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Cardiff Business School

Exploring climate change, modern slavery and justice: Yuxin Wang’s path to PhD research

How can we protect vulnerable workers as supply chains transition toward sustainability?

PhD researcher Yuxin Wang is tackling this pressing global question, bridging climate science, social justice and ethics to shape a fairer path forward.

Yuxin Wang is a PhD student at Cardiff University. She is fascinated by complex social issues and the contradictions that shape them. She is particularly interested in how these tensions influence social relations and power structures.

Her research focuses on just transitions in global supply chains, examining how economic, social, and environmental objectives can be balanced during processes of sustainability transition. Yuxin has dedicated her academic journey to understanding how climate change and modern slavery intersect within global supply chains.

Yuxin first joined Cardiff University in 2022 as a master's degree student in Sustainable Supply Chain Management, building on an undergraduate education, studying Logistics Management at Henan University of Technology, China, that sparked an early interest in the field. During her studies, she developed a strong curiosity towards the social dimensions of sustainability, an area that would soon shape the direction of her research.

Yuxin’s master's degree dissertation, How do Climate Change and Modern Slavery impact each other in the Supply Chain: A Systematic Literature Review, focused on the emerging and complex relationship between climate change and modern slavery. Although the topic presented significant challenges, she credits her supervisor, Dr Maryam Lotfi, for helping her navigate methodological and conceptual hurdles.

Determined to extend the reach of her findings

Yuxin reworked her dissertation into a journal article. With continued guidance from Dr Lotfi, who supported her through detailed reviewer feedback and multiple rounds of revisions, the paper was successfully published in a high‑quality journal, “Business Ethics, the Environment and Responsibility”.

Excitingly, this work is now recognised as one of the earliest academic studies to examine the intersection of climate change and modern slavery.

Receiving recognition and constructive suggestions from other peer reviewers during the publication process was undoubtedly a key takeaway for me.

Miss Yuxin Wang Research student

Gaining momentum

Through this process, Yuxin gained valuable research skills, from analytical software techniques to advanced methodological approaches, and deepened her commitment to exploring socially responsible and sustainable supply chains.

As her research interest gained momentum, Yuxin began uncovering connections between extreme weather events, forced migration, and modern slavery.

“Extreme climatic conditions can displace large populations by altering living environments, and the resulting migration often increases vulnerability, making people more susceptible to exploitation and modern slavery.” Yuxin says, sharing a key connection she has drawn from her work.

Recognising the vulnerability of migrants displaced by conflict or climate‑related disasters, she chose to work in Qatar, a region defined by extreme climatic conditions, significant socio‑economic inequalities, and a large migrant labour population. Yuxin's experiences living and working alongside migrant workers strengthened her determination to identify practical solutions to these interconnected global challenges.

Doctoral research proposal

Encouraged by Dr Lotfi, Yuxin began to view these issues through the framework of just transition, which integrates environmental, social, economic, and intergenerational justice. The approach resonated strongly with her vision of creating fair and inclusive pathways to support communities affected by climate and environmental change.

Building on this foundation, Yuxin developed a doctoral research proposal centred on just transition in global supply chains. Her proposal was awarded a China Scholarship Council (CSC) Scholarship, enabling her to pursue her PhD at Cardiff Business School under Dr Lotfi’s supervision.

It has been a pleasure to work with Yuxin on her master’s dissertation on climate change and modern slavery, an area that reflected her genuine research interests and was later published as one of the first high-quality journal articles on this topic. Her journey shows that when students follow their passion, it can lead to meaningful achievements and wider academic and societal impact. This experience shaped her professional development and motivated her to pursue a PhD focused on just transition in global supply chains.

Dr Maryam Lotfi Senior Lecturer of Sustainable Supply Chain Management

Looking ahead

Yuxin aims to advance just transition as a practical and equitable framework for protecting vulnerable workers in extreme environments. She hopes her research will encourage collaboration across the academic community and contribute to progress toward the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, supporting the creation of a more just and sustainable shared future.