Zhenting(Maggie) HE’s Curriculum Vitae

Research Interests #

I am interested in cultural studies, particularly in the interplay between technology and culture. Methodologically, I am primarily trained in qualitative research, employing semi-structured depth interview and analyzing empirical materials through thematic analysis informed by grounded theory.

Ongoing ongoing interests include the construction of technology, sociocultural anthropology, linguistic anthropology and comparative-historical methods.

Personal Information #

Educational Background #

  • M.A. in Sociocultural Anthropology(Sub-specialisation: Media Anthropology and linguistic Anthropology )
    • University of Heidelberg, Germany
  • Visiting Student in Cultural and Social Anthropology and Political Science
    • University of Marburg, Germany
  • M.A. in Journalism and Communication (Sub-specialisation: Visual Communication and Creative Industries)
    • Shenzhen University, China
    • Graduated with honours
  • B.A. in Journalism and Communication (Sub-specialisation: Radio and Television)
    • Jiangxi Normal University, China
    • Graduated with honours I have received interdisciplinary training across journalism, communication studies, and cultural anthropology during my undergraduate and master’s studies. My academic education spans both China and Germany, combining a strong foundation in news production, media theory, and communication research with anthropological perspectives on culture, society, and everyday practices. This cross-disciplinary and cross-regional educational background has enabled me to approach media and cultural phenomena with both empirical sensitivity and critical, comparative insight.

Contact Details #

  • Website: www.zhentinghe.com
  • Email: heyzhenting@gmail.com

Research Experiences #

Relevant research assistant work #

Research Assistant #

  • School of Media and Communication, Shenzhen University, September, 2025 - November, 2025
    • Assisted the principal investigator in overall project management, coordinating the implementation of online surveys, focus group interviews, and web-based experiments.
    • Conducted literature reviews, performed data analysis, and drafted research findings.
    • Supported website maintenance, promoted research outcomes, and communicated with project stakeholders.

Student Research Assistant #

  • Digital Media Culture Lab & Center for Convergent Global Communication, Shenzhen University, Feburary, 2023 - August, 2024
    • Participated in four research projects focusing on media discourse and national narratives. My main work covered the entire research process, including literature review, data collection/interviews, empirical analysis, and final writing revisions.These projects gave me a broad understanding of communication dynamics, improved my knowledge of different research methods, and confirmed my decision to focus on qualitative research. In addition to my advisor Jiang CHANG, the project faculty includes Naipeng CHAO (distinguished professor) and Wensen HUANG (assistant professor at Shenzhen University).
    • Managed the influential academic public platform “Media Culture Review” launched by my advisor, and as of August 2024, the account has 27,674 subscribers in China. Through this training, I have developed a better cademic taste for the research directions of digital media culture and digital journalism, opened up international perspectives and learned to keep a close eye on international cutting-edge developments and seminars.
    • Assisted my advisor in the revision of academic papers and research proposals, ensuring clarity, coherence, and adherence to academic publishing standards, which helps me a lot about English academic writing skills.

Remote telephone interviewer #

  • National Survey Reseach Center, Renmin University of China, April - September, 2021
    • Participated in interviews for five of China’s larger research projects, including topics such as the Winter Olympics, carbon neutrality, and student employment.Through these projects, I learned the importance of scheduling interviews and being sincere, polite, and confident. This experience helped me build a strong foundation for conducting interviews in my qualitative research.
    • Learned and mastered STATA and SPSS data analysis software to analyze the results of the projects’ questionnaires, enriching my better knowledge of statistics and data analysis ability, so that I can be more smooth when reading academic articles on related methods.

Peer-reviewed Conference Presentations #

Critical Media Culture #

  • He, Z. 2024. Aesthetics as an Invisible Power: A Chronological Examination Based on Youth’ s Cultural Consumption of Celebrities. Paper Presented at the 107th Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication(AEJMC), Philadelphia, America.
    As one of the most prevalent symbols in media culture, celebrity has an equally important influence on the aesthetic culture of society at large. Based on this, this study conducted in-depth interviews with 27 individuals from different generations, aiming to reveal the changes in the consumption of celebrity symbols by Chinese youth, and to explore the role of aesthetic power in this field. It is found that the changes in individuals’ aesthetic experiences not only reflect the ideologies and social disciplines of different eras, but also the process of consumers adjusting their aesthetics for greater exchange value. This paper asserts that the process of celebrity consumption is an intertwining of aesthetic change and fantasy overflow in reality, reflecting the complex aesthetic mechanisms and cultural dynamics in consumer society.

  • He, Z. 2024. Relational Practices of Digital Mourning Through the Lens of Continuing Bonds. Paper Presented at the 107th Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication(AEJMC), Philadelphia, America.
    This study explores the changes in the object, time, and space of digital mourning relative to traditional mourning, as well as the role of technology and its impact on socio-emotional connections. Through semi-structured in-depth interviews with 35 individuals who honored non-family members and friends on social media, the study found that the object of digital mourning extends to non-family members, that mourning is not strictly limited in time, and can be instantaneous or continuous; and that spatially it occurs in virtual space, breaking down physical spatial constraints. The spread of technology, the expansion of social networks, and the convenience of social media are the main drivers.

Gender Studies #

  • He, Z. 2025. The Work Ethic of Chinese Digital Feminists: From the Neoliberalism Perspective. Paper Presented at the 75th Annual Conference of the International Communication Association(ICA), Colorado, USA.
    In this essay, I employ online ethnographic study and in-depth interviews with 35 Chinese digital feminists to illustrate how digital feminists in China respondto neoliberal conditions and how they sustain their activism despite a lack of unanimous support within their own groups. My analysis indicates that digital feminists in China have employed public interest activities as a cultural instrument tochallenge the advancement of global neoliberalism. Consequently, they have progressively investigated the formulation of a feminist cultural politics that is alignedwith the political and commercial contexts of China.
  • He, Z. 2024. Research on the Female Images in Hou Hsiao-hsien’ s Films. Paper Presented at the 2024 International Association for Media and Communication Research(IAMCR), Christchurch, New Zealand.
    This paper employs textual analysis as the primary research method, examining the portrayal of women in the 19 films directed by Hou Hsiao-hsien and categorizing it into two distinct groups: women within the family and women in society. It then proceeds to interpret and refine these portrayals through the use of comparison and analogical analysis, as well as dialectical thinking to elucidate the differences and similarities in the representation of female images and the characterization under the mapping of female images.

Publication #

Digital Journalism #

  • Huang, W., He, Z., Zhao, Q., & Chang, J., Public Trust and Community Develpment: A Review of Communication Research in 2023, Press, 2024, (01), 32-48. (Chinese Social Sciences Citation Index) Produced as part of the National Social Science Fund Major Project “Digital Journalism: Theory, Methods, and Practice”

Film and Television Cultural Communication #

  • He, Z., Street Dance of China: The Development Strategy of Niche Vertical Online Variety Show, Satellite TV & IP Multimedia, 2021(16), 142-144. (Chinese Provincial Publication)

Teaching EXPERIENCE #

Discussion Leader, Institutional Feminism and Family #

  • University of Marburg, 2025 Spring
    • Led a seminar presentation and facilitated discussion on institutional feminism, family policy, and gender inequality based on the OECD SIGI 2023 Global Report.

Teaching Assistant, Visual Rhetoric Study #

  • Shenzhen, 2023 Spring
    • Assisted in course organization and activities, facilitated classroom discussions, and supported student engagement with course material on visual rhetoric and media analysis.

Panel Moderator, Frameworks and Discourses Panel #

  • Shenzhen, April, 2025
    • Chaired an academic panel exploring: reconstruction of aviation accident timelines, compiled analyses of the Russia & Ukraine war, framework competition among participants in Weibo feminism discussions, and discourse production in feminist social media. Coordinated speakers and facilitated audience Q&A across diverse topics.

Panel Moderator, Power and Content Production Panel #

  • Shenzhen, May, 2025
    • Led a cross-disciplinary panel covering: empowerment-oriented short video practices among families with autism, feminist creative theory, and copyright issues in secondary adaptations of film and television works. Managed speakers, guided discussion, and engaged audience across multiple intersecting topics.

Organizer & Facilitator, Qualitative Research Workshop #

  • Guangzhou, 2023 Autumn
    • Organized and facilitated a workshop on qualitative research methods, including interview design, data collection, and analysis techniques. Coordinated workshop logistics, guided participants through practical exercises, and promoted discussion on methodological applications in media, gender, and digital culture research.

Educational Outreach Volunteer, Sex Education for Rural Children #

  • Jinxi, Jiangxi, China, 2019 Summer
    • Conducted age-appropriate sex education sessions for children in rural communities, explaining topics related to health, safety, and relationships. Facilitated interactive activities to engage students and promote understanding.

Academic Serivice #

Manuscript Reviewer #

Student Assistant to the Organiser #

Awards and Fellowships #

Interships #

Intern Financial Journalist & Producer,Southern Finance Omnimedia Corp #

  • July, 2025 - November, 2025
    • Planned investigative angles and identified underreported story leads, consistently pitching original ideas with strong public-interest value.
    • Produced daily news stories, field reports, and in-depth investigative pieces with tightly structured logic and precise, compelling language.
    • Conducted on-camera interviews and field investigations with a calm, natural presence and clear, authoritative delivery.
    • Skillfully used video-editing tools to structure evidence, add subtitles, and craft coherent post-production narratives.
    • Reported across financial, social, and public-accountability topics, demonstrating the ability to adjust investigative approaches and narrative styles to different subject matters.

Executive Producer, Global Investment Promotion Conference #

  • June, 2025 - December, 2025
    • Led the end-to-end production process, coordinating script development, visual planning, on-site filming, and post-production.
    • Managed cross-functional collaboration between creative teams, technical staff, and external partners to ensure timely and high-quality delivery.
    • Oversaw budgeting, scheduling, and resource allocation within a fast-paced production timeline.
    • Ensured the final video aligned with the event’s communication objectives and institutional branding standards.

Skills #

Professional Skills #

  • Data analysis: NVIVO (Proficient), MAXQDA (Proficient), SPSS (Intermediate), STATA (Intermediate)
  • Languages: Mandarin, Cantonese, Hakka(native), English (Proficient), Korean (Intermediate), German (Elementary)

Additional Interests #

  • Applications: Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Premiere, Final Cut Pro, Davinci Resolve
  • Specialties & hobbies: Guzheng, Swimming, Detective (thriller-mystery) movies

Last modified on 2025-11-18