Our staff

Rhys Palmer

Director, Confucius Institute at the University of Newcastle

rhys.palmer@newcastle.edu.au

Rhys Palmer leads the Institute in developing exchanges, collaborations, consultancies and partnerships with academic, community, business and government partners in Australia and China. Prior to his appointment as Director of the Confucius Institute, Rhys was involved in developing the University's strategic relationships and partnerships with China. He holds a Bachelor of Education, Master of Arts and Master of Marketing. Rhys is an Executive Member of the NSW Australian China Business Council and a proud alumnus of the University of Newcastle.

Jonathan Yi

Deputy Director, Confucius Institute at the University of Newcastle

jonathan.yi@newcastle.edu.au

As Deputy Director Jonathan provides academic leadership to the Institute, overseeing our courses, study tours and schools' program, including the establishment of affiliated Confucius Classrooms in schools. Jonathan is an Associate Professor of English at Central China Normal University, our partner university in China. Previously he was a visiting scholar and helped establish the very successful Confucius Institute at University of Kansas, USA. Jonathan has a Bachelor degree in English Language and Literature from Central China Normal University, a Masters degree in American Studies from University of Kansas, and 25 years of teaching experiences in tertiary institutions.

Jingfen Xiao

Chinese Instructor, Confucius Institute at the University of Newcastle

jingfen.xiao@newcastle.edu.au

Jingfen teaches Chinese language, Tai Chi and Chinese calligraphy and is involved in our program for schools. Jingfen is from the School of Education at our partner university Central China Normal University and has over 20 years of Chinese teaching experience. Prior to joining our Institute, she was a Chinese instructor at the Chinese Department at Ankara University in Turkey. Jingfen has a Bachelor degree in English and a Masters degree in Education both from Central China Normal University and is currently studying towards a PhD in Education.

Janet Liang

Chinese Instructor, Confucius Institute at the University of Newcastle

janet.liang@newcastle.edu.au

Janet teaches Chinese language courses at the Institute. She also runs a cultural training program for staff members at the University of Newcastle and is involved in our programs for schools. Janet has a Bachelor degree in Chinese Education from Nanjing Xiaozhuang University in China and Masters degrees in Applied Linguistics and Educational Studies from University of Newcastle. Janet has over 8 years teaching experience. Prior to joining the Institute, and before coming to Australia to study, Janet taught Mandarin at the Bina Bangsa School in Indonesia.

Xiaohua Hou

Chinese Instructor, Confucius Institute at the University of Newcastle

Xiaohua teaches Chinese language courses at the Confucius Institute. She has a Bachelor degree in English from Hubei Institute for Nationalities and a Masters degree in TCSOL (Teaching Chinese to Speakers of Other Language) from Central China Normal University. Xiaohua has 4 years of language teaching experience. Prior to joining the Confucius Institute, she taught Chinese to overseas students at the College of International Cultural Exchange at Central China Normal University.

Zhao Xiao

Chinese Instructor, Confucius Institute at the University of Newcastle

Zhao Xiao teaches Chinese language courses at the Confucius Institute. She has a Bachelor degree in History from Yunnan Normal University and a Masters degree in TCSOL from Central China Normal University.  Zhao has been working as a part-time language teacher and translator since 2011. Before joining the Confucius Institute, she taught Chinese to overseas students at the College of International Cultural Exchange at Central China Normal University.

Qiubei Fu

Administration Officer, Confucius Institute at the University of Newcastle

qiubei.fu@newcastle.edu.au

Qiubei manages the daily operation of the Institute including course enrolments and assisting with the marketing and development of the Institute. She also develops and leads intercultural programs such as the Chinese English Speaking Club at the University. Qiubei has double Bachelor's degrees in Advertising and English from Huazhong University of Science and Technology in China and a Masters' degree in Conference Interpreting from Macquarie University. She is a NAATI accredited professional Mandarin/English interpreter. Previously Qiubei was the China Bureau Chief, managing the translation desk and multilingual news publishing, at a financial newswire company in Sydney.