Dr Lois Liao is a Research Associate at the Department of Sociological Studies of the University of Sheffield, primarily working on the Rethinking Domestic Abuse in Child Protection (RDAC) project. Her research interest is in understanding intersectionality and mental health through the lens of economic sociology, especially in immigrant and elderly communities. She is also the co-PI of a British Academy-funded project researching discrimination in London’s private rental sector. Previously, she worked at the London School of Economics and gained her PhD from University College London. She has an MA in Psychoanalytic Studies (Birkbeck) and a BA in Mathematics (Cambridge). She has also done visiting research at LSE, Renmin University China, and University of São Paulo.
Outside academia, Lois is also keen in impact work in sociology and social policies. She has converted part of her PhD work on social housing into a website. In February 2024, she was a sociologist as part of a multidisciplinary mental health teaching project for teenagers and young adults in China. She is currently part of a project which aims to increase awareness of domestic violence activism and research amongst young Chinese population, collaborating with social workers and psychologists in the US and China.
Research interests
• Intersectionality and discrimination
• The implications of financialisaton and economy in subjectivity and everyday experience
• Mental health of marginalised groups