I am a postdoctoral fellow at the Graduate School of Social Work, University of Denver. I graduated with a Ph.D. in social welfare from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Luskin School of Public Affairs under the National University of Singapore (NUS)-Overseas Graduate Scholarship. I previously graduated as valedictorian of the class of 2017 with a Master in Public Policy from the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, NUS.

Having worked in social work and non-profit settings with young people from low-income backgrounds, my overarching research goal is to improve the positive development and well-being of under-served adolescents, youth, and emerging adults who face disadvantages and marginalisation. By examining structural factors and contextual processes, my work reinforces the notion that collective systems – not individual identities – determine systemic inequities. My interest in youth development and well-being has led to two research trajectories centred on familial and community contexts. I also explore how families and communities use institutional supports and examine the factors and processes perpetuating poverty and inequality.
 

I am working on three primary projects right now (as of September 2022):​

I now run socialservice.sg, a website, podcast, and newsletter (tinyletter.com/socialservicesg) dedicated to social service research, practice, and policies in Singapore.

I had a personal socio-political blog (July 2009 to July 2019) which is now archived (guanyinmiao.wordpress.com). I previously also wrote for three now-defunct sites: the “Breakfast Network” in 2013 and “The Middle Ground” from 2015 to 2016 as well as “SALT”, an online publication by the National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre in 2014.

These archived posts best represent who I am as a blogger (at my best and worst):