Chair of Chinese studies and Director of Confucius Institutes for Scotland in the University of Edinburgh, Chair Professor in Asian Studies in the School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures, University of Edinburgh. She has studied and done research at Fudan University in Shanghai (1988-1990), Renmin University of China in Beijing (1995-1996) and the University of Tokyo (1997).Main research fields include: the processes of cultural exchanges between China and other cultures and nations in texts and media, modern literature and drama. Major Publications include: “1907, June 1: Global theatrical spectacle in Tokyo and Shanghai,” “From News to New Knowledge: Early Chinese Newspapers and Global Knowledge Transfer,” “Networks of communication in Early Chinese newspaper”.