Congratulations to Ph.D. student Yue Xu, 2026 recipient of the Rural Sociological Society (RSS) Dissertation Research Award!

Yue’s dissertation examines China’s seafood regime across production, processing, and consumption while shedding light on the hidden human, social, cultural, and environmental costs of rural development.

This RSS award supports graduate student research that advances the field of rural sociology and helps foster the development of future rural sociologists. It recognizes dissertation research that demonstrates strong scholarly promise and contributes meaningfully to understanding rural people, places, and processes.

Guided by Dr. Laura Raynolds, Yue’s research and scholarly trajectory exemplify the purpose and spirit of this award!