Yun-Shiuan's academic interests pertain to social and cultural studies of education, in particular issues on globalization, postcolonialism, international students, education inequity, inter-cultural dialog, and the state's role and policies in this regard. Her current research projects are Taiwan's underrepresented student groups in study abroad.

Yun-Shiuan obtained her PhD in educational policy studies with an emphasis on global studies in education from the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign. Before pursuing her PhD, she worked as a Cultural Officer in the Ministry of Education and in the Cultural Division of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Chicago.

She enjoys hiking and reading and is concerned about sociocultural problems. Yun-Shiuan attempts to maintain a balance between work, life, and family. She believes that the personal is political. The research problems selected and considered by researchers are inevitably related to their individual life experience. Researchers constantly and critically reflect on these connections to understand the potential and limits of the research problems they undertake and eventually become ethical researchers.