About
Dr Wang is an academic entrepreneur. She is the founder of Network Media, a research-based media consulting organization. She is the technical expert on Media, Communication and Marketing for The 2023 Aspen Institute Digital Accelerator Program. She was a South African National Research Foundation granter holder from 2021-2022, during that period, she was the only Asian recipient awarded the Joint Research Funding by Cape Higher Education Consortium (CHEC) / Western Cape Government (WCG) for her research proposal on digital economy in South Africa.
Dr Wang earned her doctoral degree from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, and was the Wallis Annenberg Chair Fellow in Communication, Technology, and Society for two years. Previously, she studied at Boston University and the University of California, Los Angeles. She was also a visiting researcher to Media Law and Policy program at the University of Oxford and the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
Dr Wang’s research and expertise are in the intersection of media and communication studies, development studies, entrepreneurship and innovation. Two overarching themes in her current research projects are economic development and social advancement. Her Shenzhen work and study of Africa and Southeast Asia’s digital economy belong to the first theme, economic development, while her migration and cultural analysis contribute to the understanding of social advancement. Media, including media industries and media platforms serve as her research contexts.
Dr. Wang is adept at converting academic languages to the general publics. She has been gaining a prominent international reputation in the intersectionality of globalization, policy and development, and digital economy. She was recently invited by CGTN Radio program, the China – Africa Talk to comment on the new Chinese foreign minister’s visit to Africa and the possible cooperation in the future. She was invited by the CGTN America to talk about China and Africa in the TV show, The Heat. She was also invited by The China-Global South Project (in partnership with LSE IDEAS) to a podcast interview to discuss what South Africa can learn from China’s Silicon Valley, Shenzhen regarding economic development and technological innovation.
Expertise
Global South, Digital economy (with a focus on Africa and Asia), Development and policy, Technology and innovation, Creative culture, Digital storytelling