SIYING WU
PhD researcher in migration and mobilities
University of Edinburgh
About ME
Hi! My name is Siying Wu. I am a PhD researcher in Human Geography at University of Edinburgh. Broadly, I am interested in the lived experiences and politics of migration and mobilities across different scales from the everyday to the transnational. My thinking and writing are deeply shaped by feminist, post-colonial and decolonial thought.I am also an Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, with extensive teaching experiences in theory, methoodlogy and fieldwork. Outside academia, I have years of experience teaching English to non-native speakers.As a Global Majority scholar, I am committed to co-creating spaces with and for marginalised communities in academia—spaces that are supportive, generative, and joyfully defiant. I am one of the co-leads of the InFrame Cultural Catalyst Fund project “Found Families in Academia”.I go to poetry to be reminded of life. When I feel especially alive you can find me performing at spoken words events.
WORK
I have published independent and collaborative work on peer-reviewed journals such as Annals of the American Association of Geographers, Urban Geography, Social and Cultural Geography, Mobilities, Eurasian Geography and Economics.I have also co-authored an academic monograph (published by Taylor & Francis) which documents the everyday lives of migrant workers in China.Currently I am completing my PhD project which investigates the afterlives of racialised state violence, focusing specifically on the forced deportation of Chinese seamen in post-war Liverpool. I am also conducting collaborative research with an inspiring group of colleagues on the lived experiences of Women of Colour researchers in Western insitutions.
Publications
Maya Angelou describes poetry as the "starch" we put in our backbone so that "you can stand, so that you can compose your life". That is what poetry is to me.I am particurly passionate in spoken word poetry as I believe poetry finds its life in becoming a shared experience. My poetry has been published on Art Riot Press, Till Debt Do Us Part (book), Storytree Zine, and a self-published zine Grandma's Kitchen (collaboration with artist Sarah Kline) as part of the Queer Asian Diapora exhibition (2026, Edinburgh).
Contact ME
Don't hesitate to get in touch!
[email protected]