Born and raised in China, Dian Dong holds a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from the University of Maryland, College Park, and a Master of Public Administration from Columbia University. Prior to returning to the University of Maryland as a doctoral student, she was a Senior Program Officer at the National Academy of Education where she oversaw a portfolio of research projects addressing pressing educational issues, including the development of civic capabilities among K-12 students.

Dian is interested in examining the dynamic processes behind how immigrants develop a sense of agency and belonging in a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural society as well as the institutional-level influences on their well-being. She served as a co-editor of two recent volumes: Civic Education in a Time of Democratic Crisis (The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science) and Educating for Civic Reasoning and Discourse (National Academy of Education).