Researcher biography
Originally from a public health background, Zhaoxi completed a Bachelor of Health Sciences degree with a major in Public Health (UQ) in 2018. Gradually transitioning into sociology, he obtained a Bachelor of Health Sciences Honours (Class I) degree (UQ) in 2019 by qualitatively investigating Australian terminal cancer patients’ cannabis use identities and self-presentations. With his expertise in qualitative methods and social theories, Zhaoxi has worked on a range of research projects mostly within the field of early childhood education and care as a senior research technician at UQ Institute for Social Science Research (ISSR). Zhaoxi commenced his Ph.D. in 2021 with the UQ School of Social Science, in which he also works as a teaching academic.
Mostly adopting a critical perspective, Zhaoxi currently uses post-qualitative inquiries to investigate children’s involvement in late modern societies in his Ph.D. research. More specifically, using critical post-humanist theories, his thesis explores children’s living-toward-death by examining their intersections with death and dying in everyday lives. Departing from the traditional childhood and death research that prioritises human-centric ‘experiences’ and ‘understandings’, his research seeks to deconstruct the well-established meanings and dichotomisations of child/adult and living/death. Empirically, this project advocates for young children’s active participation in complex social affairs and integration into adult human landscapes.
Zhaoxi’s advisors are Associate Professor Rebecca E. Olson, Dr Sally Staton, and Dr Jenny Setchell.