Sophie Xiaofei Lei is a second-year Ph.D. student in Inner Asian and Altaic Studies at Harvard University. She received her BA in Classical Studies and Art History from Smith College and her MA in Regional Studies East Asia at Harvard University, with a master's thesis on Dunhuang Mogao cave 285. With a focus on the interregional transmission of artistic techniques and cultural knowledge between China and Central Asia beyond and through the Silk Road networks, her research interest also includes Buddhist art and material culture in medieval China. She has conducted archaeological fieldwork in China, Armenia, and Italy and participated in research and curatorial programs in several museums, including the Smithsonian Museum of American Art, the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, and the Harvard Art Museum. She is now a research associate and project manager at Harvard Chinese Art Media Lab. (CAMlab)