Bio

Wei Peng received her Ph.D. from the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures at Stanford University. She went on to serve as a postdoctoral fellow at New York University Shanghai and as a lecturer in culture and media studies at Peking University HSBC Business School. As a scholar of modern and contemporary Chinese literature and culture, her research focuses particularly on popular literature, including detective fiction and science fiction. Broadly, she is interested in how literature shapes our understanding of science and technology, and how these understandings in turn help construct new social relationships and structures.

She is currently working on a book manuscript examining Chinese detective stories from the first half of the twentieth century. The project explores how scientific methods of detection were conceptualized, imagined, and practiced in both fictional narratives and real-world criminal investigations.

At Carnegie Mellon University, Dr. Peng is eager to collaborate with faculty and students from a wide range of cultural and disciplinary backgrounds. She looks forward to exploring innovative teaching methods and contributing to the vibrant study of Chinese culture on campus.

Department Member Since 2024