Academic degrees earned
B.A., Renmin University of China
M.T.S., University of Notre Dame
M.A., Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Ph.D., University of Notre Dame
Courses at the Angelicum
Brief biography
Yuan grew up in Beijing, China. She stumbled into a Hebrew class when she was a freshman at Renmin University (because other ancient language classes were full) and ended up pursuing an academic career in the Hebrew Bible and the ancient Near East (ANE). Before she came to the Angelicum, she did her academic training in Jerusalem and northern Indiana, US.
Yuan is especially interested in questions concerning ANE science and epistemology. For example, how did ANE cultures define knowledge? What kinds of knowledge are considered meaningful, and thus worth pursuing? How is ancient science similar to, and different from, modern science?
Outside teaching and research, Yuan enjoys cooking, painting, gardening, reading science articles, and everything animal-related. Wen dreams of getting a degree in botany after she retires.
Areas of Academic Specialization and Interest
Hebrew Bible
Assyriology
Semitic languages
Associations and Memberships
Society of Biblical Literature
Academic honors and awards
Outstanding Graduate Student Teacher Award, Notre Dame Learning
Kaneb Center for Teaching Excellence (2022)
Presidential Fellowship, University of Notre Dame (2017-22)
Current research/writing projects
Biblical and ancient Near Eastern science and epistemology
Select Publications
“The Use of Legal Metaphors in the Context of Cosmology in the Hebrew Bible and Mesopotamian Texts,” submitted to Vetus Testamentum
Curriculum Vitae