Biography

Peizhu Liu is an educator and researcher whose work centers on bilingual and multilingual education. She received her Ph.D. in Educational Linguistics from Penn GSE. Before beginning her Ph.D. studies, she worked as a public school teacher in both New York and Massachusetts.

Her doctoral research examines how curriculum, assessment, language policies, and ideologies shape the experiences of emergent bilingual and multilingual learners in a Chinese–English Dual Language Bilingual Education (DLBE) program. More recently, she has begun to expand her research interests to international and transnational educational contexts, as well as to international students’ experiences in higher education.

In addition to her research, Peizhu has extensive experience in teacher education, particularly in supporting and preparing teachers who teach English or Chinese as a second or foreign language. She also has experience supporting multilingual and international students through advising and program administration. She is passionate about creating more equitable and inclusive educational environments for multilingual learners across diverse cultural and institutional contexts.

Education

  • Ph.D. (Educational Linguistics) University of Pennsylvania, 2025
  • M.A. (Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language & Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) New York University, 2012
  • B.A. (Chinese Language and Literature) Xi’an International Studies University, 2010

Areas of Expertise

  • Bilingual education
  • Foreign language education
  • Language teacher education

Research Interests and Current Projects

Peizhu Liu’s research focuses on Chinese–English Dual Language Bilingual Education (DLBE), with particular attention to how language ideologies, educational policies, curriculum, and assessment shape emergent bilingual and multilingual learners’ experiences in school settings.

Building on her previous research in U.S.-based DLBE programs, she is interested in expanding her research focus to more international and transnational contexts. She hopes to further explore how bilingual and multilingual education policies and practices are shaped across different sociopolitical and cultural settings.

In addition, Peizhu is currently involved in projects related to international students’ educational experiences, particularly in the areas of multilingualism, student support, and cross-cultural education. Through this work, she hopes to extend her research focus from K–12 education to higher education contexts.

Publications