The CJMD is excited to welcome two visiting scholars from Japan this quarter, Mengyuan Fu and Kunhao Yang. Fu is a junior researcher in the faculty of political science and economics at Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan, where her research lies at the intersection of STS, science communication, and environmental issues, particularly in the knowledge co-production in new media. Yang is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Engineering at Yamaguchi University, Japan, where his research and teaching is focused on computational social science, with a particular interest in understanding human behavior patterns in cyberspace. We asked them each some questions about their research interests and their lives outside of work. To get better acquainted with the CJMD’s two newest additions, enjoy this brief Q&A.

Tell us a little more about your research interests, and what you are working on right now. 

Fu: My research interests lie at the intersection of STS, science communication, and environmental issues. I am currently working on the research project “Covid-19 and Society: Comparative Analysis of Risk Communication, Expertise, and Citizenship” and particularly exploring the editorial construction of experts’ voices and their roles in the media. During my time at the UW, I am interested in the topic of heatwaves and have a plan to conduct a comparative study across countries in collaboration with my UW colleagues.

Yang: My research primarily focuses on computational social science. I’m fascinated by how people interact online, so I’m currently studying collaboration, conflicts, and information sharing on platforms like Wikipedia and Reddit.

What led you to be interested in that subject?

Fu: Before my PhD program, I spent 7 years in the Department of Philosophy for B.A. and M.A. degrees. Although that experience did not make me a philosopher, the training did help me reflect more about the world where I am living. I am always curious about how we get to know those “invisible” things, such as environmental issues, and wonder about the gaps between what I actually feel and what I have been told. The pure curiosity led me to my current research.

Yang: As someone who sometimes finds personal interactions challenging, I became curious about how people communicate and understand each other online. This curiosity led me to computational social science. After I dived into this field a little bit, I also found it is intriguing that how data can help us understand and even predict human behavior that once seemed mysterious and unpredictable.

What do you like to do outside of work?

Fu: From my heart, I really want to have more time to go out, talk with people, and feel about nature, but the work makes me an indoor person. Sometimes I take a long walk, with no particular destination, to refresh my mind. Also, I draw and paint cute animal characters on postcards as a gift for family and friends.

Yang: While my work keeps me quite busy, I make time for staying fit at the gym and enjoy playing music games.

Tell us a bit more about where you are from.

Fu: I moved to Tokyo in 2020 for my PhD program and spent there about three years. Tokyo is the central city, which has everything good or bad you can imagine about Japan. The Shibuya Crossing panics me because of the huge crowds. It seems that the city would never go to sleep. In 2023, I moved to Ube with my family. Ube is a small city in Yamaguchi Prefecture. It is pretty quiet and comfortable. Sometimes my husband and I will take a walk in the night and there is no one on the street.

Yang: I actually grew up in Beijing, China, and attended university in Shanghai. In 2018, I moved to Tokyo, Japan for my doctoral studies. Since 2023, I’ve been living in Ube City, Yamaguchi Prefecture. It’s a small city surrounded by beautiful mountains and a scenic bay. While we have an airport near the city center, we don’t have a cinema – so catching a movie often means a flight to Tokyo!

Is there anything in particular you’re looking forward to doing or seeing in Seattle or the surrounding area while you’re here?

Fu: Everyone tells me about the beautiful views of the national parks in Seattle and I want to see them by myself. Sadly, I don’t have a car or a driving license. I am still trying to figure out the way to get there.

Yang: I’ve heard that the national parks around Seattle are stunning, so I’m hoping to get a chance to visit them.