Kuangyuan Nong is a graduate student at the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Her research analyzes plant macrofossils to study ancient plant uses, human-environment interactions, and plant migrations across the Silk Road.

In her doctoral research, Nong investigates ancient plant remains from Tang Dynasty military sites in Xinjiang, using evidence from unearthed documents to explore the role of plants within military systems. Additionally, she employs charcoal and wood analysis to understand ancient wood utilization and its environmental implications in China's northwest and southern regions.