Chuncheng Liu

Chuncheng Liu is an Assistant Professor of Communication Studies, jointly appointed in Sociology and Anthropology (CSSH) at Northeastern University. He is a sociologist of knowledge and technology whose research examines the politics of data and classification. He received his Ph.D. in Sociology and Science Studies from the University of California, San Diego, and previously served as a Postdoctoral Researcher at Microsoft Research New England.

Liu’s current research investigates the politics of sociotechnical systems that surveil, evaluate, and classify citizens. As a leading scholar of China’s social credit system, his ongoing book project—under contract with the University of California Press—presents the first ethnographic study of a municipal social credit system that scores citizens based on behavioral indicators. Beyond this book, his broader research explores the organizational politics and public perceptions of contact tracing technologies, generative AI tools, and other data-driven systems of governance.

Earlier in his career, Liu studied how public health institutions classify sexual minorities and COVID-19 cases, an interest rooted in his prior work on HIV/AIDS research and intervention.

His research has appeared in leading journals including Big Data & Society, Information, Communication & Society, Journal of Contemporary China, Social Science & Medicine, Sociological Forum, and Science, Technology & Human Values. His work has been recognized with awards and grants from the American Sociological Association, the Association for Asian Studies, and the Horowitz Foundation for Social Policy, among others. Liu’s insights have also been featured in media outlets such as The Guardian, Bloomberg, and Rest of World.