Lan Heng (Alex)

I am a PhD candidate at the School of Social Science. My current doctoral research explores the nexus of queer, spiritual, and religious experiences in Singapore. I hold a B.Soc.Sci (Hons, with a Minor in Urban Studies) and an M.Soc.Sci (by research) in Geography from the National University of Singapore. Prior to pursuing my doctoral studies, I was a full-time teaching assistant with the Department of Sociology and Anthropology for three years, where I taught gender studies, as well as a range of elective and interdisciplinary courses.

I am interested in exploring the intersections of individual agency and (infra)structures of (dis)empowerment, underpinned by qualitative, feminist ethno-methodologies. Since 2020, I have also been working on two strands of research that emerged from my prior undergraduate and postgraduate studies: (1) the socio-spatial construction of gendered fear, and (2) queer (neoliberal) spaces in higher education using (post-)Agambenian theories. My academic works have been published in journals such as Gender, Place & Culture, Geoforum, and the Journal of Transport Geography.

Experiences:

• 2023 - 2026: Teaching Assistantship (Full-Time), Department of Sociology and Anthropology, National University of Singapore, Singapore
  • Courses taught:
    • Nature and Nurture: Rethinking Sex and Gender (interdisciplinary course with biological sciences) (three semesters)
    • Gender Studies (two semesters)
    • Disney and the Theme Park World (two semesters)
    • Cultural Diversity in the Contemporary World (one semester)
    • Sexuality in Comparative Perspective (one semester)
    • Singapore: Imagining the Next 50 Years (one semester)
      
      
• 2021 - 2022: Graduate Teaching Assistantship, Department of Geography, National University of Singapore, Singapore

Qualifications:

• 2021 - 2023: Master of Social Sciences (by Research), National University of Singapore, Singapore
  • Thesis: Unpacking the Camp(us) and the Spatiality of Exception: LGBTQ+ Youths’ Experiences and Impacts of Queer-Inclusive Education in Universities in Singapore
• 2017 - 2021: Bachelor of Social Sciences with Honours (Highest Distinction) with Minor in Urban Studies, National University of Singapore, Singapore
  • Thesis: Spatialities of Young Women’s Gendered and Sexualised Fear: (De)constructing and (Re)negotiating Heteropatriarchy in Singapore
    
    

Research Interests:

• Gender and sexuality
• Spirituality
• Religion
• Queer spaces
• Neoliberalism
• Affect and emotions

Publications:

• Lan, H. (2025) ‘Queer(ing) Spaces of Exception: Mind mapping as an analytical tool in qualitative spatial research’, The Professional Geographer, 77(3): 361-372.
• Lan, H. (2025) ‘The Camp(us) and the Spatiality of Exception: Examining the socio-spatial characteristics of queer pedagogical spaces in universities in Singapore’, Geoforum, 166, 104429.
• Lan, H. (2026). 'Performing ‘Asian’ femininities and the paradox of masculinities under cis-heteropatriarchy: unpacking the socio-spatial construction of young women’s fears in public spaces in Singapore', Gender, Place & Culture, 33(1): 1-29.
• Lan, H. (2026) ‘It does (not) get better: Critiquing neoliberal “betterment” and the transformative impacts of queer-inclusive spaces in higher education in Singapore’, Futures (Queer Futures Special Issue), 179, 103800.
• Lan, H. (2026) ‘(Re)thinking safety: (Infra)structural micro-spatio-temporalities of young women's victimisation on public transport in Singapore’, Journal of Transport Geography, Vol.137, 104844.
  
  

Conference Presentations:

• Lan, H. (2026, September 3). Queer(in) the Camp(us) and the Spatiality of Exception: The subjectivities of LGBTQ+ agency and the transformative impacts of queer pedagogical spaces in higher education in Singapore. RGS-IBG Annual International Conference, Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom.
• Lan, H. (2026, August 9). Performing and “doing” femininities: A qualitative exploratory study of the gendered landscapes of fear in Singapore. Critical Femininities Conference (“Temporalities”). Online.
• Lan, H. (2024, February 27). The Camp(us) and the Spatialities of Exception: Unpacking LGBTQ+ youth experiences and the transformative impacts of queer-inclusive pedagogical spaces in universities in Singapore. Research Workshop on Gender, Youth and Media in Asia. Gender and Sexuality Research Cluster, National University of Singapore, Singapore.