Eleanor Lim-Midyett, Ph. D

Eleanor Lim-Midyett received a B.A. in English Literature from Georgetown University and a Ph.D. in East Asian Languages and Literatures from Yale University, specializing in modern Chinese fiction. At KCAI, she teaches courses in Asian Studies, Asian American Studies, and Gender Studies, where she brings an interdisciplinary perspective to the classroom. In 2023, she was honored with the KCAI Excellence in Teaching Award.

Her research has been presented at the Midwest Modern Language Association (MMLA), the Association for Asian American Studies (AAAS), and the International Society for the Study of Chinese Overseas (ISSCO), and her essays have appeared in academic journals and anthologies. She is also the project manager, co-curator, and podcast producer of The Mother and…Project, a multi-platform, cross-disciplinary exhibition opening in September 2025 at the Leedy-Voulkos Art Center (LVAC) that explores motherhood as a source of creative potential and hybrid identities. The project received support from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) in 2024 and was recognized with KCAI’s Outstanding Special Project Award in 2025.

In addition to her teaching and scholarship, she is a founding member of KCAI’s IDEAS Council and serves as faculty advisor for KCAI’s Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) student organization.