People
Find out more about the people that make up the Confucius Institute.
Dr Deljana Iossifova
Director
Deljana is a Senior Lecturer in Urban Studies and joined the CI in 2017. Having spent a significant time living and working in China, she aims to make the excellent China-related research at Manchester visible and accessible to the public.
Associate Professor Shuangxia Sheng
Chinese Director
Shuangxia is an Associate Professor from Beijing Normal University and has been at the CI since 2017. She researches Chinese as a foreign language, including teaching theory and practice, curriculum design, primary and secondary school teaching methodology, and social and folk culture.
Ms Karen Wang
Deputy Director
Karen moved from China to the UK in 1996. She oversaw the administrative operation of the first overseas degree programme in Singapore and currently contributes to the strategic direction and operational priorities of the Manchester CI.
Ms Lucy Yang
Senior Language Tutor and Teaching Co-ordinator
A Senior Language Tutor and Teaching Coordinator at the Manchester CI, Lucy has been teaching Mandarin for over 10 years in China and the UK, sharing her expertise with Mandarin teachers from various UK CIs. Her research focuses on Mandarin pedagogy in the UK, teacher training and classroom ICT use.
Miss Tabea Heckrodt
Events and Marketing Officer
Originally from Germany, Tabea joined the CI in 2013. She manages and delivers an annual calendar of external engagement projects and initiatives. Other key areas are internal and external communications and the institute's digital presence.
Chenchen Zheng
Engagement Officer
Chenchen moved from China to the UK in 2014, and joined the Manchester CI in February 2019. She is responsible for developing and implementing digital engagement strategies to reach key user communities, as well as increasing the CI's publicity.
Mrs Hayley Teixeira-Roxburgh
Support Officer
Hayley has worked at the University since 2011 and the CI since 2014. As the Administrative Officer, her main role is to organise Mandarin course registrations, HSK and YCT exams and cultural workshops, as well as general duties in the day-to-day life of the CI.
Yiping Zhang (Sunny)
Chinese Language Tutor
Email: yiping.zhang@manchester.ac.uk
Sunny comes from Shouguang, Shandong Province. She joined the CI in September 2018. She specialises in Chinese calligraphy at the highest Chinese level and researches Chinese culture teaching and teaching methods.
Qian Liu (Doria)
Chinese Language Tutor
Email: Qian.liu-5@manchester.ac.uk
Doria joined the CI in September 2018. Her research focus is on Chinese teaching methodology and simplifying language teaching. She aims to teach Chinese in a communicative and engaging way.
Xia Jiamin (Shelley)
Chinese Language Tutor
Email: Jiamin.xia@manchester.ac.uk
Originally from Guangdong Province, China, Shelley is an experienced Mandarin teacher who joined us in September 2018. She aims to combine teaching and practice and focus on student-centred learning.
Jingwen Che (Chloe)
Chinese Language Tutor
Email: twixche@foxmail.com
Chloe comes from Qingdao, China and has been teaching Mandarin at the CI since April 2018. Her research focuses on oral Chinese expression and cultural teaching methods, and she is good at tea art and calligraphy teaching.
Ruoyun Sun (Sunny)
Chinese Language Tutor
Email: ruoyunsun@qq.com
Originally from Beijing, Ruoyun has been teaching Mandarin since 2015. She holds a BA and MA in Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language, with research dedicated to Chinese primary and secondary teaching strategy. She works at a primary school in Oldham.
Mingli Sun (Ayra)
Chinese Language Tutor
Email: a.sun@allhallows.org.uk
Mingli comes from from Yantai, China and is a Mandarin teacher at All Hallows Catholic College, one of the Confucius Classrooms. She has taught foreign students at BNU and Beijing Language and Culture University, as well as in Sri Lanka.
Xuyang Jiang (Young)
Chinese Language Tutor
Email: xuyang.jiang@manchester.ac.uk
Originally from Hebei province, Xuyang has taught at Manchester CI since January 2019. His research focus is on teaching methods and cross-cultural communication. In his spare time, he enjoys playing basketball and reading books about culture.
Qingyue Huo (Wendy)
Chinese Language Tutor
Email: qingyue.huo@manchester.ac.uk
Originally from Beijing, Wendy has taught Mandarin at Manchester since February 2019. She specialises in Chinese traditional dance and teaches comprehensive and conversational courses, with research dedicated to Chinese vocabulary and teaching methodology.
Qinqiang Chen (Jackie)
Chinese Language Tutor
Email: qinqiang.chen@manchester.ac.uk
Originally from Linyi, Shandong Province in northern China, Jackie joined the CI in March 2019. His research focuses on cross-cultural comparison and cultural diversity teaching. He aims to teach Chinese in a culturally engaging and communicative way.