Jiaying Li is a PhD Candidate at the Institute for Sustainable Futures, University of Technology Sydney. Her research explores how sustainability is translated into practice across places, communities and resource systems. Her current doctoral research, Grassroots Governance for Plastic Circularity in Urban China and Vietnam, examines how grassroots and community-based initiatives contribute to plastic circularity and how they interact with governments and other actors within broader circular economy and environmental governance systems.

Before commencing her PhD, Jiaying gained extensive professional experience in China spanning built-environment research and practice, urban–rural development, nature-based solutions and participatory approaches. This interdisciplinary background informs her current interest in applied and place-based approaches to sustainability.