Xiaodan Hu, Ph.D. is an assistant professor in Higher Education and Student Affairs, and coordinator of the Community College Leadership Program at Northern Illinois University. She teaches higher education administration, finance and policy, and community college leadership. Her role as the program coordinator includes student advising, recruitment, curriculum design, and other administrative responsibilities.

Her research typically employs quantitative methods to examine the impact of state policies and institutional initiatives, focusing on postsecondary success of historically marginalized students. She also studies best practices in community colleges. Hu has recently published in prestigious journals, including American Educational Research Journal, Educational Researcher, Research in Higher Education, The Journal of Higher Education, and Community College Review on topics such as the impact of performance-based funding, the pathway of upward transfer, and the financial implications of community college baccalaureate programs.