She holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Ohio State University (USA; 2000), a Master in Southeast Asian Studies from Sogang University (South Korea; 2019), and a Master in Colonial & Global History from Leiden University (the Netherlands; 2021).
Before joining academia, Vany ran a language school for children and adults in Guangzhou (China; 2002-2013). Her teaching versatility, entrepreneurial spirit, and 26 years of sojourning experience in diverse cultures give Vany the ability to converse with people from all walks of life.
In September 2021, Vany brought her original project to the University of Amsterdam. Utilizing the unexplored petitions from the colonial subjects to the Dutch East India Company (VOC) government in Batavia, Vany investigates the impact of Dutch colonialism on the subjugated people’s daily lives. Through this project, she aims to challenge the depiction of VOC Batavia at three important points of its existence: the peak years (1680s-1720s), in the aftermath of the well-studied Chinese massacre (1740-1741), and at the end of the VOC rule (1795).
As of 2023, Vany sits on the board of the Amsterdam Center for Urban History (ACUH), DecolonialDialogues@Humanities (DD@H), Diversity and Inclusion Office (of UvA), and is an Ambassador of the Economic History Society (EHS).