Lina Nie – History
The USC Dornsife Ph.D. Academy supports Dornsife Ph.D. students to help them thrive during each year of their Ph.D. program. The Ph.D. Academy wants to highlight the amazing students that are a part of our unique community.
This special spotlight is on Lina Nie, a graduated Ph.D. Candidate in the Department of History. We had the pleasure of seeing Lina walk at the 2024 Ph.D. Hooding Ceremony on May 8, 2024.
Lina with Mentors Joshua Goldstein and Paul Lerner
Can you share a memorable experience or accomplishment from your time in your program or the PhD Academy?
Throughout my years in the program, starting from the first year, I actively participated in various workshops organized by the PhD Academy. These workshops covered essential skills such as writing CVs, delivering job talks, negotiating offers, addressing dual-career challenges, and building effective mentor relationships. Each session proved to be an invaluable resource for my professional development.
Now, as I reflect on these experiences, I feel a strong desire to give back and support junior students. I am eager to help, just as I have been helped in the past. Thank you for providing such a supportive and enriching environment.
Are there any mentors, advisors, or peers who have had a significant impact on your PhD experience?
I would like to take the opportunity to say many thanks to my advisors Prof. Joshua Goldstein, Joan Piggott, also Prof. Paul Lerner, who was our graduate director when I was in the most difficult time of my PhD studies. Their help and support, together with my MA thesis advisor Prof. Peter Bol of Harvard University, were crucial for me to succeed. Also, I am greatly grateful to professors and peers who organized history paper workshops and those who attended my mock job interviews and offered so much constructive feedback. Among those are Prof. Kurashige, Prof. Davidson, Prof. Gruner, and Prof. Velmet, and also to my colleagues and friends Andrew, Rebecca, Srijita, Sarah, and Ruohan. Their willingness to participate in my talk and provide so many suggestions are greatly appreciated.
What are your plans and aspirations for the future, now that you’ve completed your PhD?
I accepted a tenure track job offer as an Assistant Professor at Texas A&M University, teaching Japanese and Chinese history. I also recently published an article in a premier journal of Japanese studies, Monumenta Nipponica, “Before the Storm: A Transrealm History of the Decades Leading Up to the First Mongol Invasion of Japan.”
Congratulations, Lina! We are immensely proud of your success and acccomplishments! Fight on!