MEET ERNESTINA ZHU

Ernestina is currently a PhD researcher at the University of Manchester in business management (Fintech), a visiting lecturer at the University of Law (ULaw), and Tutor and Masters Thesis Supervisor at Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU) Business School and Career Mentor at University of Southern California (USC China). She is also an experienced entrepreneur and managed the academic blog on Medium dedicated to Digital Sociology and the podcast the "Digitalization" show, which explains the most updated technology in digital life. She graduated from the New York Institute of Technology (BFA) and The Communication University of China (BA) in digital arts. She further conducted research in Metaverse and digital sociology at The University of Edinburgh (MSc).

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Current Positions:

• Co-founder of OOLA Global, Himylink Ltd, Room Duo

• Visiting Lecturer of the University of Law Manchester (ULaw)

• Tutor and Masters Thesis Supervisor for Marketing, Retail and Tourism at the Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU)

• Career Mentor at University of Southern California (USC China)

• Chief Public Relations Officer Himylink Ltd

• Subject Matter Expert at Jing PT Jiemian Global - China Business and Financial News

• External Expert for China Social Enterprise Certification Center (CSECC)

• Global Scholar of the Frontier Institute of Regulation and Supervision Technology(FIRST)

• Advisory Panel of the Young Women’s Movement Scotland(YWCA)

• Honorary Reporter of the Korean Culture and Information Service Korea.net 

• Committee Delegate of China-South Korea Cultural and Legal Exchange Center(CKCLEC) of Beijing Entertainment Law Society

• Member of Women in Film and Television in China (WIFT)

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• 한중 우호 수호천사단 of the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in China (19-22)

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As an artist, she is specialized in using oil paint, oil pastel, mixed media, and acrylic to create her artistic world. After working in Slovakia and Russia to help spread UN Sustainable Development Goals, she found ways of incorporating her art into their promotion. This experience shaped her desire to help people in need through the perspective of arts. The contrast of color, a combination of new materials, abstract strokes, and the free expression of art are her characteristics. Staring at her artwork, you can feel the emotion that she tries to convey, while experiencing the power of all senses.

 As her experimental video artwork has been exhibited in multiple galleries, exhibitions in New Zealand, the US, Japan, Italy and etc. Her movie “Samsara” was also selected in the Lift-Off Global Film Festival in the UK 2021, 2022. As one of the founding figures of NFT in China, she dedicated herself to the NFT and digital art public lecture on the Wechat channel with 275k views on one video and got interviewed by TencentxTHINC fellowship. Moreover, she launched her own NFT badge, and collectives and became the first Chinese artist to win the global award for Top 100 Digital artists in the World “Art in Metaverse” in South Korea in 2022. She is trying to use cross-disciplinary understanding to construct the new time digital art wave.

As a translator and event organiser, she has worked for the Danish Chamber of Commerce in China, DIDI translator company, and Dreamsky Company as a registered translator. Based on her foreign language skills, she started the OOLA Global Cross-cultural Understanding Organization and presented cross-disciplinary studies on TEDxHaidian. Meanwhile, she was the judge for the Contest of International Future Envoy (IFEC) 2020.

As a cross-culture communicator, she has joined the Nordic China Startup Forum as an event manager to promote China's and Nordic countries' cooperation in entrepreneurship. Meanwhile, she is also part of the "Civilian Culture Ambassador" Group for the Korean Embassy in China and an honored delegate of China, Korea Culture and Legal Exchange Center with Beijing Entertainment Law Society to promote the bilateral ties between China and South Korea.

As a researcher, she is currently conducting Ph.D. level research in NFT and digital identities in digital sociology at the University of Manchester. Her research focus is on digital technologies and life, specifically NFT (Fintech), Metaverse, AI, VR, etc. Her research has been published on various occasions, including multiple International Conferences, including International Conference on Open Data, etc. Further research outcome can be found on the official website on the University of Manchester. She is also dedicating herself to the commenting and book reviews for the creative industries in China. As a member of Women in Film and Television, she dedicated herself to helping other young female artists and filmmakers to fully explore their potentials. 

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Exhibition Experience:

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• In 2019, she was awarded the position of cultural "civilian ambassador" (honored xiaotianshi) by the Korean Embassy in China. 

• In 2020, she was interviewed by Guangyuan (Light the Future) Campaign as a leading figure for individual youth artists.

• In 2020, she became a member of Women in Film and Television China(WIFT).

• In 2021, she participated in the "Women's Day Female Artists Exhibition" by the Hebei Youth Artists Association in China.

• In 2021, she was appointed as a Committee Member for the China and South Korea Cultural and Legal Exchange Center.

• In 2021, her artwork was selected for the Hebei Youth Art Exhibition by the Hebei Youth Artists Association.

• In 2021, her experimental film "Samsara-1" has been selected for the Lift-Off Online Session Film Festival, Pinewood Studios, United Kingdom.

• In 2021, she was interviewed by Chuxin Website as a representing artist in the Asian culture-based eco-feminism spectrum.

• In 2021, she was interviewed by TencentxVIVA THINC Fellowship as a representing figure for youth leaders. 

• In 2021, her artwork Experimental video art pieces Samsara got selected in "Biennale Sino-Italiana Arte Giovane" with International Young Artists Association.

• In 2021, she participated in the “International Youth Art Exhibition in Different Regions” with the International Union of Arts Universities.

• In 2021, she was interviewed by Ginkgo Biloba Art Studio “Making art to find a sense of belonging” article.

• In 2021, she participated in “Useless Class and Homo Deus’s Lover Exhibition” by Being Space.

• In 2021, The Nominated Experimental Video Art Film Samsara Screening and Talk Event with Y Coffee, Yizhuang, Beijing

• In 2021, She participated and got selected in the Competition of Prominent Artists by Thing. Fund and China Academy of Art

• In 2021, she participated in The 3rd Contemporary International Art Online Exhibition

• In 2021,  she participated in the “Sing East” International Contemporary Art Exhibition by the International Alliance of Young Artists

• In 2021, she participated in the "To Make the World Better" New Zealand International Art Exhibition by Everyone an Artist Trust and Ministry of Social Development.

• In 2021, she participated in the “Tokyo International Art Exhibition” by the Japan Institute of International Art

• In 2021, she participated in the 4th Overseas Chinese Artists Exhibition by the North America Artists Development Foundation

• In 2021, she became the first Chinese artist to win the Artscloud Digital Art  "Art in Metaverse" Award Winner--specialized in NFT and Metaverse art

• In 2022, she participated in the “Art in Metaverse” Exhibition by Artscloud and launched NFT in South Korea

• In 2022, she participated in the “Year of the Tiger” Exhibition and was interviewed by Sishuininahua Magazine

• In 2022, she participated in the “Tribute to the Masters: Beyond the Image. The First Academic Exhibition of Outstanding Works by World Famous Chinese Artists” by Greater American Institute of Art

• In 2022, she Directed New Independent Film-Samsara-Sensation was Selected by Lift-Off Global Network Film Festival FT session

• In 2022,  she participated in the National Famous Calligraphy and Painting Artists: Exhibition of Tiger by Zifeiy Art Museum

• In 2022, she participated in the “Artists Talking about Aesthetic” The First Chinese Scenery Paintings and Still Life Exhibition by Japanese International Art Academy

• In 2022, she participated in the “Fantasia of Africa” Exhibition by the No space

• In 2022, she participated the First World Digital Art Fair 2022 (WDAF) 

• In 2022, She participated the ASEAN International Contemporary Art Exhibition “Dialogue with Southeast Asia”

• In 2022, she was interviewed by Hebei Art as the leading youth artist of the Women Artists Album

• In 2022, she participated in the Labor Day Exhibition by the International Contemporary Art Network

• In 2022, she participated in the “Acid” themed Exhibition by Art Circle International

• In 2022, she participated in the “BXQ 2022 Experimental Images Week” Short Film Screening and Forum

• In 2023, she participated in the "New Abstractionism Art Exhibition" 

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Impact: 

• Presenter to World-class Fintech Conference by University of Edinburgh Business School|2024.6

• Presenter to Gender in Crisis Conference by Gender Urban Research Collective about Metaverse and Reproductive Politics|2024.6

• Presenter to Emerging Trends and Innovations Across All Scientific Disciplines Conference by SEED PGR University of Manchester|2024.5

• Presenter to Violence and Society conference by London Centre for Interdisciplinary Research|2024.5

• Presenter to Sacred Arts: Exploring the Spiritual Dimensions of Artistic Expression and Ritual by University of London|2024.5

• Presenter to Cambridge University PhD conference in Metaverse and Criminology|2024.4

• Presenter to China and Higher Education Conference about Metaverse and Potentialities|2023.11

• Speaker of Nepal Beyond Impact Project|2023.7

• Speaker of Web3 Governance Fintech Law Conference by the University of Manchester|2023.7

• Presenter of Everyday Enchantment Conference by the University of Manchester|2023.7

• Speaker of Chat GPT 5 is Coming event by Digital Futures|2023.6

• Speaker of Unleash InnerRebel Conference|2023.6

• Keynote Speaker of Sociology Annual Conference by Univerity of Manchester|2023.6

• Presenter to Methods Fair by Manchester Methods |2023.5

• ​Presenter to Manchester's Biggest Web3 Event Exploring Web 3 NFTs and Crypto by Accelerate Me|2023.5

• ​Presenter to 2023 History Classics and Religion Graduate Student Association Conference by the University of Alberta |2023.3 

• Presenter to "Interdisciplinary Research Symposium" by the University of Salford in "Metaverse Framework of Identities and Space"|2023.1

• Presenter to “International Conference of Open Data” in Croatia on my Research: Accessing Open Data on Non-fungible Tokens|2022.11

• Presenter to “Reframing the Archive—International Symposium on Photography and Visual Culture” on my Research: Time, Space, Identity Interaction in Metaverse Photography|2022.11

•  Youth Empowerment in Climate Actions Platform Speaker(YECAP), The 13th International Youth Summit on Energy and Climate Change| 2021.7

• Nordic China Start-up Forum public speaker on Greenism in Scotland with Global Entrepreneur Summit and Entrepreneurship Competition| 2021.10

• TEDxHaidian OpenMic public speaker on Cross-cultural and Organizations| 2019.5

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Research Experience: 

• Book Review ""Culture, music education, and the Chinese dream in mainland China on Global Media and China Journal|2023.2

• Book Review "Creative Industries and Digital Transformation in China" on Global Media and China Journal SAGE|2022.12

• Poster Contribution to “International Conference of Open Data” in Croatia on my Research: Accessing Open Data on Non-fungible Tokens|2022.11

• Contribution to “Reframing the Archive—International Symposium on Photography and Visual Culture” on my Research: Time, Space, Identity Interaction in Metaverse Photography| 2022.11

• The 13th International Youth Summit on Energy and Climate Change, Conference Paper: Carbon Neutrality (IYSECC.13.0) |2021

•  Language Exchange App: Hello Talk – Magazine the World of Chinese|2018

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Media Coverage:​

• Interviewed by GenZ diplomat Podcast about NFT and cryptocurrency trading |2023.9

• Interviewed by Tech your Business Podcast|2023.8

• Interviewed by Art as a Form of Therapy by Beyond Impact Nepal|2023.7

• Interviewed by Full Insight Podcast about Digital Humanities|2023.6

• Presented at Digital Futures "ChatGPT, AI generated Art, NFT and Digital Humanity" as a speaker |2023.7

• Interviewed by Knew Amsterdam Podcast Episode 'Digital with Ernestina Zhu' exploring Metaverse, AI art and NFT|2022.12

• Interviewed by 'Being Modern, Being Human' Podcast Episode 'Delving into NFT, Digital Identities, and Sociology of the Future'|2022.11

• Participated and Interviewed by the “BXQ 2022 Experimental Images Week” Short Film Screening Forum| 2022.7

• Interviewed by TencentxVIVA THINC Fellowship as an Independent Artist-TechnologyxHumanity, Specialized in NFT| 2021.6

•  Interviewed by Chuxin Website as the Independent Artist, Specialized in Eco-Feminism based on Asian Traditional Culture| 2021.5

• Interviewed by “Lightening” (Guangyuan) Project as Young Leader-- Independent Artist|2021.1

• Judge for 2020 International Future Envoy Contest(IFEC)| 2020.8

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