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Xiao Dong is a linguist and Chinese language instructor whose research focuses on Mandarin Chinese from multiple perspectives, including phonetics, sociophonetics, psycholinguistics, and second language acquisition. Her work examines the acoustic properties of lexical tones, the role of linguistic variation in shaping social meaning and language attitudes, and the acquisition of Mandarin tones by second language learners. She received an M.A. in Chinese Pedagogy and an M.S. in Computational Linguistics from Indiana University Bloomington and is completing her Ph.D. in Chinese Linguistics, with a minor in General Linguistics, there. Her dissertation investigates the social life of Mandarin neutral tone, exploring how this feature is produced and interpreted across different Mandarin-speaking communities and what it reveals about the relationship between language variation, identity, and language learning.  In addition to her research, Xiao is passionate about Chinese language teaching and has taught Chinese at multiple proficiency levels. She enjoys creating student-centered learning environments that emphasize meaningful communication and cultural engagement. She also incorporates project-based approaches that connect classroom learning with authentic language use and real-world contexts.