1. Janny Li
Email: jli18@uci.edu
Education
Ph.D. in Anthropology, University of California, Irvine
Advanced to candidacy in 2012. Degree expected June 2015.
Spectral Science: Into the World of American Ghost Hunters
Committee: Dr. George Marcus (chair), Dr. Mei Zhan, Dr. Keith Murphy
M.A. in Anthropology, University of California, Irvine
Degree received in January 2014.
B.A. in Anthropology, minor in Asian Humanities, University of California, Los Angeles
Degree received in June 2006.
Chinese University of Hong Kong, Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship funded
study abroad in Fall 2005.
Interests
Anthropology of knowledge; medicine, science, technology, and society (MSTS) studies; psychological
anthropology; anthropology of religion; history of science; scientific experiments; religion-science
debates; anthropology of the mind; American religion and spirituality; occult and metaphysical traditions;
embodiment and phenomenology; William James; pragmatism; semiotics; ethics and morality; visual
culture and new media; popular culture
Research Experience
2011-2013 Dissertation fieldwork in Southern California and New York City
Spectral Science: Intro the World of American Ghost Hunters, employed ethnographic
methods over 15 months to examine how ghost hunters conceive of and do the work of
paranormal research. Conducted archival research at the American Society for
Psychical Research examining the emergence of paranormal research in the late
Victorian era.
Research funded by the Wenner-Gren Foundation and the Lita Osmundsen Initiative
Grant for research that demonstrates how the unique qualities of anthropology can
make a significant contribution to the modern world.
2009-2011 Pre-dissertation fieldwork in New York City, Chicago, and Cambridge, Mass.
Summer research on feasibility of long-term dissertation research on paranormal
researchers. Archival research at Houghton Library at Harvard University examining
the William James archives. Research funded by Center for Ethnography and
Department of Anthropology, University of California, Irvine

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2005 Directed research project at University of California, Los Angeles
Striking a Balance: Patient and Doctor Co-construction of a Clinical Interaction,
quarter-long study (Spring 2005) employed discourse analysis to investigate the co-construction
of clinical interactions between doctors and patients using various
linguistic styles and communicative stances. Trained in transcription methods and
HIPPA. Research led by Dr. Cameron Hay-Rollins.
2005 Independent research project at Chinese University of Hong Kong
Rolling Stone Gathers no Moss: Modernization of Fo Guang Shan Buddhism in Hong
Kong. Semester long (Fall 2005) study employed ethnographic methods and archival
research to examine how Buddhist monastics introduced new methods of propagating
their religion to the lay community. Fieldwork resulted in an independent research
paper presented to the UCLA Education Abroad Program. Research funded by the
Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship
2004-2005 Preliminary research for independent research project in London (2004),
Los Angeles (Spring 2005), Kaoshiung, Taiwan (Summer 2005)
Employed ethnographic methods, archival research, and discourse analysis to study
the localization and missionary practices of the Fo Guang Shan monastery in Taiwan
and their international branch temples. Fieldwork resulted in a presentation for the Fo
Guang Shan monastery. Research partially funded by Humanistic Buddhism
Monastic Life Program Fellowship.
2003 Getty Multicultural Internship
Collections intern at the Pacific Asia Museum in California. Trained in collections
management and textile conservation. Focused on the preservation and archiving of
Japanese imperial kimonos. Internship funded by The Getty Foundation.
Awards and Fellowships
2014 UCI Associated Graduate Students Travel Grant
2012 Wenner-Gren Foundation Dissertation Fieldwork Grant
2012 Lita Osmundsen Initiative Grant
2012 UC Irvine Center for Ethnography Travel Grant
2011 UC Irvine School of Social Sciences Graduate Fellowship
2009-2011 UC Irvine Department of Anthropology Summer Research Funding Grant
2008-2010 UC Irvine School of Social Sciences Summer Fellowship
2008 UC Irvine School of Social Sciences Merit Fellowship
2005 Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship
2005 Humanistic Buddhism Monastic Life Program Fellowship

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Works in Progress
“Residual Hauntings: Authoritative Intuition as Making Present an Imagined Past” invited for
resubmission to American Ethnologist.
“Visions of Future Science: Inside a Ghost Hunter’s Tool Kit” in preparation for Science, Technology, &
Human Values.
Miscellaneous Writings and Media
“I Don’t Have ESP: What the Ganzfeld Experiment can tell us about Science” at Method: A Quarterly
Magazine about Science and Society.
Available: http://www.methodquarterly.com/2014/11/i-dont-have-esp/
Interviewed about historic and contemporary paranormal research in America by Amanda Yates Garcia
for “The Oracle Hour” (KCHUNG). August 23, 2014.
“The Palm Print.” Blog post, Sound Ethnography, July 2013.
Available: http://soundethnography.com/2013/07/12/the-palm-print/
“Conference encounters: Challenging boundaries and rethinking ethics at the 2008 American
Anthropological Association Annual Meeting.” Caitlin Fouratt, Janny Li, Taylor Nelms. Anthropology
Today 25(2): 27-28.
Papers and Workshops
2014 Residual Hauntings: Authoritative Intuition as Making Present an Imagined Past
American Anthropological Association Meeting in Washington D.C. Accepted. 3
December.
2014 “American Haunting: An Anthropological Study of Ghost Hunters,” Invited colloquium,
Department of Anthropology, Saddleback College, 29 October
2014 A Case of Quasi-Certainty: William James and the Making of the Subliminal Mind
Knowledge in Motion: Anthropological Engagements with Epistemic Infrastructures.
Conference, Department of Anthropology, University of California, Irvine. 26, April.
2014 Residual Hauntings: Making Present an Intuited Past
Invited participant, “Working Title” Workshop
Department of Anthropology, University of California, Irvine. 18 February.
2012 Spectral Science: Into the Experimental World of Ghost Hunters

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Invited presentation, Constructing Worlds: Breaking and Making Order. Conference,
Department of Visual Studies, University of California, Irvine. 5 April.
2010 Unstable Encounters: The Space Cat and Moments of Surprise in a Ganzfeld Experiment
Uncertainty: Ambiguity and Doubt in Knowledge Production. Conference, Department
of Anthropology, Stanford University, CA. 23 April.
2010 The Train Conductor: A Case Study of a Haunting
Invisibilities: Addressing the Question of the Unseen. Conference, Department of
Anthropology, Johns Hopkins University, MD. 20 February.
Teaching Experience
2013-2014 Instructor, Department of Anthropology
University of California, Irvine
Anthropology of the Paranormal. Upper-division course fulfilling an elective
requirement for undergraduate students seeking an emphasis in Medicine, Science,
Technology, and Society Studies in the anthropology department.
Course explored cross-cultural beliefs in the supernatural with a focus on religion-science
debates in the United States. Hosted workshops on “Reading Workshop: How
to Read an Academic Article,” “Writing Workshop: How to Construct and Support an
Argument,” and “Ethnographic Methods Workshop: How to Collect and Analyze
Data.” Designed syllabus, course schedule, exams, assignments, and coordinate course
materials.
2008- Teaching Assistant, School of Social Sciences
University of California, Irvine
Developed section syllabus, lesson plans, classroom activities, and held office hours.
Graded exams and research papers. In addition, hosted workshops on “Writing
Workshop: How to Construct and Support an Argument.” Select courses taught:
Introduction to Socio-Cultural Anthropology; Introduction to Linguistic
Anthropology (lecture given: Language and Mass Media); Language and Social
Cognition; Origins of Global Interdependence; Reading Images Culturally (lecture
given: Spectral Science: Into the Experimental World of Ghost Hunters), Computer
Based Research.
2006 English Instructor, He Ping Middle School, Shaanxi Province, China
Taught students from ages 12-16 English and listening comprehension skills. Classes
incorporate a multi-modal approach to teaching through the use of audio/video
equipment, power point presentations, games, and songs
Mentoring Experience

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2013 Mentor, Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program
University of California, Irvine
Advised an undergraduate research assistant on the design of her ethnographic research
project on ghost hunters in Southern California. I worked with her to secure intramural
funding for her fieldwork and present her findings at the UCI Undergraduate Research
Symposium. I also trained her in ethnographic fieldwork methods, archival research,
transcription, and data analysis.
Pedagogical Training
2014-2015 UCI Community College Internship Program, Intern
Worked with a faculty mentor at Orange Coast College to develop pedagogical skills
and learn multi-modal teaching resources. Duties included attending lectures, giving
guest lectures, holding office hours, advising transfer students, connecting transfer
students to UCI. Developing and implementing a series of writing, reading, and
methods workshops and handbooks, including: “How to Read an Academic Article,”
“How to Write a Social Sciences Paper,” and “Qualitative Research Design and
Methods.”
2014 Working Safe and Smart in the Wild Web (Hosted by UCI Office of Information
Technology)
2013 Google Apps @UCI (Hosted by UCI Office of Information Technology)
2013 Small Group Instructional Diagnosis (Conducted by UCI Teaching, Learning, and
Technology Center)
2012 UCI Electronic Educational Environment (EEE) Assessment Tools (Hosted by UCI
Office of Information Technology)
2011 UCI EEE Collaboration Tools (Hosted by UCI Office of Information Technology)
2011 SmartClassooms for ‘Eaters (Anteaters) (Hosted by UCI Office of Information
Technology)
2010 Multimedia: Creating Video with iMovie (Hosted by UCI Libraries)
2010 EEE Instructional Tools (Hosted by UCI Office of Information Technology)
2008 UCI Teaching Assistant Professional Development Program (Hosted by UCI Teaching,
Learning, and Technology Center)
Synergistic Activities
2014 Co-organizer, Magical Machines: Mysticism and Modern Technology. AAA Annual
Meeting in Washington, D.C. Accepted.
2013-2014 University of California, Irvine, Department of Anthropology, Undergraduate
Committee, Curriculum Analyst. Researched the course offerings, specializations,

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resources, and requirements of comparable undergraduate anthropology programs and
presented by findings to the Undergraduate Committee towards their efforts to redesign
the UCI undergraduate anthropology major.
2013 Organizer, “Returning from the Field Clinic.” Graduate Student Workshop led by
Prof. Tom Boellstorf and Prof. Valerie Olson on transitioning from fieldwork to
dissertation writing and publishing. University of California, Irvine
Professional Affiliations
American Anthropological Association
American Ethnological Association
Society for the Anthropology of Religion
California STS Network
References
George Marcus (Doctoral Committee Chair): Chancellor’s Professor, Department of Anthropology,
University of California, Irvine, gmarcus@uci.edu, (949) 824-5345
Mei Zhan: Associate Professor, Department of Anthropology, University of California, Irvine,
mzhan@uci.edu, (949) 824-8167
Keith Murphy: Associate Professor, Department of Anthropology, University of California, Irvine,
kmmurphy@uci.edu, (949) 824-9234
Gabriele Schwab: Chancellor’s Professor, Department of Comparative Literature, University of
California, Irvine, gmschwab@uci.edu, (949) 824-6406