Kevin Ziyu Liu is a researcher, writer, and teacher who explores the intersections of media technology, infrastructure, and social governance in contemporary China. His work interrogates the constantly changing sociocultural landscapes and technological discourses that shape today’s emerging modernity experiences in China’s journey toward digital social governance.

He is writing a book titled “Digital China From Below.”

Kevin received his PhD from the Department of Communication Studies at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities in 2023, where he spent six years in graduate studies with academic training in political economy, cultural studies, and critical media studies. His early research focused on digital media and the political economy of the digital industry in contemporary China. In recent years, he has been working on a project that critically delineates the emergence and evolution of digital social governance in contemporary China. He is now writing a book about the development of “digital China” and its sociotechnical imaginaries from the local level. He likes to consider his project a sociology and contemporary cultural history of digital governance in contemporary China.

His research has been published in peer-reviewed academic journals such as The China Quarterly, Journal of Contemporary Asia, Journal of Information Technology & Politics, The Political Economy of Communication, and Global Media and China. He also writes for popular media such as The Thinkers. He believes that the best research comes from engaged participation and interdisciplinary explorations, so he is always open-minded to conversations across academic research, public debates, and artistic interventions. For example, he participated in “Port: Under the Cloud,” a research and curatorial project that explores techno-infrastructures in China through site visits, with a group of contemporary artists and curators, and contributed to its publication. He is constantly seeking inspiration and alternative ways to observe, contemplate, and participate in his research subject.

He is also active within the international scholarly community. He has presented his research at major international academic conferences, such as the annual conferences of the International Communication Association (ICA), the International Association of Media and Communication Research (IAMCR), and the Association of Asian Studies (AAS). He has also served as a reviewer for peer-reviewed academic journals, including the Journal of Contemporary Asia, Journal of Contemporary China, and Television & New Media. He strives to continue being an active member of the international scholarly community.

After eight years living in the United States for higher education, Kevin returned to his hometown in 2024 to be with his family. He now teaches at Guizhou University as an associate professor. He is still eager for and continuously seeking new opportunities, but he plans to stay there for a couple of years before embarking on a new adventure.

刘子瑜是一位研究者、写作者和教师。他的研究涉及当代中国媒体技术、基础设施和社会治理的交叉领域，探讨不断变化的社会文化景观和技术话语等因素如何共同塑造了中国在迈向数字社会治理过程中形成的新现代性体验。

他正在完成一部名为《自下而上的“数字中国”》的学术专著写作。

刘子瑜于 2023 年在明尼苏达大学双城分校传播学系获得哲学博士学位。在六年的博士生涯中，他接受了政治经济学、文化研究和批判媒体研究的学术训练。他早期的研究集中在当代中国的数字媒体和数字产业的政治经济学领域。近年来，他的研究项目致力于批判性地描绘当代中国数字社会治理的出现和演变。他目前正在撰写一本关于“数字中国”及其社会技术想象的书。他喜欢将自己的研究看作一项对当代中国数字治理的社会学考察和当代文化历史研究。

他的研究发表在《中国季刊》（The China Quarterly）、《当代亚洲期刊》（Journal of Contemporary Asia）、《信息技术与政治期刊》（Journal of Information Technology & Politics）、《传播政治经济学》（The Political Economy of Communication）和《全球媒体与中国》（Global Media and China）等同行评审的学术期刊上。他还为《信睿周报》（The Thinkers）等大众媒体撰稿。他相信最好的研究来自于积极的参与和跨学科的探索，因此他总是乐于发现和参与学术研究、公共辩论和乃至艺术创作等之间的对话。例如，他参与了“端口：云下贵州”（Port: Under the Cloud）项目，这是一项通过实地考察探索中国技术基础设施的研究和策展项目，并与一群当代艺术家和策展人一起为其出版物作出了贡献。他乐于不断寻求新的灵感，并探索以不同的方式观察、思考、并参与其研究主题。

他活跃于国际学术界，曾在国际传播学会（ICA）、国际媒介与传播研究学会（IAMCR）、国际亚洲研究学会（AAS）等机构所举办的重要国际学术会议上发表研究成果。他还是SSCI一区期刊《当代亚洲杂志》（Journal of Contemporary Asia）、《当代中国期刊》（Journal of Contemporary China）和SSCI二区期刊《电视与新媒体》（Television & New Media）等同行评审学术期刊的审稿人。未来他将继续致力于成为国际学术共同体的积极成员。

在美国生活了八年后，刘子瑜于 2024 年决定回到家乡与家人团聚。他现在在贵州大学任教，担任副教授。他仍然渴望并不断寻求新的机会，但计划在贵州大学工作几年，然后再开始下一段新的冒险。