Lin Chun received a Ph.D. from Cambridge University in History and Political Science in 1989 after having previously worked at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. Prior to joining the LSE Government Department in 1995 he held teaching / research positions at several US universities and the Princeton Institute of Advanced Studies.

She is the author of The British New Left (1993), The Transformation of Chinese Socialism (2006) and Reflections on China's Reform Trajectory. Is she also co-editor of Is Mao Really a Monster? (2009) and Women: The Longest Revolution (1997) The Old Topo published The transformation of Chinese socialism in 2008.