Yuan is a PhD candidate in Media and Screen Studies at the University of Auckland. He holds a Master of Science in Intermediality from the University of Edinburgh, and previously earned a dual Bachelor's degree in Journalism and Law from Nanchang University.

Having lived and studied across three continents spanning both hemispheres—from 🇨🇳China to 🇬🇧the United Kingdom and now 🇳🇿New Zealand—Yuan's transnational academic journey is deeply informed by his lived experience across diverse cultures and societies. This shapes his scholarly approach to contemporary diasporic cinema, where his work engages closely with the textures of everyday life, examining how movement, migration, and the diasporic condition inform lived experience on screen.