Chenyu Ni – Faculty of Arts and Education 

“My research explores how people interact, connect, and build communities through everyday communication. I’m particularly interested in social media, collective identity, and the small online interactions that can reveal larger questions about culture and belonging. The project I presented at the Research Showcase examined how sharing cat content on Rednote (Xiaohongshu) can create connections across cultural and linguistic boundaries, showing how even seemingly ordinary online exchanges can tell us something meaningful about cross-cultural communication."

"As a communication researcher, I find it especially valuable to see how other people respond to something that I think I’ve already explained clearly. Many people stopped to ask thoughtful questions that challenged my assumptions and even influenced how I thought about the research afterwards. It was a reminder that research communication isn't just about sharing findings. Those conversations can become part of the research process itself. 

"My advice to any doctoral candidates considering participating in the Research Showcase is to think of it as a large academic party. Enjoy the opportunity to talk enthusiastically about your research and connect with people who might never otherwise encounter your work. Before submitting your poster, show it to someone outside your field. If they can explain your project back to you and understand why it matters, that’s a good sign. 

"Winning the People's Choice Award was a lovely surprise, but what stayed with me most was the reminder that people can become interested in specialised research when we find the right way to invite them into it. I also learned that, when in doubt, putting a cat on your research poster is not the worst communication strategy. I’m really happy that many people I bump into on campus call me the “cat lady” after the showcase!”