I am a sociologist and ethnographer specializing in medical sociology, migration, and science and technology studies. My research trajectory bridges the social and life sciences to address urgent societal challenges.

I hold a PhD in Sociology from Nanyang Technological University (NTU) Singapore. My early research explored migration, ethnicity, nationalism, and the formation of social boundaries, with a geographic focus on Northeast China, South Korea, and North Korea. While living and working alongside migrant communities, I developed a keen interest in healthcare inequalities. This inspired my postdoctoral research in medical sociology and education at the Imperial College London-NTU joint medical school and the Nanyang Centre for Public Administration.

Since moving to the Netherlands in 2022, my work has shifted toward science-society relationships. At Erasmus University Rotterdam, my research examined the interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary infrastructures that help academia tackle issues of inequality, diversity, and inclusion. Currently, I am based at Vrije Universiteit (VU) Amsterdam, where my project examines Open Science Communities (OSCs) and their role in driving the cultural transition toward open science.

I took this photo in Pyongyang, North Korea during my PhD multi-sited ethnographic fieldwork in June 2017. The state’s presence is constant here, from the towering propaganda billboard to the loyalty pins on everyone’s lapels.

Research Aims

My overarching research is driven by a twofold mission:

1. To understand the processes through which individuals become members of a community, and how these intersect with identity politics to create social stratification;
2. To identify and dismantle structural barriers, inspiring policies and practices that foster an inclusive society where disadvantaged populations can achieve, aspire, and feel at home.

Research Streams I approach social inequality, diversity and inclusion through a broad, interdisciplinary lens. My work bridges ethnic minority experiences, health equity, and academic infrastructures, organized into three overlapping streams:

• Stream 1: Migration – Sociology and anthropology of migration.
• Stream 2: Health – Medical anthropology, sociology of health and illness, and medical education.
• Stream 3: Science – Science, technology, and society (STS).

Reference:

Chen, S. and de Jong, S.. 2026. The sand in the gears of large-scale interdisciplinary research: uncovering bottom-up rearrangements of university infrastructure. Science as Culture, online first: 1–22. doi.org/10.1080/09505431.2026.2637131

Chen, S.. 2025a – Performative State Presence Shapes Citizenship in the China-North Korea Borderland – ed. Zhonghua Guo and Tianlong You, special issue, Citizenship Studies. doi.org/10.1080/13621025.2025.2558415

Chen, S.. 2025b – Alienation During Crisis: Experiences of COVID-19 Vaccine Sceptics in Singapore – ed. Annika Lems, Danaé Leitenberg, Biao Xiang (Max Plank Institute for Social Anthropology, Halle), special issue, Inter-Asia Cultural Studies. doi.org/10.1080/14649373.2025.2549649

Chen S., 2022. Mobility–ethnicity nexus in the China–North Korea borderland of Yanbian: Migration infrastructure and multi-directional flows. China Information, 36(3), pp.344-362. doi.org/10.1177/0920203X221118201

Chen S., Smith, H., Bartlam, B., Low-Beer, N., Chow, A., Rosby, L.V., Shelat, V.G. and Cleland, J., 2022. Role of social comparison in preparedness for practice as a junior doctor in Singapore: a longitudinal qualitative study. BMJ open, 12(9), p.e061569. Open access: dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2022-061569

Chen, S., 2019. Nation in action: Making Chinese in the rural borderland between China and North Korea (Doctoral dissertation).