Every researcher carries a question that won't let them go, one that quietly shapes the choices they make, the methods they learn, and the communities they seek out. For CAnD3 Fellows Minheng Chen and Beren Crim Sabuncu, those questions sit at the intersection of population dynamics and pressing social realities, where careful empirical work has the potential to reframe how we understand inequality, policy, and change. Their time with CAnD3 has offered both the tools to pursue those questions more rigorously and a community of peers to think alongside.
To start, tell us a bit about your journeys. Was there a defining moment that influenced the way you approach research? And how has your experience with CAnD3 shaped that journey?
Minheng:聽A pivotal moment in my journey was starting fieldwork for my project on WISCO (Wuhan Iron and Steel Corporation) retired workers. Listening to their intermingled narratives of later life, socialism, and state identity made me realize that research is as much about preserved 鈥渕eaning-making鈥� as it is about data points. CAnD3 has helped reinforce this by providing the analytical tools to bridge these qualitative life histories with quantitative rigor. The training sessions on population analytics have been especially helpful in grounding these individual stories within broader social stratification trends.
Crim: A pivotal moment in my research journey came when I began to see, more clearly, how structural gaps in health systems translate into very intimate, lived consequences, particularly for marginalized populations. Funny enough, this realization took shape during my senior-year internship in undergrad, the first time I was formally exposed to social work as a field (i.e., much before I actually started doing research at this level). I was interning with a brilliant social worker at the largest victim service agency in the country.
While I had been exposed to theory and had begun to understand the interconnectedness of issues affecting populations, observing cases firsthand as a third-party observer and seeing how people move through systems of care and how those pathways shape outcomes made those ideas tangible in a way they hadn鈥檛 been before.
I work across projects on substance use, intimate partner violence, and mental health, and I credit so much of my researcher鈥檚 intuition to that internship where these threads stopped feeling like separate topics and instead revealed themselves as deeply intertwined determinants of care engagement and health outcomes.
CanD3 has given me both the tools and the language to think more rigorously about complex, population-level data. I have been moved by several of our sessions, but I am particularly impacted by the sessions on data transparency. Researcher intuition and logistical savvy are both equally important in the making of an academic, and CanD3 has helped foster and nurture both.
Let's talk about your work.聽What鈥檚 a recent project, presentation, or milestone that you鈥檙e particularly proud of? What made it meaningful, or perhaps challenging, to complete?
惭颈苍丑别苍驳:听I am especially proud of my recent research investigating overwork as an indicator of social stratification and a public health issue in mainland China. The most exciting aspect was using R to analyze how the probability of overwork shifts across different sectors. However, the challenge lies in the complexity of the data鈥攕ynthesizing causal inference with the lived experiences of the 67 participants I鈥檝e interviewed requires a constant balance between statistical precision and sociological nuance.
颁谤颈尘:听One project I鈥檓 particularly (and understandably) fond of is my ongoing dissertation work, which examines how intimate partner violence, substance use, and mental health intersect to influence HIV treatment outcomes among men who have sex with men aged fifty and older. This is a rapidly growing population that remains underrepresented in both HIV and aging research, and I find that both the urgency and the invisibility of this group make the work especially meaningful.
The most exciting aspect has been the opportunity to work at the intersection of multiple domains, bringing together epidemiological thinking with more nuanced, psychosocial frameworks. At the same time, that has also been the most challenging part: capturing complexity without flattening it. Methodologically, it requires careful decisions about how to model co-occurring conditions, but conceptually, it also requires resisting overly simplistic narratives about vulnerability and instead honoring the complex realities of people鈥檚 lives.
Every researcher needs a recharge.聽How do you unwind or find balance outside of your academic life?聽
惭颈苍丑别苍驳:听Outside of academic data, I have a deep passion for traveling through different cities with a camera. Whether I鈥檓 navigating the historic streets of Oxford or the modern corners of British Columbia, I sometimes use a 35mm film camera to capture the textures of urban life. People are often surprised by the patience this requires鈥攚aiting for the perfect light to hit a building is a meditative break from the fast pace of doctoral research.
颁谤颈尘:听Outside of research, I鈥檝e recently developed a growing interest in the culinary world. I鈥檓 still very much a beginner, but I enjoy the process of learning. I have been exploring Michelin star restaurants, paying more attention to chefs, and developing an understanding of what innovation looks like in the culinary world. It is surprisingly similar to research in a way: iterative, detail-oriented, and occasionally humbling for the beginner.
I have also developed a bit of an interest in coffee. Not just the consumption thereof (at which I can claim expertise, easily), but also how it鈥檚 made. Did you know that the altitude at which they grow the beans reflects on their flavor profile?
I am an avid fan of the arts, and plays/musicals speak to me. Whenever I have the chance, I love visiting New York to get my fill of Broadway.
Lastly, I鈥檓 also a bit of a spin class regular, which serves as both a mental reset and a way to stay grounded during intense academic periods. I recently completed a challenge: I passed 100 sessions at my current studio and also broke their monthly record (by doing 37 sessions in one month).
Minheng on one of his many travels, and Beren at a recent night out at the theatre
Finally, Minheng, if you could assemble a dream team of three fictional characters to assist in your research, who would they be and what roles would they play?
Minheg:聽If I were given the chance, my team would consist of:聽
- Gandalf: To provide the deep wisdom and historical perspective needed to navigate complex sociological landscapes (and perhaps a bit of magic when the data gets messy).
- Legolas: Serve聽as a very good friend during those long nights of coding and writing; every researcher needs a steadfast companion who never gets tired.
- Elrond: Specifically to allow me to live in Rivendell. Having a serene, timeless library to work in would certainly make the dissertation writing process much more enjoyable!
And Crim, if you could describe your research as food, what would it be and why?
颁谤颈尘:听If I had to describe my research as a food, it would probably be my grandmother鈥檚 lentil soup. It draws on multiple ingredients, each with its own texture and intensity, that merit exploration in isolation but can also come together over time to create something more layered and cohesive. It requires patience, attention, and a willingness to sit with complexity rather than rush to a clean or immediate conclusion. And importantly, it鈥檚 meant to nourish, to offer something sustaining and useful, not just theoretically interesting.
We're grateful to Minheng and Beren for sharing not only the substance of their research but also the curiosity, care, and creativity that shape it. Their work is a reminder that rigorous scholarship is rarely just about data; it's about the questions we choose to sit with, the people whose stories inform us, and the communities that help us think more clearly. We look forward to seeing where their research takes them next.
