Maggie (Wuyan) Yao

Research Interests

Digital Humanities, Digital Cultural Heritage, and Cultural Tourism

Educational Background
2020.09 – Present The University of Hong Kong Digital Humanities PhD
2018.09 – 2020.05 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Library and Information Science Master’s
2014.09 – 2018.07 Sun Yat-sen University Library and Information Science Bachelor’s
2011.09 – 2014.06 Guangdong Experimental High School No Major High School

Academic Publications

  • Yao, W., & Xiao, P. (2022). What contributes to a qualified digital humanities librarian and ideal digital humanities pedagogy? An exploratory qualitative study. Journal of Academic Librarianship, 48(6), 102524. (First Author, SSCI, JCR-Q2) https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acalib.2022.102524
  • Yao, W., & Cobb, P. (2025). A Review of Application Areas, Deployment Technologies, and Evaluation Approaches for Augmented Reality (AR) in Archaeological Tourism. Heritage. (Revised and Resubmitted, First Author, ESCI)
  • Yao, W., Xu, M., & Xiao, P. It takes a village to raise a digital memory: engaging local communities in digital heritage construction in traditional Chinese villages. (Submitted, First Author)
  • Yao, W., Cobb, P. Exploring Archaeological Tourism Potential and Community-Led Development Patterns in Armenia’s Vedi Valley. (Submitted, First Author)
  • Whitaker, C. C., Avagyan, A., Cobb, P. J., Hovakimyan, G., Homar, K., & Yao, W. (2025). From the field to the museum: engaging young Armenians in the complete life-cycle of archaeological artifacts. Journal of Community Archaeology & Heritage, 1–19. (Co-Author, Scopus) https://doi.org/10.1080/20518196.2025.2518616
  • Xiao, P., Dai, S., & Yao, W. (2018). Mr. Liu Jiping’s "Macro-Contradiction Theory" and the New Pattern of China’s Library Undertakings. Proceedings of Liu Jiping and the Reform and Development of China’s Library Undertakings. Beijing: National Library Press, 2018. (Co-Author)
  • Xiao, P., & Yao, W. (2018). A Literature Review on the Annual Report System of Public Cultural Institutions. Library Tribune. (Co-Author)

Academic Conferences

  • Yao, Wuyan (2025). “The Interactive Digital Presentation of the Humanities: Our Experiments with Augmented-Reality (AR) for Archaeological Tourism.” Hong Kong Digital Humanities Association (HKADH) Conference, Hong Kong. (Oral Presentation)

Research Projects & Awards

2025.05 – Present

Independently applied for the Seed Funding Scheme of the Arts Technology Lab, Faculty of Arts, The University of Hong Kong, and obtained approval for the individual project 《Transforming Archaeological Tourism Experiences with AR and AI: A Mobile Guide for the Vedi River Valley in Armenia》. Fully responsible for fund application and project implementation.

2024.08 – Present

Participated in the project 《Digital Cultural Heritage of Traditional Chinese Villages from the Perspective of Critical Heritage Theory》 at the School of Information Management, Sun Yat-sen University

  • Organized the project team to interview residents of traditional Chinese villages and analyze their participation models in digital heritage projects.
  • Authored the paper 《It takes a village to raise a digital memory: engaging local communities in digital heritage construction in traditional Chinese villages》.

2022.05 – Present

Participated in the Ararat Plain Southeast Archaeological Project (APSAP), supported by the Early Career Scheme and General Research Fund of The University of Hong Kong

2025.06 – 2025.07
  • Fieldwork: Conducted on-site research in the Vedi River Valley, Armenia, to investigate the progress of local cultural tourism development and further explore tourism potential.
  • Application Promotion: Promoted the independently designed and developed augmented reality (AR) tourism mobile application in Armenia, updated content based on fieldwork results; conducted user interviews to evaluate its effectiveness in enhancing tourists’ experiences and deepening understanding of local cultural heritage.

2024.05 – 2024.07
  • Application Prospection: Designed and organized the development of an augmented reality (AR)-based mobile application aimed at enhancing tourist experiences in the Vedi Valley.

2023.05 – 2023.07
  • Field Survey: Conducted on-site research in the Vedi River Valley, Armenia, to investigate natural and cultural heritage, interview local residents, explore local tourism potential, and assess the feasibility of promoting local culture through digital heritage.
  • Community Education: Participated in the "From Field to Museum" educational project in Armenia, designed and conducted archaeological workshops for local children, enriching learning experiences through digital tools such as virtual reality (VR).

2022.05 – 2022.07
  • Fieldwork: Participated in the archaeological excavation and documentation of the Vedi Fortress site in Armenia, learning digital archaeological technologies such as 3D modeling, drone surveying, and digital archiving.

2019.09 – 2020.04

Completed Master’s Thesis: 《Digital Humanities Pedagogy in Academic Libraries in the Research Triangle》

2019.06 – 2019.08

Participated in the research project 《Application of Design Thinking in Library Makerspaces: A Case Study of Guangzhou Library》 at Guangzhou Library, responsible for case collation and paper writing

2017.06 – 2019.06

Participated in the research project 《Research on the Annual Report System of Public Libraries: Focusing on Compilation Standards and Supporting Policies》, responsible for policy research, literature review, data analysis, and paper writing

  • Supported by the Special Fund of the Library Society of China (2015–2017).
  • Co-authored 《Research Report on the Annual Report System of Public Cultural Institutions》 and 《Guidelines for the Compilation of Annual Reports of Public Libraries (Draft)》.
  • Undergraduate thesis 《A Comparative Study of Annual Reports of Public Libraries in China and the United States》 was rated as Excellent.
  • Co-authored paper 《A Literature Review on the Annual Report System of Public Cultural Institutions》 was published in 《Library Tribune》.

2017.07 – 2017.09

Participated in the research project 《Public Library Central-Branch System and Information Disclosure》 at Guangzhou Library

2016.11 – 2017.03

Participated in the research project 《Public Cultural Institutions and Urban Image Research from the Perspective of Guangzhou Studies》

  • Supported by the Guangzhou Social Science Planning Project.

2015.10 – 2016.01

Participated in the project 《A Demand and Feasibility Analysis of Making School Libraries Available to their Communities: Case of Guangzhou》

  • Awarded the 2015 Emerald Chinese LIS Research Fund Award and rated as a Highly Commended Research Proposal.

Academic Affiliations

Journal Reviewer

  • Digital Transformation and Society

Internship & Work Experience

2022.09 – 2022.12

The University of Hong Kong, Core Course 《Remains of the Dead: Excavating the Past through Archaeology》

  • Delivered lectures on course content and instructed students on assignments
  • Graded student assignments and presentations, provided feedback
  • Student evaluation score: 94.6 (top tier in the course team)

Teaching Assistant

2021.12 – 2022.12

Hunan University, Academic Journal 《Journal of Academic Library and Information Science》

  • Remotely proofread and edited English abstracts of forthcoming articles

English Editor

2021.09 – 2022.04

The University of Hong Kong, Faculty of Education, Professional Course 《Educational Inquiry》

  • Participated in classroom observation, student assignment analysis, and discussed methods to improve teaching practices

Teaching Assistant

2020.01 – 2020.05

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Davis Library, Resource Description and Management Department

  • Cataloged resources in English and East Asian languages

Cataloger

2019.05 – 2019.08

Guangzhou Library, Information Consultation Department & Subject Service Department

  • Planned and organized promotional activities
  • Assisted users in accessing information and resources

Intern

2016.03 – 2016.07

South Media Group, 289 Art Park

  • Participated in the operation of the park’s WeChat official account
  • Followed up on the joint project with Guangzhou Metro to promote local culture

Intern

Other Experiences

2019.02 – 2019.04

Participated in the Digital Track of the University of North Carolina Inter-Campus Competition "Makeathon"

  • Designed and developed a mobile application prototype named "Design Thinker" to help students learn and apply design thinking in daily life.

2015.09 – 2016.07

Served as Minister of Publicity, Sun Yat-sen University Environmental Protection Association

Skills & Strengths

  • Software Skills: Proficient in Tableau, Rhino, MaxQDA, Matlab; proficient in SQL, C, Python programming
  • Language Skills: TOEFL 100, GRE 315 (fluent in oral communication); Spanish (N2 Level)
  • Hobbies: Piano (Level 10), singing, reading and writing, painting