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Sociology Research

 

Yiyun Bai is a PhD student in the Department of Sociology at the University of Cambridge, where she previously completed her MPhil in Sociology of Media and Culture. She also holds an MSc in Media and Communications from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE).

Her doctoral research takes an intersectional approach to examining transnational assisted reproduction among Chinese single women and lesbian couples, with particular attention to the racialised dynamics shaping gamete donor selection. Methodologically, she works as a qualitative researcher employing multi-sited ethnography, with an interest in art-based and creative methods.

Alongside her research, Yiyun served as PhD Student Representative for the 2024/25 academic year in the Department of Sociology and currently sits on the Early Career Researchers (ECR) Committee at Cambridge Reproduction. Before joining Cambridge, she worked as International Affairs Officer at Peking University and has been actively involved in anti-racism and public engagement initiatives.

Research Interests

Sociology of Reproduction; Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ARTs); Gender and Sexuality; ‘Race’ and Racism; Digital Sociology; Feminist science and technology studies; Art-based Research Methods.

Research Projects

‘Things No One Tells You about Childbirth’: Witnessing Childbirth Counternarratives on Chinese Social Media (2022-2023)

An Intersectional Study of Chinese Women’s Transnational Reproduction and the Making of Assisted Hun-Xue-Er (2024-2028)

Reproductive Infrastructures of (Dis)connection: The Making of Transnational Fertility Pathways across Asia/Eurasia (2026)

Westernised Daughters, Mixed-Race Futures: Lesbian Reproduction and Anti-gender Populism in China (2026)

Research Groups & Affiliations

Awards

Queens' College Student Support Fund (2024)

Job Title:
An Intersectional Study of Chinese Women’s Transnational Reproduction and the Making of Assisted Hun-Xue-Er, Supervisor: Prof Mónica Moreno Figueroa
Contact Information: