Nur Munira Binte Gailani

M.Soc.Sci (Sociology)

n.munira@nus.edu.sg

Research Interest:
Criminology, desistance, criminalised women, qualitative methods

Nur Sabrina Binte Abu Bakar

M.Soc.Sci (Sociology)

sabrina1@nus.edu.sg

Research Interest:
Gender, Power and Social Inequalities

Syed Ubaydillah Alatas

M.Soc.Sci (Sociology)

alatas.su@u.nus.edu

Research Interest:
Sexuality, intimacy, gender, religion, migration, social inequality

Wang Liurong

M.Soc.Sci (Sociology)

e0564297@u.nus.edu 

Research Interest:
AI & Education, Future & Uncertainties, Affect Theory (Educational Desires), Autonomous Knowledge Production

Yap Yi Yang

M.Soc.Sci (Sociology)

e0726376@u.nus.edu

Research Interest:
Critical Theory, Neoliberalism, Financialization, STS

Yu Jia Jia

M.Soc.Sci (Sociology)

yujiajia@u.nus.edu

Research Interest:
Poverty, Power and Discourse, Infrastructure, Sociology of Care, Ethnography

Zhang Qianyu (Bella)

M.Soc.Sci (Sociology)

zhang_q@u.nus.edu

Research Interest:
Family, Work, Division of Labor, Marriage, Childbearing, Gender, Quantitative Studies

Zhou Jimin

M.Soc.Sci (Sociology)

e1583386@u.nus.edu

Research Interest:
Migrant Women and Gendered Labor in Beauty Industry

Recent Master's Graduates

gaoding

Gao Ding

M.Soc.Sci (Sociology)

Research Interest:
Queer studies/theory, Political economy, Ethnography, Visual methods

Gao Ding

Gao Ding graduated with a Masters of Social Sciences in 2025, in which their project explored the entanglements of queerness and property relations in Singapore's public housing system. Ding is currently a PhD candidate at the University of Sydney, Department of Gender and Cultural Studies. Their current project examines the processes of waged and unwaged labour required by transgender Singaporeans in order to transition, and the effects that it has on the physical body. The common threads in their research involve queer and trans theory, critical political economy, as well as the deployment of participatory methods. Ding's research has been published in the Journal of Gender Studies, Visual Studies, The International Journal of Housing Policy, and the Journal of Creative Research Methods. 

Ding is also an award-winning artist, and their artworks have been exhibited in Sydney, Bangkok, and Singapore; and was shortlisted by the UK's National Portrait Gallery. Otherwise, Ding is also a DEI consultant, and has worked with multi-national corporations in Asia-Pacific and beyond on issues such as workplace LGBTQ+, disability, and gender inclusion.

Read More
BryanDP

Tan Yu Juin, Bryan

M.Soc.Sci (Sociology)

Research Interest:
Ageing, Health, Life Course

Bryan Tan

Research Interest: Ageing, Health, Life Course

Bryan Tan graduated with a Master of Social Sciences in 2026 under the supervision of Professor Feng Qiushi. Parts of his thesis, titled “Theories in the Hands of the Everyday: Lay Perceptions of Ageing Well in Singapore”, have since been published in Work, Aging and Retirement and presented at the European Population Conference 2026 and the British Society of Gerontology Annual Conference 2026. He will begin a DPhil in the Department of Sociology, University of Oxford, as a Jardine Scholar in 2026, where he will expand his research to examine how older adults' ageing ideals relate to their time use across national contexts.

Read More
?????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

Yansunan Chen

M.Soc.Sci (Sociology)

Research Interest:
Housing inequality; urban studies; gender; ethnic networks; international student studies

Yansunan Chen

Yansunan Chen completed her Master of Social Sciences in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at the National University of Singapore in 2025. Her thesis, titled “‘Neither Here nor There’: International Student Housing Experiences in Toronto”, examined the housing experiences of Chinese and Indian international students through the lens of neoliberalism, migration, inequality, and urban sociology under the supervision of Vincent Chua. Following graduation, she has pursued a professional career in the international development sector. She is currently with the Environment, Climate and Gender Division at the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) in the Asia-Pacific region. Prior to this, she worked at the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Bangkok, Thailand, supporting evaluation processes, data analysis, and knowledge management initiatives. Her professional interests include migration, gender and social inclusion, and the use of research evidence to support sustainable development interventions.

Read More