Education

• Ph.D., Higher, Adult, and Lifelong Education, Michigan State University
• M.Ed., Higher Education Administration, Loyola University Chicago
• B.A., Journalism, Marquette University

Background

Christina W. Yao, Ph.D., is a qualitative researcher who studies undergraduate and graduate student engagement and learning in higher education. She operationalizes her research focus through three connected topical areas: international student mobility, scholar-practitioner preparation, and racial equity in education. Dr. Yao serves as a Co-PI for an NSF Racial Equity project titled, “Advancing Collaborations for Equity in Marine and Climate Sciences,” and as a workgroup co-lead for the Roundtable on Systemic Change on Undergraduate STEM Education through the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine. She is involved in several professional organizations, including Chair for the Council for International Higher Education (CIHE) for the Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE) and continued involvement with the Comparative and International Education Society (CIES). Dr. Yao also serves as an Associate Editor for the Journal of Higher Education and on the editorial board for several journals, including the Journal of Diversity in Higher Education and Journal of College Student Development. 

Selected Publications

Yao, C.W., Follmer Greenhoot, D., Mack, K., Myrick, C., Poolaw, J., Powell, L., & Yarger, L. (2023). Humanizing STEM education: An ecological systems framework for educating the whole student. Frontiers, 8,1-9. doi: 10.3389/feduc.2023.1175871

Yao, C.W. & George Mwangi, C.A. (2022). Yellow peril and cash cows: The social positioning of Asian international students in the United States. Higher Education, 84, 1027–1044.

Yao, C.W. (2022, November). Humanizing our work with globally mobile students. Trends & Insights. https://www.nafsa.org/professional-resources/browse-by-interest/humanizing-our-work-globally-mobile-students

Yao, C.W. (2021). Global positional competition and interest convergence: Student mobility as a commodity for U.S. academic imperialism. In J.J. Lee’s (Ed.), Critical International Higher Education and Power: How US Internationalization is Not Neutral. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press.

Yao, C.W. (2021, July 1). Who do we want to be as a global knowledge community? International Educator. https://www.nafsa.org/ie-magazine/2021/7/1/who-do-we-want-be-global-knowledge-community

George Mwangi, C.M., & Yao, C.W. (2020). U.S. higher education internationalization through an equity driven lens: An analysis of concepts, history, and research. In M. B. Paulsen & L. W. Perna (Eds) Higher Education: Handbook of Theory and Research (Vol. 35). New York: Springer.

Yao, C.W., George Mwangi, C.A., & Malaney Brown, V.K. (2019). Exploring the intersections of transnationalism and Critical Race Theory. Race, Ethnicity, and Education, 22(1), 38-58. https://doi.org/10.1080/13613324.2018.1497968

Selected Presentations

Yao, C.W. George Mwangi, C.A., Corso, A., & Harshe, G. (2023, November). Balancing Compliance and Student Support: The Multiple Roles of International Educators in the U.S. Paper session presented at the Association for the Study of Higher Education Annual Conference, Minneapolis, MN.

Yao, C.W., Hailu, M., Salto, D., Suspitsyna, T., Koo, K., Mitic, R.R., Coder, E., Laird, T.N., & Marine, S. (2023, November). Engaging the Purposes, Politics, and Practices in Global Dimensions of Higher Education. Presidential invited session at the Association for the Study of Higher Education Annual Conference, Minneapolis, MN.

Yao, C.W. (2023, April). The Reimagined Truths About International Students of Color's Racialized Experiences in the United States. Invited discussant for symposium presented at the American Educational Research Association Annual Conference, Chicago, IL.

Yao, C.W., Dou, J., Hall, K., Gause, S., Kim, S., Castiello, S., & Stein, S. (2022, April) Future Directions for Equity-Driven International Student Research in Post/Crisis Times. Symposium session presented at the American Educational Research Association Annual Conference, San Diego, CA. 

Research Areas of Expertise

• International higher education
• Racial equity in STEM education
• Student transitions and engagement in higher education
• Critical qualitative methods 

Special Awards

Grants:

• NSF Racial Equity Grant Awardee (Co-PI), September 2023
• NSF Planning Grant Awardee (Co-PI), April 2023
• Spencer Foundation Small Research Grants Program Awardee, April 2021

Awards: 

• Best Article Award, CIES Study Abroad & International Students SIG, March 2023
• Innovative Research in International Education Award (NAFSA: Association of International Educators), May 2022
• Faculty Mid-Career Award, Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education (NASPA), March 2022
• Excellence in International Research Award, Global Dimensions of Student Development, College Student Educators
• International (ACPA), March 2021 
• Best Article Award, CIES Study Abroad & International Students SIG, March 2020
• Loyola University Chicago School of Education Distinguished Alumni Award, November 2018