Alumni Profile: Yue Lyu, PRIB’25

“The Policy Research Innovation Bootcamp really aligned with my academic and professional interests,” said Yue Lyu, PRIB’25. 

Lyu, who teaches psychology at the Shanghai University of Engineering Science, holds a master's degree in health education from Zhejiang University and is currently working on her PhD in public administration at Shanghai Jiaotong University. “My master’s dissertation is about the quality of higher education opportunities for ethnic groups throughout China—I am still working on this research at present. I’m most interested in how this can be applied to the opportunities for, and quality of, higher education in different regions and for different ethnic groups in China.”

Her research interest, Lyu said, began after she earned her bachelor's degree. “I taught in a school in a relatively poor area of my hometown of Xinjiang. That teaching experience got me thinking about the opportunities the students had—or didn’t have—to pursue higher education. Then, I started wondering about possible variance in the quality of those higher education opportunities—not just for the students in Xinjiang but for other ethnic groups in other regions of China.”

In the process of doing research for her PhD, Lyu said she wanted to know more about how researchers from different countries think about—and solve—problems. “Looking at a research problem from an interdisciplinary perspective, especially with people from different professional and personal backgrounds, makes a richer, more complex answer. PRIB was an excellent opportunity for me to do that.”

The Policy Research and Innovation Bootcamp’s additional programming also appealed to Lyu because she wanted to improve her leadership, organization, and problem-solving skills. “And, I wanted to use English more: I studied English for more than 10 years, but I don't have too many opportunities to use it.”

PRIB, Lyu said, met her expectations—with one of the highlights for her, perhaps unsurprisingly, being the collaborative brainstorming that took place during the Hackathon. “Our group of seven people had such different professional and personal backgrounds...it was great to see each of us bringing our own experiences to the table to solve the issue.”

Lyu also appreciated the thought and nuance the faculty brought to the program. “The guidance the teachers provided as we applied new research methods to real policy issues really enhanced my ability to combine theory with practice. I definitely learned how to more effectively combine data and stories to persuade policymakers. For my PhD dissertation, I am currently designing a policy effectiveness evaluation framework based on the methods and model construction I learned in PRIB.”

Finally, the Career Treks resonated with Lyu’s interest in expanding educational access opportunities. “The people we met with showed us how their organizations balanced social value and sustainable operations, which made me realize how policy research results can truly be transformed into social impact.”

“Plus,” Lyu added, “the city of Chicago is amazing—the food is delicious! Some classmates and I enjoyed eating in Chinatown, but we definitely enjoyed Chicago pizza as well!” 

As for advice for prospective PRIB participants, Lyu said, “Be bold in asking questions. Take the opportunities to talk with the professors and make connections with other participants. You’ll learn more and build a network—I’m still in touch with many PRIB classmates.”