International scholar brings sociology expertise to SCU
Di will engage students through courses on “Diversity in Organizations and Societies,” and “Race and Inequality,” among others
By Ally O'Connor '20
Bringing her international skillset to Santa Clara University’s Sociology Department, Assistant Professor Di Di is an exciting new addition to the College of Arts and Sciences’ teaching faculty.
After receiving her Bachelor in Law at Tongji University in Shanghai, China, and Master of Arts in Sociology from Rice University in Houston, Texas, Di recently received her Ph.D in the Department of Sociology at Rice University where she published nine peer-reviewed articles and co-authored a book, which is forthcoming from Oxford University Press.
With a focus on “the intersection of religion, gender, immigration, and science, especially from a transnational comparative perspective,” Di’s research has explored a number of issues on an international scale. She has “compared Buddhist temples in mainland China and the U.S., analyzed physicists' research ethics in mainland China, the U.S., and the U.K., and examined scientists' religiosity in eight different countries/regions.”
When asked about her research styles, Di says that she has “conducted ethnographic and interview-based studies to understand the society from people’s narratives and behaviors. I have also conducted survey-based quantitative research to obtain the broad picture of the operation of the society.”
While searching for a teaching position, Di was attracted to SCU for its “emphasis on being a teacher-scholar, its connection with the Silicon Valley, and the high-quality scholarship and teaching that faculties in the department are pursuing.”
In her new role as assistant professor this year, Di will teach courses titled “Survey Research and Statistical Analysis,” “Immigrant Social Entrepreneurship,” “Diversity in Organizations and Societies,” and “Race and Inequality," all while pursuing research “that focuses on immigrants, especially immigrants in high-tech companies here at SCU.”
As the academic year begins, Di shares that she is “so excited to be learning together with the very talented and engaged undergraduate students at SCU through research, teaching, and mentoring.”