Sanfeng Miao, Ph.D.

I’m Sanfeng Miao (she/her), a higher education scholar-practitioner whose work explores the dynamic interplay between structure and agency to understand how inequities are embedded in institutional design and how individuals enact change from within.

Grounded in critical, decolonial, feminist, and global perspectives, my research examines the academic profession, global mobility, and epistemic justice in higher education. Through my scholarship, teaching, and practice, I seek to challenge deficit narratives and advance more inclusive and pluralistic approaches to knowledge, identity, and belonging in higher education.

Research Interests

Academic Profession and Epistemic Justice

How are inequities sustained within the structures, norms, and reward systems of the academic profession? How do scholars, particularly those from marginalized backgrounds, exercise agency to challenge and reimagine these systems from within? My research interrogates how the enduring legacies of colonialism, patriarchy, and racism continue to shape academic structures and epistemic hierarchies. Through this work, I seek to advance equity, inclusion, and epistemic justice in the academic profession.

Global Mobility, Identity, and Internationalization

How does global mobility shape the identities, aspirations, and sense of belonging of students and scholars who navigate transnational academic spaces? How do institutions enact and interpret internationalization in ways that both reproduce and challenge existing hierarchies of knowledge and power? My research explores the dynamic interplay between mobility, identity, and institutional practice to understand how global engagement transforms individuals and higher education systems alike. Drawing on critical and decolonial perspectives, I seek to reimagine internationalization as a process that fosters reciprocity, inclusivity, and epistemic diversity rather than alignment with Western norms.

Humanizing Research Methodologies

How can research serve not only to generate knowledge but also to build connection, empathy, and mutual understanding? How might methodological choices disrupt hierarchies between researcher and participant and create space for shared meaning-making? My work embraces art-based inquiry, ethnography, narrative inquiry, and participatory design to foreground collaboration and relationality in the research process. Rather than treating participants as subjects of study, I seek to co-construct knowledge that humanizes their experiences and challenges dominant ways of knowing in higher education research.

Experience

Education

2020-2025

Michigan State University

  • Ph.D. Higher, Adult, and Lifelong Education (HALE)
2017-2019

Boston College

  • M.A. International Higher Education
2014-2017

University of Macau

  • B.A. English Studies
  • Minor Translation

Professional

2025-Present
Michigan State University Eli Broad College of Business

Associate Director for Global Career Initiatives

2022-2025
Michigan State University College of Education

Student Leadership Development Course Coordinator

2020-2022
Michigan State University College of Education

Research Assistant

2019-2020
University of Vermont College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences

Assistant Director of Student Services

2017-2019
Boston College Office of Residential Life

Graduate Assistant

2017-2018
American Council on Education

Research Intern

Publications

Journal Articles

  • Miao, S., Lin, X., & Pang, G. (Under Review). Chatting up success? A quantitative analysis on English as Second Language (ESL) international students’ use of ChatGPT and academic writing self-efficacy. Smart Learning Environment.
  • Miao, S. (Forthcoming). From where I stand: Linking positionality, epistemology, and methodology in international and comparative education research. Critical Internationalization Studies Review.
  • Miao, S., Baizhanov, S., & Morsi, C. (2024). Mapping Internationalization of Curriculum onto School Psychology and Related Fields: A Systematic Review of Literature. Journal of Comparative and International Higher Education, 16(4), 5-17. Available here.
  • Miao, S. (2024). Navigating gender identity: Composite narratives of Chinese international women students studying in the U.S. Higher Education. 89, 717–73. Available here. 
  • Shahjahan, R., Miao, S., & Baizhanov, S. (2024). Actualizing curriculum internationalization: An integrative review. Comparative Education Review. Available here. 
  • Miao, S. & Wawrzynski, M. (2024). Participation in recreational sports and student engagement in a South African university, Journal of Student Affairs Practice and Research, 61(3), 442–455. Available here.
  • Blalock, A. E., Miao, S., Wentworth, C. (2023). Envisioning future roles: How women medical students navigate the figured world of medical school. The Clinical Teacher, 20(6), e13617. Available here.
  • Miao, S. (2023). Gender disparity in Chinese academia: A conceptual analysis through organizational theory lens. Journal of Comparative and International Higher Education, 15(3). 126–136. Available here. 
  • Miao, S., & Yang, H. (2021). Foreign-born student affairs professionals’ experiences and contributions: A missing piece in internationalization. Journal of Studies in International Education. 27(1), 82–99. Available here.

Book Chapters

  • Yang, H., Miao, S. (Under Review). Crisis, Compliance, and Care: Institutional Belonging of International Students in the U.S. Higher Education During Uncertain Times. Rethinking Mobility, Access, and Belonging in International Higher Education.
  • Miao, S. (2023). Research Discourses on Women Academics During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Has a Bad Situation Turned Worse?. In: Chan, R.Y., Lin, X., Bista, K. (Eds.). Rethinking Hybrid and Remote Work in Higher Education. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. Available here.
  • Gonzales, L., Gong, R., Miao, S., & Surla, K. (2023). Towards meaningful transformation: Confronting identity capitalism and the commodification of women in academia. In L. Leišytė, J. R. Dee & B. J. R. van der Meulen. (Eds.). Handbook on the Transformation of Higher Education. Edward Elgar Publishing. Available here.

Reports and Essays

  • McClure, K. R., Salle, M.W., Ford, J., Gonzales, L.D., Griffin, K., Jenkins, T., Marquez Kiyama, J., Martinez, M. Martínez-Alemán, A.M., Miao, S., Perez, R.J., & Porter, C.J. (2023). The Impact of COVID-19 on Faculty, Staff, and Students: Using Research to Help Higher Education Heal through the Pandemic and Beyond. Association for the Study of Higher Education. Available here.
  • Miao, S. (2021). College behind bars. Comparative Education Review, 65(3), 581-583. Available here.
  • Miao, S., & Cantwell, B. (2021). Higher Education and Globalization. obo in Education. Available here.
  • Tozini, K., Taylor, C., & Miao, S. (2020). Developing club sports students’ intercultural competence: A case study in campus recreation. In H. De Wit & T. DeLaquil (Eds.), CIHE Perspectives (No. 18), Innovative and inclusive internationalization: Proceedings of the WES-CIHE Summer Institute 2020 (pp. 30-33). Available here. 
  • Miao, S. (2019). Internationalization and global engagement in Hong Kong and Macau universities: Under the impact of the One Belt One Road Initiative. In R. Schendel, H. de Wit, & T. DeLaquil (Eds.), CIHE Perspectives (No. 14), Innovative and inclusive internationalization: Proceedings of the WES-CIHE Summer Institute June 19–21, 2019 (pp. 44-47). Available here.
  • Miao, S. (2018). Towards an inclusive approach to internationalization: Collaborative Online International Learning as an alternative to studying abroad. In L.E. Rumbley & H. de Wit (Eds.), CIHE Perspectives, No. 11. (2018). Innovative and Inclusive Internationalization: Proceedings of the WES-CIHE Summer Institute, June 20-22, 2018 (pp. 34-36). Available here. 

Work in Progress

  • Miao, S. Loss, fragmentation, and reclamation: Complicating self-formation in transnational spaces through the experiences of foreign-born women faculty.
  • Miao, S. Jiang, Y., & Xu, Z. Temporal and geopolitical dimensions of return: A systematic review of research on Chinese academic returnees.
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Presentations

  • Bano, S., Miao, S., Hong, S., Tukurah, G. (March 28, 2026). Beyond borders and binaries: Reclaiming international academic mobility trough critical, decolonial, and agency-centered theoretical lenses. Comparative International Education Societies (CIES). San Francisco, CA.
  • Miao, S., Jiang, Y., Xu, Z. (March 28, 2026). Temporal an geopolitical dimensions of return: A systematic review of research on Chinese academic return. [Paper presentation]. Comparative International Education Societies (CIES). San Francisco, CA.
  • Yang, H., Miao, S. (March 7, 2026). Crisis, compliance, and care: Institutional belonging and international student mobility in U.S. higher education. [Paper presentation]. American Educational Research Association (AERA). Los Angeles, CA.
  • Miao, S. (November 13, 2025). Loss, fragmentation, and reclamation: Complicating self-formation in transnational spaces through the experiences of foreign-born women faculty. [Paper presentation]. Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE). Denver, CO.
  • Miao, S., Lin, X., & Pang, G. (March 22, 2025). Chatting up success? A mixed-method study on English as Second Language (ESL) students’ use of ChatGPT in academic writing. [Paper presentation]. Comparative International Education Societies (CIES). Chicago, IL.
  • Miao, S. (November 22, 2024). Developing critical consciousness: Student learning from community-based participatory action research. [Paper presentation]. Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE). Minneapolis. MN.
  • Miao, S. (November 20, 2024). Crafting and assembling: Exploring the formation of self and identity of international women academics in the U.S. [Work in progress]. Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE). Minneapolis. MN.
  • Miao, S., Baizhanov, S., & Morsi, C. (November 20, 2024). Curriculum internationalization in school counseling and related fields: A systematic literature review. [Paper presentation]. Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE). Minneapolis. MN.
  • Miao, S. & Xu, Z. (2024). Conceptualizing home: A duoethnography of Chinese international students. [Paper presentation]. Comparative and International Education Society (CIES). Miami, FL.
  • Miao, S. (Nov 15, 2023). Navigating gender identity: Composite narratives of Chinese international women students studying in the U.S. [Paper presentation]. Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE). Minneapolis. MN.
  • Miao, S. (Nov 17, 2023). Is work-life balance a lie? A multi-modal discourse analysis of “Life as a PhD student” vlogs. [Paper presentation]. Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE). Minneapolis. MN.
  • Miao, S. (Nov 19, 2022). Research discourse concerning women academics during Covid-19 pandemic: Has a bad situation turned worse [Paper presentation]? Association for the Study of Higher Education (ASHE). Las Vegas. NV.
  • Gonzales, L. Gong, R., Miao, S., & Surla, K. (April 21, 2022). Towards meaningful transformation: Confronting identity capitalism and the commodification of women in academia [Roundtable]. American Educational Research Association (AERA). San Diego, CA.
  • Shahjahan, S., Miao, S., & Baizhanov, S. (April 20, 2022). Curriculum internationalization: A comparative review across disciplines and regional contexts [Paper presentation]. Comparative and International Education Society (CIES). Puerto Rico. PR.
  • Miao, S. (April 19, 2022). Making space during Covid-19: International graduate students’ experiences [Paper presentation]. Comparative International Education Societies (CIES). Puerto Rico. PR.
  • Miao, S., & Yang, H. (November 20, 2020). Foreign-born student affairs professionals’ experiences and contributions: A missing piece in internationalization [Paper presentation]. NAFSA Research Symposium. Virtual.
  • Miao, S. (March 23, 2020). Financing doctoral education in China: Doctoral students’ financial wellbeing and policy implications [Paper presentation]. Comparative and International Education Society (CIES). Miami, FL.
  • Vital, L. M., & Miao, S. (March 23, 2020). The global citizen leader: Addressing the human and non-human condition beyond geographic boundaries [Paper presentation]. Comparative and International Education Society (CIES). Miami, FL.
  • Miao, S. (June 25, 2019). The participation of Hong Kong and Macau universities in Europe-Asia partnerships: under the impact of the New Silk Road (NSR) Initiative [Paper presentation]. Shaping Sustainable Futures for Internationalization in Higher Education. Toronto, ON.
  • Miao, S. (May 26, 2019). Developing Global Citizens Leadership Skills: Perspectives from global development professionals [Poster presentation]. Association of International Educators (NAFSA). Washington D.C.
  • Miao, S. (June 20, 2018). Towards an inclusive approach to internationalization: Collaborative Online International Learning as an alternative to studying abroad. Association of International. World Education Service-Center for International Higher Education Summer Institute [Paper presentation]. Boston, MA.

Teaching

Teaching Statement

"Knowledge emerges only through invention and re-invention, through the restless, impatient, continuing, hopeful inquiry human beings pursue in the world, with the world, and with each other"

Paulo Freire

Teaching and learning serve as transformative spaces, enabling critical exploration of higher education policies, practices, and individual experiences at local, national, and global levels. In line with my research and scholarship, I challenge the dominant White and Western-centric paradigms of knowledge in my teaching. I intentionally infuse international comparative perspectives, critical theories, and decolonial viewpoints into course materials, discussions, and assignments.

As well, I embrace the belief in individual agency, rejecting deficit narratives often imposed on marginalized students. Each student is approached as a unique individual, and I invest time in understanding their personal and learning identities, motivations for joining the class, as well as their academic and career aspirations. This understanding enables me to create a more meaningful and customized learning experience for every student.

In my role as an educator, I see myself as a facilitator of conversations and a collaborator in the knowledge creation and dissemination process. Inspired by Paulo Freire, I believe instructors and students as human beings can pursue inquiry "in the world, with the world, and with each other" inside and outside of the classrooms. Drawing from my research methodologies, I find Art-Based Pedagogy (ABP) particularly valuable for teaching abstract theories and concepts. ABP encompasses a diverse range of creative, cognitive, and practical processes, such as conceptualization, creation, performance, observation, utilization, integration, and reflection on art. This approach offers valuable insights into various domains of knowledge and human experiences.

In one of my classes focused on "Curriculum and Contexts: Disciplinary and Geopolitical," I utilized an artful technique called "found poetry." During this activity, students assembled quotes from the readings and visual elements they discovered online as poetries to represent their understanding of the reading materials. By incorporating this artistic approach, I encouraged students to explore alternative ways of thinking and analysis beyond traditional methods.

 

Teaching Interests

  • Foundations of Higher Education
  • Diversity and Equity in Higher Education
  • Comparative and International Higher Education
  • The Academic Profession
  • College Student Development
  • Qualitative Methods in Higher Education Research
    • Introduction to Qualitative Methods
    • Art-based Inquiry
    • Narrative Inquiry
    • Humanizing Qualitative Inquiries

Awards

2024-2025
Michigan State University College of Education

Dissertation Completion Fellowship ($9,000)

2024-2025
Michigan State University the Graduate School

Interdisciplinary Inquiry and Teaching Fellowship ($5,000)

2024-2025
Michigan State University College of Education

Graduate Student Conference Support ($1,000)

2024-2025
Michigan State University College of Education

Dissertation Hard Cost Funds ($1,200)

2024-2025
Michigan State University the Graduate School

Dissertation Completion Fellowship ($1,200)

2024-2025
Michigan State University College of Education

College of Education Endowed Scholarship ($2,500)

2023-2024
Michigan State University Lyman Briggs College

Scholarship of Undergraduate Teaching & Learning (SUTL) Fellowship ($5,000)

2023-2024
Michigan State University College of Education

Dr. Robert N. Coffey, Jr. Memorial Scholarship ($2,050)

2023-2024
Michigan State University College of Education

The Sheldon Cherney Endowed Scholarship in Graduate Studies in Education Overseas ($1,000)

2023
Michigan State University College of Education

Summer Research Fellowship ($7,000)

2022-2023
Michigan State University the Graduate School

Leadership Development Fellowship ($1,000)

2022-2023
Michigan State University College of Education

Sheldon Cherney endowed scholarship in graduate studies in education overseas ($2,250)

2022
Association for the Study of Higher Education

ASHE Graduate Student Travel Scholarship ($400)

2022
Michigan State University College of Education

Summer Research Fellowship ($6,000)

2021-2022
Michigan State University the Graduate School

Leadership Development Fellowship ($1,000)

2021-2022
Michigan State University Office of Studies in International Education

Global Curriculum Fellowship ($3,000)

2021
Michigan State University College of Education

Summer Research Development Fellowship ($6,000)

2021
Michigan State University Asian Studies Center

Shao Chang Lee Best Paper Competition (1st place) ($1,500)

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