✨ Why this page?
I built this page to record and reflect on my academic (and sometimes personal) journey. It is not meant to be a competition with others, but it’s a reminder to myself that every step and experience matters. At the same time, I hope it also offers a glimpse into my work and interests for those who may be curious.
👋 About me
Hi there! I’m Yuemiao, a PhD candidate in Education at the University of Edinburgh, exploring (Global) Citizenship Education in Model United Nations (MUN). My journey with MUN started in secondary school - I’ve been a delegate, and now an organiser-teacher-researcher.
I’m interested in citizenship education, global/international education, and qualitative approaches. My master’s dissertation looked at MUN in Scotland and the Curriculum for Excellence, through a placement at United Nations House Scotland (UNHS). I’ve since stayed involved with UNHS, helping to bring MUN into more primary and secondary schools so that these opportunities reach students who may previously have had limited exposure to extracurricular programmes like MUN.
Across all these, my concern is how educational initiatives intersect with broader questions of inclusion and participation, which is a thread tying all my work, research, education and personal life.
📖 Education
- 2021 - 2025 (now), PhD in Education, University of Edinburgh.
- 2018 - 2019, MSc in Education (Comparative Education and International Development), University of Edinburgh.
- 2014 - 2018, University of International Business and Economics, Beijing
- BA in Translation and Interpretation
- BEcon in Finance
💻 Research Experience
-
2021 - 2025, PhD Thesis: (Global) Citizenship Education Embedded in Model United Nations Activities - An Ethnographic Case Study of a Secondary School in China
- 2024 - 2025, Research Assistant, College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences (CAHSS) Research Office
- Conducting literature searches based on pre-defined parameters
- Writing literature reviews/summaries
- Gathering and documenting evidence of research impact, particularly in relation to policy and public engagement
- Mapping and identifying research impact pathways
- Reviewing and cataloguing archival materials
- Cleaning and formatting datasets for publication in appropriate data repositories
- Preparing notes and reports for knowledge exchange/dissemination activities
- Contributing to the development of public engagement and collaboration plans
- 2018 - 2019, Master’s Dissertation: Implementing Model United Nations into Curriculum for Excellence
👩🏻🏫 Teaching Experience
- 2023 - 2025 (now), Postgradutate Teaching Assistant, Edinburgh Futures Institute, UoE
- Knowledge Integration and Project Planning (MSc Education Futures)
- Culture, Heritage and Learning Futures
- Future of Learning Organisations
- Future Food Systems
- Coloniality of Data
- 2023 - 2024, Postgraduate Tutor, Moray House School of Education and Sport, UoE
- The Anthropology of Education and Learning
- Master’s dissertations
- 2020 - 2021, English as a Second Language (ESL) Teacher for IELTS
🔖 Other Professional and Administrative Experience
- 2021 - 2025 (now), Coordinator of Model United Nations Team, United Nations House Scotland
- Organised Model UN conferences for primary and secondary school students in Scotland, in Jun 2021, Jun 2022, Jun 2024, Feb 2025, Sep 2025
- Moderated Model UN workshops for teachers and students, in May 2022, Nov 2022, Nov 2023, May 2024
- Supported the establishment of MUN clubs in various schools in/around Edinburgh
- 2022 - 2024, Associate Officers for Student Engagement (formerly Postgraduate Research Student representative), Scottish Graduate School of Social Sciences (SGSSS)
- Organised annual student-led symposium
- Developed a wellbeing toolkit for PGRs
- 2022.03 - 2022.07, Building Communities PhD Intern, UoE
💬 Presentations
Conferences
- 2025.09, ‘Writing as a reflexive practice across boundaries’
British Association of International and Comparative Education (BAICE) ECR Conference, online - 2025.09, ‘Addressing the Implementation of UN SDGs from Active Civil Society Engagement’
The Scotland Forum 2025, Edinburgh
Speaking on behalf of Dr Gari Donn, Executive Director of UNHS - 2025.06, ‘Student perspectives of Model United Nations (MUN) in relation to Global Citizenship Education (GCE)’
Academic Network of Global Education and Learning (ANGEL) Conference, Berlin - 2024.11, ‘(Global) Citizenship Education in Model United Nations’
Scottish Education Research Association (SERA) Conference, Dundee - 2024.09, ‘Exploring discourses of citizenship through ways of participation in Model UN activities’
British Education Research Association (BERA) Conference, Manchester - 2023.08, ‘Global Citizenship Education Embedded in Model United Nations (MUN) activities – A Case Study of a Chinese Secondary School’
BAICE Early Career Researchers Conference, online - 2023.04, ‘Global Citizenship Education Embedded in Model UNs: How Does It Work in China?’
New voices in global education & learning seminar by ANGEL (Academic Network of Global Education and Learning), online - 2023.02, ‘Citizenship Education in Model United Nations: Does It Work in China?’ (poster)
Comparative and International Education Society (CIES) Conference, online - 2022.09, ‘Implementing Model United Nations into local contexts: different conceptualisation of Global Citizenship Education’
British Association of International and Comparative Education (BAICE) Conference, Edinburgh - 2022.07, ‘Global Citizenship Education in Model United Nations: Does it work in China?’
The 10th European Conference on Education (ECE), London - 2022.06, ‘Do Model United Nations work in China? Looking at Global Citizenship Education from the perspective of Tianxia (天下)’
British Postgraduates in Chinese Studies (BPCS) Annual Conference, Oxford
Seminars, invited talks, and workshops
- 2025.06, Final Panel: Reflections & Importance of Research for Policy (video)
Academic Network of Global Education and Learning (ANGEL) Conference, Berlin - 2024.10, Promoting Model United Nations in universities and schools (slides)
United Nations Association Northern Ireland, Belfast - 2024.06, Prepatory workshop for MUN Conference
Aimed at Scottish students; organised by UNHS, Edinburgh - 2024.02, Global Citizenship Education embedded in Model United Nations (MUN) activities
British Postgraduate Network of Chinese Studies (BPCS) Fellowship Seminar, online - 2023.11, What I wish I knew – perspectives from current PhD students
Scottish Graduate School of Social Science (SGSSS) Induction, Stirling - 2023.10, Researchers Realities Q&A
Part of the Getting Started with PGR Degree course; organised by Institute for Academic Development UoE, online - 2022.11, Educational benefits of Model United Nations
Aimed at Scottish teachers; organised by UNHS, online - 2022.05, Working with supervisors on MSc Dissertation – Alumni perspectives
Practice worth sharing sessions; organised by MHSES, online
🎖 Qualifications, Awards and Grants
- 2025.04, Hybrid Teaching Assistant Edinburgh Award
- 2024.11, ‘Towards Publication - a research writing support programme for staff and PGRs at Social Justice and Inclusion (SJI) Hub’, funded by Student Partnership Agreement
- 2024.06, Associate Fellowship of Advance HE
- 2024.01, ‘Expanding Model United Nations for Scottish Schools’, funded by Foundation Scotland
- 2023.10, British Postgraduate Network for Chinese Studies PGR fellowship
- 2023.03, Tweedie Research Fellowship
- 2022.06, Digital Skills Specialist Edinburgh Award
- 2018, Outstanding Graduate of Beijing, awarded by Ministry of Education of China
- 2016, Overseas exchange programme to Canada, funded by China Scholarship Council
- 2016, China National Scholarship