I work in the interdisciplinary field of political science, sociology, and urban planning. My main research agenda centers on political control and urban governance, with a regional focus on China. In particular, I study how physical space impacts the interaction between the state and society, and how the state’s pursuit of political control and stability reshapes physical space. This dynamic has implications for issues related to migration, inequality, and authoritarian resilience. I am also interested in broader themes of state-society relations under authoritarianism: (a) the state’s propaganda strategies, and (b) prospects for civic engagement in policymaking given state control. I use mixed methods, including remote sensing data analysis, text data analysis, design-based inference, interviews, and ethnographical participation.

In my dissertation titled Preemptive Coercion, I explore the political control incentive for authoritarian governments to demolish informal settlements and evict internal migrants. My works have been published in the China Quarterly, the Journal of Contemporary China, and in edited volumes through the University of Pennsylvania Press.

My research has been supported by the Cornell Contemporary China Initiative, the Cornell East Asian Program, and the Cornell Graduate School. I obtained my M.A. in Regional Studies - East Asia from Harvard University, and my LL.B. in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from Peking University.