YU Shi
- Position: Lecturer in Psychology with Education
- Areas of expertise: psychological wellness; educational psychology; positive psychology; self-determination theory
- Email: S.Yu@leeds.ac.uk
- Website: Googlescholar
Research interests
I am Dr. YU Shi, a Lecturer in Psychology with Education. My core research focuses on 'living well' and human flourishing, particularly for youths in educational and developmental settings. This work is deeply rooted in the established paradigms of Self-Determination Theory (SDT) and Positive Psychology (PP), where I investigate basic psychological needs—with a particular focus on autonomy and volition—as the fundamental drivers of optimal functioning, while exploring core well-being themes such as meaning in life and psychological growth. Building directly upon this rich theoretical foundation, my research has recently extended into two interdisciplinary frontiers. First, I am integrating a complex systems approach to capture how these psychological needs and wellness indicators operate as a multilevel, adaptive, and dynamic system, moving beyond traditional linear 'X-Y' models to better map the complexities of human experience. Second, I am extending this accumulated wisdom into the era of Artificial Intelligence, seeking to ensure that our understanding of psychological wellness guides education and human development as AI continues to reshape society.
My academic work is supported by a consistent record of peer-reviewed and highly cited publications. This includes first and solo-authored research in prominent journals such as Perspectives on Psychological Science, Educational Psychology Review, Review of General Psychology, Contemporary Educational Psychology, Journal of Personality, Journal of Happiness Studies, the Journal of Positive Psychology, Learning and Individual Differences, Journal of Vocational Behavior, and Metacognition and Learning. Currently, I serve as a Co-Editor for the Journal of Happiness Studies, a flagship publication for well-being research. I specialize in advanced quantitative methodologies, utilizing diverse techniques such as multilevel modeling, structural equation modeling (SEM), mixture modeling, and network analysis to investigate complex psychological phenomena. Furthermore, my research maintains a strong cross-cultural element, examining how human wellness and development are shaped within diverse cultural contexts.
Qualifications
- PhD, Purdue University