Qianyue (Jackie) Xu

Doctoral Student in Sociology
Jackie Xu
jackiexu@g.harvard.edu

Research Interests: Organizations, occupations, and work; Informal networks; Cross-occupational collaborations; Skill and expertise; Labor and labor unions; The political economy of personal relationships; and Ethnography

Qianyue (Jackie) Xu (pronunciation)  studies organizations, occupations, and work. They are continually drawn to how organizations emerge, persist, transform, and dissolve through dynamic networks linking together objects, actors, techniques, and spatial and institutional arrangements. Their current research examines informal networks within organizations, focusing on how social ties are formed and maintained across occupational and status hierarchies in the workplace, and how these processes shape worker well-being and task execution.

Before coming to Harvard, Jackie held various roles at art institutions across the world. Their experiences as an un(der)paid art worker fundamentally inform their personal and scholarly commitments to understanding labor, work, and expertise.

Previous Degrees:
BA in Sociology & Global Creative Industries, The University of Hong Kong, 2020
SMArchS (Master of Science in Architecture Studies) in History, Theory, and Criticism of Architecture and Art, MIT, 2022
MA in Sociology, Columbia University, 2025