School of Social and Political Science

Desdemona (Xueyi) Meng

Job Title

PhD Student

Photo
Xueyi Meng

Room number

West Wing, 5th Floor

Building (Address)

Chrystal Macmillan Building

Street (Address)

15a George Square

City (Address)

Edinburgh

Post code (Address)

EH8 9LD

Research interests

Research interests

Working Title: Exploring Communication Strategies for Hydrogen Technology Start-ups in Scotland and China

I have broad research interests in science communication, public engagement, and responsible innovation. My PhD project aims to 1) understand the communication strategies for different audiences and purposes adopted by hydrogen technology start-ups in Scotland and China, 2) reflect on the political and societal impacts on their communication practices, and 3) explore how these start-ups engage broader civil society in hydrogen technology innovations. 

Supervisors: Professor Steven Yearley and Dr Adolfo Mejía-Montero

Background

Before beginning my PhD journey in Science and Technology Studies at the University of Edinburgh, I worked as an operations manager at TusPark UK. In this role, I actively supported local entrepreneurs and start-ups within Newcastle Upon Tyne's innovation ecosystem and assisted larger UK companies in navigating the Chinese market. My responsibilities also included client relations management, co-working space operations, event coordination, and marketing and communications design and production. Additionally, my expertise extended to supporting projects with the company's business partners, such as facilitating ORE Catapult's cleantech accelerator events, contributing to Chinese social media campaigns for the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership, and researching cutting-edge SciTech news and talent for ZGC Park.

I hold dual Bachelor's degrees in Aircraft Propulsion Engineering (major) and Advertising (minor) from Xiamen University in China, an MSc in Science Communication from the University of Manchester in the UK, and an MSc by Research in Science and Technology Studies from the University of Edinburgh in the UK.