Xiyu works as a research assistant with the Centre for the Study of Existential Risk (CSER), while studying as an MPhil in Finance and Economics student funded by St John’s college at the University of Cambridge. She has a background in economics and interdisciplinary research, including as a research assistant at the University of Manchester on urban economics, complex systems and sustainable development, and a bachelor's degree in Economics and Finance from the University of Manchester. She is particularly interested in environmental policy, decarbonization and microeconometrics.