1. Faculty of Social Sciences
  2. School of Sociology and Social Policy
  3. People
  4. Profile
Dr Yen Nee Wong

Dr Yen Nee Wong

Profile

I joined the School of Sociology and Social Policy in 2024. Before coming to Leeds, I was an ESRC SeNSS postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Kent and a research fellow in Edinburgh Napier University. I completed my doctorate in Sociology at the University of Surrey. Following my PhD, I held Criminology and Sociology lecturing positions in the University of Exeter and Royal Holloway, University of London. 

I sit on the editorial board for Sociological Research Online, and am an invited peer reviewer for journals including: Current Sociology; Ethnic and Racial Studies; International Journal of Qualitative Methods; International Journal of Sociology of Leisure; Journal of Homosexuality and Sport History Review.

Research interests

A queer feminist researcher working at the intersections of media and culture, gender, sexuality, sociology of the body, queer theory, sociology of dance, online harms and citizen attitudes towards AI technologies. 

I have published on issues including: representations of gender and sexuality in popular culture, LGBT+ identities and leisure, embodiment and AI-driven media personalisation. Based on research funding by the ESRC, my monograph Equality Dancesport: Gender and Sexual Identities Matter was published by Routledge in 2024. A particular focus of my work is how LGBT+ identities influence leisure pursuits and media representations of LGBT+ dancers on reality TV. 

I have worked on a range of research projects, including: ‘3PO: Protecting public-facing professionals and their dependents online’ (EPSRC); ‘Citizens’ councils on data-driven media personalisation’ (AI4ME). My key interests in these projects pertain to digital sociology, online harms and algorithmic discrimination.

<h4>Research projects</h4> <p>Some research projects I'm currently working on, or have worked on, will be listed below. Our list of all <a href="https://essl.leeds.ac.uk/dir/research-projects">research projects</a> allows you to view and search the full list of projects in the faculty.</p>

Qualifications

  • PhD in Sociology
  • MPhil in Gender
  • MA Urban Design and Development
  • BA Psychology
  • BA Architectural Studies

Professional memberships

  • Higher Education Academy (Fellow)
  • British Sociological Association
  • European Communication Research and Education Association
  • Scottish Institute for Policing Research

Student education

I teach on several modules across the school at undergraduate and postgraduate levels on topics including:

  • the sociology of gender
  • the sociology of body
  • gender, the media and popular culture
  • research methods (qualitative)

Research groups and institutes

  • Centre for Interdisciplinary Gender Studies
<h4>Postgraduate research opportunities</h4> <p>The school welcomes enquiries from motivated and qualified applicants from all around the world who are interested in PhD study. Our <a href="https://phd.leeds.ac.uk">research opportunities</a> allow you to search for projects and scholarships.</p>