Jin Yao Kwan

Assistant Professor

Jin Yao Kwan is an assistant professor in the College of Education and Human Development’s Department of Human Development and Family Sciences at the University of Delaware. Dr. Kwan is also Research Fellow with The Majurity Trust, a philanthropic organization in Singapore. He also runs socialservice.sg, a website, podcast, and newsletter dedicated to social service research, practice, and policies in Singapore.

Dr. Kwan’s research focuses on the development of adolescents, youth, and young adults in underserved communities. For example, how do we advance the positive development and well-being of adolescents, youth, and emerging adults, especially those who face disadvantages and marginalization? And through implementation science and evaluation research, how do we improve our interventions? Across two inter-related research areas, he explores how families and communities use institutional supports and also examines structural factors and contextual processes perpetuating poverty and inequality.

Prior to joining the University of Delaware, Dr. Kwan was a postdoctoral fellow at the Graduate School of Social Work, University of Denver. He graduated with a Ph.D. in social welfare from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Luskin School of Public Affairs under the National University of Singapore (NUS)-Overseas Graduate Scholarship. In 2017, he graduated with his master’s degree in public policy from the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, NUS.

Educational Background

• Ph.D., Social Welfare, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, 2021
• M.P.P., Public Policy, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 2017
• B.A., Business Administration, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 2017

Professional Experience

• Assistant Professor, Department of Human Development and Family Sciences, College of Education and Human Development, University of Delaware, 2023
• Research Fellow, The Majurity Trust, Singapore, 2023
• Postdoctoral Fellow, Graduate School of Social Work, University of Denver, 2021-2023
• Instructor, Graduate School of Social Work, University of Denver, 2022-2023
• Teaching Assistant, Department of Social Welfare, University of California, Los Angeles, 2019-2021

Recent Grants

• PI, “A retrospective study of family instability and social capital among children of low-income single-parent Singaporean households”, Internal Support for Faculty Research and Scholarship, DU Graduate School of Social Work ($5,000)
• PI, “Singled out: The social capital and well-being of low-income single-parent families in Singapore”, 2019-present
  • Ministry of Social and Family Development, Social and Family Research Fund ($69,700)
  • Dissertation Year Fellowship, UCLA Graduate Division ($20,000)
  • Dissertation Fieldwork Fellowship, UCLA International Institute ($2,000)
  • National University of Singapore Development Grant, National University of Singapore ($7,200)
• PI, “The effects of COVID-19 on the well-being, outlook, and civic engagement of youths in Singapore”, National Youth Council, National Youth Fund, 2020-2021 ($10,900)
• Co-PI (with REACH Community Services Society), “From feeling hopeless to feeling hopeful”: The implications of solution focused practice on practitioners and beneficiaries in a Singapore youth agency, Austrian Solution Circle, ASC Research Fund, 2020-2021 ($2,000)
• PI, “The long-term outcomes of community service: The role of contribution among young adults in Singapore”, National Youth Council, National Youth Fund, 2018-2019 ($6,500)

Recent Professional Awards

• Luskin Fellowship, UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs, 2020-2021
• Dissertation Year Fellowship, UCLA Graduate Division, 2020-2021
• Dissertation Fieldwork Fellowship Award, UCLA International Institute, 2020-2021
• National University of Singapore Development Grant, 2019
• Overseas Graduate Scholarship, National University of Singapore, 2017-2021