I started work as a research fellow at the Centre for Census and Survey Research (CCSR) of the University in 2000. Prior to this, I had worked as a research fellow at Edinburgh University. In 2003, I went to Birmingham University but returned in 2007 in the Institute for Social Change (ISC). Since the merger of CCSR and ISC into the Cathie Marsh Institute of Social Research (CMI) in 2014, I have been working in both the Department of Sociology and the CMI.

I had worked as a lecturer at Foreign Languages Department of Fudan University in China before coming to Oxford University on a Swires Scholarship (funded by John Swires and Sons) for which I am eternally grateful. I first did an MPhil at St Antony's College, and then a DPhil at Nuffield College, both in Sociology under the supervision of Professor John H. Goldthorpe, with Professor Anthony Heath as my college advisor, the two scholars I always hold with greatest admiration and respect. My research focuses on social mobility and social stratification, ethnic integration, and social capital (civic life and charitable giving), with particular regard to class, education, labour market position, income and earnings, formal and informal social engagement, and absolute and relative giving. I welcome PhD students in these areas. I have conducted many projects funded by research councils in Britain and other countries. My publications have appeared as papers in major international sociology journals, book chapters and official reports. 

I was a founding member of Social Inclusion and was a board member of Sociology. I am on the Editorial Boards of Research in Social Stratification and Mobility and Chinese Sociological Review. For many years I have served as a member of the ESRC Peer Review College. I am a frequent reviewer for research councils of many countries and regions. I was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA) in 2016 for my ‘leading contributions to knowledge in social stratification, social change and ethnic integration’. I was recognised as a Top 0.5% Scholar in the world by ScholarGPS in 2024 for my 'strong publication record, the impact of my work, and the notable quality of my scholarly contributions'. And I was awarded an OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) for my 'services to the Advancement of Knowledge in Social Mobility and to Ethnic Integration' in the New Year Honours List 2025, with the investiture taking place on 26th June 2025.

Additional Information

Supervision areas:
 
I supervise PhD theses on social mobility and social stratification, social capital, education, labour market positions, ethnic integration and comparative studies, especially between Britain and China.
 
Current PhD Students:

• Wenxi Tang 2022-2025, 'Meritocracy in China: theory and evidence’, main supervisor, with Arkadiusz Wisniowski as co-supervisor, self-funded.

• Yu Feng, 2022-2025, ‘The Insecurity and Anxiety of the New Middle Class in China’, co-supervisor, with Hilary Pilkington as main supervisor, self-funded.

• Ziyu Zeng, 2025-2028, 'The Social Mobility of Ethnic Minority Groups in China', main supervisor, with Andy Miles as co-supervisor, self-funded.

Current teaching:
I teach a PGT course in Sociology on Social Capital and Social Change, and a undergraduate course in Sociology on Social Change in China. 
 
Former PhD students:

• Yunghan Chang, 'Family Transformation and Women's Labour Market Participation in Taiwan', self funded. Main supervisor with Angela Dale as co-supervisor (2010).
• Jianxun Kong, 'Social capital and social distance in China', funded by the Ford Foundation. Main supervisor with Fiona Devine as co-supervisor (2011). Currently working at Yunnan University, Kunming, China.
• Meng Chen, 'Social mobility in China', funded by Manchester University, Main supervisor, with Laural Morales as co-supervisor (2012). Currently working at Shanghai University, Shanghai, China.
• Kyung-A Kim, 'Family origin, educational attainment and class destination of men and women in Korea', self funded. Main supervisor with David Cutts and Anna Zimdars as co-supervisors (2013).
• Steffanie Dobler, 'Religion and Civic Values in Europe. A Multilevel Analysis of 48 countries', funded by the North American Foundation for the University of Manchester (NAFUM). Co-supervisor, with Ed Fieldhous as main supervisor (2013). Currently working at Lancaster University.
• Mary Mollie Bourne, 'Class, culture and ethnicity: educational attainment in England', funded by the ESRC, Main supervisor, with Ian Plewis as co-supervisor. (2015)
• Yinxuan Huang, 'Rebuilding the egalitarian society: development and lessons in the third sector in China', funded by ORS/School. Main supervisor, with Anthony Heath as co-supervisor. (2016)
• Min Zhang. 'Ethnic social mobility in Britain', ISC studentship. Main supervisor with Anthony Heath as co-supervisor. (2018), currently working at Westminster University.
• Alejandro Seville. 'Class and educational transition in Chile'. Chilean Government Scholarship. Main supervisor, with Anthony Heath and Tarani Chandola as co-supervisors. (2018)
• Yizhang Zhao. 'Happiness in China'. The Samuel Chan scholarship (1+3). Main supervisor, with Anthony Heath and Nick Shryane as co-supervisors. (2018). Currently working at Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.
• Javier Castillo, 'Ethinity, skin colour and social stratification in Latin America', funded by Chillian Government, main supervisor, with Professor Anthony Heath as co-supervisor till 2019 and then from 2019 with Dr Nick Shryane as co-supervisor (2022).
• Aaron Hsu. 'The Social Integration of Migrant Peasant Workers in Mainland China', funded by Ministry of Education, Taiwan. Main supervisor, with Anthony Heath and Nan Zhang as co-supervisors (2022). 
• Sijia Du, 'Social capital and labour market position in China', main supervisor, with Dr Nan Zhang and Professor Wendy Olsen as co-supervisors, funded by University of Manchester (2022). Currently working at Nankai University, Tienjin, China.
• Zhuofei Lu, 2021-2024, 'Flexible work arrangements and mental health in the UK', co-supervisor with Professor Wendy Olsen, self-funded. Currently working at Oxford University.
• Xiyuan Liu, 2020-2023, ‘Education Subsidy, Urban-rural Division, and Migrant Students in China’, main supervisor, with Andy Miles as co-supervisor, funded by the China Scholarship Council and the University of Manchester. Working as Lecturer at the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing.
• Lin Ding, 2020-2024, ‘Gender and Class Differences in Creative Development —A Study of Social Reproduction of Creativity in England’, main supervisor, with Andy Miles as co-supervisor, self-funding. Currently working as a civil servant in the Chinese Government in Hunan Province.
•  

Visiting PhD students:

• Yufei Hao, from Xi'an Jiaotong University, China. Main supervisor (2012-2013), supervisor.
• Ana Safranoff, from Pompeu Fabra University of Spain (2013), supervisor.
• Zhuqing Duan, from Xi'an Jiaotong University, China (Sept 2019 - August 2020)

Visiting scholars:

• Professor Shun Zhang, from Xi'an Jiaotong University, China. Mentor (2012-2013), mentor.
• Professor Fang Li, from Zhejiang University of Science and Technolodgy, China (2014-2015), mentor.
• Professor Yali Xue, from Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, China (2017-2018), mentor.
• Professor Mei Tong, from Xi'an Jiaotong University, (2019-2020).

Research areas

• Social mobility and social stratification
• Social capital, generosity and wellbeing
• Ethnic integration
• International comparison

Research projects

• From Fareej to Metropolis: social capital in Qatar,QNRF (NPRP7-186-5-021), CI, 2014-16.

• Social cohesion for the elderly migrant workers in China, China Social Science Foundation (14BRK008), CI, 2014-17.

• Religion and poverty, JRF (120901AN), CI, 2014.

• Unity out of diversity? Immigrant adaptations in Britain, ESRC (ES/K009206/1), Mentor for Laurence Lessard-Phillips (PI), 2013-16.

• Happiness in China, the Samuel Chan alumni project, 2013-17.

• Understanding changes in ethnic relations, ESRC Research Centre on Dynamics of Ethnicity (CoDE) (ES/J020036/1), Co-PI with Nazroo et al. 2013-17.

• Social network and subjective wellbeing in comparative context, Australian Research Council (DP 130100690), Partner Investigator, with Western, Huang and Bian, 2013-16.

• The Flow of Soul: the socio-economic foundations of generosity in Britain, The University of Notre Dame and the John Templeton Foundations of the USA, The Science of Generosity Programme (Prime Grant No. 14229), PI, 2010-12.

• Social mobility and social capital in China and Britain, ESRC (ES/I035168/1) and NSFC (71010090), PI, 2011-13.

• Social stratification and social harmony, NSFC, Co-PI with Bian et al, 2012-16.

• The Social Complexity of Immigration and Diversity (SCID), EPSRC large grant (EP/H02171X/1), Co-PI with Fieldhouse et al, 2010-15.

• Constructing a measure of race equality, DWP, Co-PI with Heath, 2010.

• Civic life in Britain, EHRC, Co-PI with E Fieldhouse et al, 2010.

• Inequalities in education, employment and earnings, EHRC, PI, with Devine and Heath, 2008.

• Measuring the size of employer contribution to ethnic minority employment gap, NEP, Co-PI with Heath, 2007.

• Researching ethnic minority entrepreneurship, ESRC/DTI/CRE/EMD, PI, 2006.

• The socio-economic position of the minority ethnic groups in Britain (1971-2004), ESRC (RES-163-25-0003), PI, with Heath, 2006.

• The unorganised worker, DTI, Co-PI with Pollert, 2004.

• Developing census data for academic and policy research, BA, Co-PI with Fieldhouse, 2004.

• Social capital: developing a measure and assessing its value in social research, ESRC (R000223671), PI, with Savage and Pickles, 2003.

• The housing and socio-economic circumstances of minority ethnic people in Wales, PI, with Purdam, NAW, 2002.