Dr. Kou works as an Associate Researcher at the Tongji University. She is also a National Certified Urban Planner. She completed her postdoctoral research at Tongji University, and conducted two years of' visiting scholar research at the University of Washington in the US.
Dr. Kou’s research focuses on the urban and rural heritage conservation, with particular attention to the interaction between community and historical preservation. She involved in the World Bank-loan project for cultural and natural heritage protection in Guizhou Province, and the post-earthquake reconstruction of Dujiangyan ancient town. Both projects launched a community-based approach, and she has been tracking on them for nearly ten years. Her research gained the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the National Postdoctoral Fund, the Shanghai Science and Technology Commission Fund, the Shanghai Philosophy and Social Science Fund, Fudan University Innovation Fund and other grants.