I am a PhD candidate in the Faculty of Law at the University of Sussex. My research is supervised by Dr. Sabrina Gilani and Prof. Stephen Shute, with initial supervision from Prof. Mark Walters in my first year. Adopting a critical and historical approach, I examine the concept and meaning of criminalisation throughout Chinese legal history, investigating its philosophical foundations, socio-legal dynamics, and the underlying causes of overcriminalisation and overpunishment.

Publications & Presentations

Ruizhi Li, 'Book Review: On Substantive Decriminalization by Yanhong Liu', Social & Legal Studies (2026) doi: 10.1177/09646639261472074

Ruizhi Li, 'National Unity or Criminal Expansion? A Socio-Legal Critique of China’s New Legislation on Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress', at the QMUL Postgraduate Law Conference 2026 (London, UK, 11 June 2026)

Ruizhi Li, 'Criminalising Vulnerability: HIV, Sex Work, and the Class-Based Logic of Chinese Justice', at the 2026 Annual Conference of the Socio-Legal Studies Association (Brighton, UK, 30 March 2026) abstract available at: https://virtual.oxfordabstracts.com/event/76114/submission/296

Ruizhi Li, 'Beyond Monolithic Theories: Towards Contextual Legitimacy in Asian Criminalisation',  at the 2025 Annual Meeting of the Asian Law and Society Association (Yogyakarta, Indonesia, 13 December 2025) abstract and slides available at: https://pretalx.com/alsa2025/talk/review/XKVFMNPVPS37ZGTVYHJ8SQD33ZE8GP8J

Ruizhi Li and Seyi Ugochukwu, 'On the Transplantation of Extraterritorial Criminal Law in China and Its Impact on the Concept of Crime: A Postcolonial Perspective', at the First International Conference of the International Association for Law and Interdisciplinary Studies (Kobe, Japan, 4 October 2025)

Collaboration
As a PhD student at Sussex, I am supported by the Doctoral Conference Fee and External Training Assistance Funds and the Doctoral Overseas Conference Grants. Furthermore, I am highly motivated to expand my research horizons and explore new avenues for interdisciplinary and cross-disciplinary enquiry. Therefore, I warmly welcome all sorts of invitations to academic conferences, seminars, and collaborative projects.