Yuan's interdisciplinary research focuses on developing digital solutions to connect humans with nature and conserve social-ecological systems. Her expertise spans biodiversity conservation, environmental video game design, ecosystem services valuation, and natural capital assessment.

Currently, Yuan is involved in several research projects. She serves as a co-investigator on two UKRI-funded initiatives: the transdisciplinary "Ecological Knowledge Games" project and the interdisciplinary "PROMT (Philippines Remediation of Mine Tailings)" project. In the latter, she leads the work on stakeholder engagement and ecosystem services research. Additionally, Yuan holds a job-share position as a NERC (Natural Environment Research Council) Knowledge Exchange Fellow for the Sustainable Minerals Research in the Philippines programme (2022-2025).

Previously, Yuan was a Lecturer in Environmental Management and Sustainability at the School of Agriculture, Policy and Development (University of Reading). Before that, she worked as a Research Associate at the University of Cambridge Conservation Research Institute. During her time at Cambridge, Yuan collaborated with international conservation NGOs, including Fauna & Flora International, focusing on natural capital assessment and sustainable finance for conservation landscapes.

Throughout her career, Yuan has collaborated extensively with Chinese institutions and environmental policymakers due to her bilingual fluency in Mandarin and English. As a British-born Chinese researcher, her ability to bridge cultural and linguistic divides has been instrumental in promoting international collaborations and addressing global environmental challenges.

Research Interests & PhD Supervision

• Gamification for sustainability and biodiversity conservation
• Cross-cultural perspectives on human-nature relationships
• Depictions of human-nature relationship in popular culture
• Sustainable finance and business practices for biodiversity conservation
• Ecosystem services and natural capital assessments

Yuan’s research focuses on developing transdisciplinary projects that bridge digital environmental humanities and biodiversity conservation. She is interested in using innovative methods like environmental video games to address Sustainable Development Goal challenges. Her work explores how popular media and storytelling can shape societal relationships with nature and envision sustainable futures. She also investigates pluralistic economic approaches to sustainability, balancing business interests with environmental impacts and community rights.

As a PhD supervisor, Yuan welcomes students interested in interdisciplinary projects that combine quantitative and qualitative methods to address environmental challenges. She encourages students to explore non-traditional data sources and digital tools in their research. She is interested in supporting projects that incorporate cross-cultural perspectives or engage with environmental issues in East Asia, leveraging her expertise in Chinese environmental research and bilingual skills.

Teaching

Yuan currently teaches on several topics related to new media and social and cultural analytics.

Expertise and public engagement

Yuan has been invited twice by the Conversation UK editor to publish articles on depictions of human-nature relationships in Studio Ghibli. The first article titled “How Studio Ghibli films can help us rediscover the childlike wonder of our connection with nature” reached over 15,000 online readers. This was translated and republished in the Conversation Indonesia. The second article titled "Spirited Away play review: a wonderful artistic imagining of Studio Ghibli’s tale of environmental stewardship" reached over 19,000 online readers. This was translated and reprinted in Newsweek Japan magazine.

As a result of the publications, in 2023 Yuan was invited by the Imaginary Worlds podcast for a roundtable discussion with environmental journalists and authors surrounding the topic of human-nature relationships in animated films. This is a popular sci-fi podcast that has 4 million+ downloads annually. In 2022, Yuan was invited to contribute to a podcast by the Pax Natura Foundation titled: Environmentalism in Japanese Animated Film. In 2019, Yuan was invited to contribute toward the Nordic by Nature Podcast titled: On Narratives: Shaping more constructive narratives of our relationship to nature.

• The Conversation UK (2024) Spirited Away play review: a wonderful artistic imagining of Studio Ghibli’s tale of environmental stewardship. Translated and reprinted in Newsweek Japan magazine (> 19,000 online readers).
• Imaginary Worlds Podcast (2023) Episode 223: Miyazaki Imagines an Environment. Invited to a panel discussion.
• The Conversation UK (2022) How Studio Ghibli films can help us rediscover the childlike wonder of our connection with nature. Translated and republished in the Conversation Indonesia (>15,000 online readers).
• Radio Natura Podcast (2022) Yuan Pan: Environmentalism in Japanese Animated Film.
• Nordic by Nature Podcast (2019) On Narratives: Shaping more constructive narratives of our relationship to nature.

Selected Publications

• Pan, Y. (2023) Project Philippines: Sustainable Minerals Research. Materials World Feature (flagship IOM3 magazine). July/August 2023.
• Pan, Y. (2020). Human–Nature Relationships in East Asian Animated Films. Societies, 10.
• Pan Y, Che Y, Marshall S, and Maltby L. (2020) Heterogeneity in Ecosystem Service Values: Linking Public Perceptions and Environmental Policies. Sustainability, 12, 1217.
• Pan Y and Vira B. (2019) Exploring natural capital using bibliometrics and social media data. Ecology and Society, 24, 5.
• Pan, Y., Marshall, S. and Maltby, L. (2016) Prioritising ecosystem services in Chinese rural and urban communities. Ecosystem Services, 21, 1-5.
• Pan, Y., Wei, G., Cunningham, A.A., Li, S., Chen, S., Milner-Gulland, E.J. and Turvey, S.T. (2016) Using local ecological knowledge to assess the status of the Critically Endangered Chinese giant salamander Andrias davidianus in Guizhou Province, China, Oryx, 50, 257–264.