Meet Dr. Winnie Yanjing Wu

1. What are you currently working on?

I am currently a lecturer at Hong Kong Metropolitan University. This semester, I have fewer teaching duties, so I am focusing on developing my research such as writing journal articles, attending overseas conferences, and developing research proposals.

2. Could you briefly introduce your academic background prior to studying at AF, and explain why you chose to pursue a PhD at AF?

I studied at the University of Toronto for my bachelor's degree in Visual Studies and at Toronto Metropolitan University for my MFA in Documentary Media. Before I came to HKBU, I returned to China and worked in Beijing Normal - Hong Kong Baptist University as a full-time teaching assistant and instructor. It was a natural decision to further advance my teaching career by getting a PhD degree, and AF has a wonderful faculty. Very fortunately, I got the offer to study at AF's RPG program very soon after I applied. I didn't apply for any other schools or programs, so I always think of it as meant to be!

3. What experiences during your time at AF do you cherish the most?

I very much cherish my relationship with the faculty members. My academic advisors Prof Ellen Seiter and Prof Dorothy Lau, have given me enormous help during my studies and have been very supportive when I decided to work before the completion of my PhD. Prof Hong Zeng, Prof Wei Jiang, Prof. Kenny Ng, Prof Shindong Kim and Ms. Monna have also been generously offering their advice, opporunities and guidance even after I graduated. It is a treasurable gift that the faculty could support students wholeheartedly like friends and family, and I will never take such kindness and bonding for granted. 

4. How did you plan and develop your career?

For me, it is important to plan ahead and pay attention to the job market as early as possible. I started to look for and ask about jobs very early, instead of waiting until the end of my PhD. There is a saying that I heard since my undergrad, "the industry won't find you, you need to go for them."

Graduate students may find that many people started as teaching assistants, giving guest lectures, teaching one to two courses and then eventually full-time teaching. The next challenge is one has to balance how much time they devote to teaching and how much they can dedicate to research. I think after two years, I am gradually better at maintaining quality teaching and also being able to write papers and proposals.

5. What advice would you give to future PhD students who plan to study at AF?

It is important to work very, very hard! And it is worth the hard work. Most importantly, just enjoy the intellectual journey and build meaningful connections with the great people around you.