My IALS PhD Experience
What was your PhD topic?
‘International and Domestic Measures: An Inquiry into the Anti-Money Laundering Mechanisms from the Perspective of Financial Regulation and Corporate Governance and Recommendations for China’.
The research stemmed originally from my interest in news on financial crimes and motivation to identify possible solutions. Money laundering undermines international financial order and stability seriously, and the enormous proceeds this crime generates by facilitating various predicate offences has raised serious concerns, and as an important participant in the world economy, China needs to advocate for more action against money laundering and enhance its AML efforts to respond better to financial crimes that harm the economy.
What attracted you to IALS?
As a specialised post graduate research institute and legal research centre, IALS attracted me as an ideal choice after my master’s studies in a comprehensive university. It serves as a national academic centre of excellence and provides academic support in legal research. IALS library, which has one of the largest legal research collections in Europe, provided us students with highly helpful references.
The Institute often holds various seminars and academic conferences that have given us opportunities to learn about different topics and communicate with scholars from universities throughout the UK. The excellent location with different colleges nearby and convenient transport gave me the opportunity to pursue a variety of materials that are relevant to my research, as well as spend my leisure time visiting museums, galleries, and shopping centres.
What is your fondest memory from your time at IALS?
Sitting in the library to write my thesis helped me concentrate and was a highly productive period. During breaks, the ground floor cafe provided a good place to chat with colleagues and sometimes we shared our own interests, challenges, and pressure that we experienced commonly during our long PhD journeys.
What have you done since leaving IALS?
It has been no more than two weeks since I received the lovely PhD success messages, and it was just yesterday that I received a letter from Professor Stychin in which he called me ‘Dr’. As a fresh PhD holder, my goal is to apply what I have learned in my research, and practice compliance matters in the financial sector.
Anything else that you would like to add.
Looking back, I am happy that I chose IALS, as it was the right place for my research, is flexible, and offers opportunities to participate in different events. Our colleagues have been friendly and willing to talk regardless of the areas in which they work, and the registry staff were very supportive and always approachable for assistance.