Mentoring is a central part of my work. Through my research, I train the next generation of China-focused scholars, while I also support students more broadly as they navigate college, graduate school, and their career paths.

In my Policy Process Research Group, 5-10 undergraduate DKU students each work on projects that analyze how policies are made, implemented, experienced in practice and how policies evolve over time to produce real-world effects, in the context of China. Current projects examine antimicrobial resistance, pandemic preparedness, soil pollution, urban gardening, and cycling infrastructure. All of these topics provide insights into broader questions of agenda-setting, policy change, and implementation in China. The group’s efforts have resulted in multiple research outputs, including presentations at (international) conferences and co-authored publications in top-level public policy journals.

A distinctive feature of the Policy Process Research Group is its emphasis on academic community and sustained engagement: students are typically hired for multi-semester projects, allowing them to develop deeper research expertise and contribute meaningfully to tangible research outputs. Throughout the year, we have weekly individual meetings in addition to a monthly research group meeting in which all students present brief updates and identify next steps. The group’s mentoring program that pairs graduated students with current DKU students, creating an additional layer of guidance and community.

Beyond my research group, I mentor undergraduate theses (called “Signature Work” at DKU), which is a very exciting part of my research work because these are student-led projects, meaning that I get to learn about a wide range of topics that students pick themselves, such as the global underground techno scene, fishery policy in China, and female politicians in Mongolia.

At Duke Kunshan University, I am also an academic advisor. In this rewarding role, I get to join undergraduate students in their journey at DKU by supporting them as they navigate the curriculum, offering guidance through academic or personal challenges, and—above all— encouraging them to identify their passions and chart meaningful paths towards their dreams, whether it is graduate school or a professional career. In 2020–2021, I was honored to receive the DKU Academic Advisor of the Year Award.

Beyond formal advising, I also mentor students who are not officially my advisees—sometimes after taking my class, sometimes simply because our paths cross on campus. Conversations typically focus on course selection, careers in public policy, the value of a PhD degree, preparation for graduate studies, and opportunities for research training. I frequently support these students by writing recommendation letters, with some of these mentoring relationships continuing even after students graduate from DKU. It is a real joy to see where these students go next and all the interesting places their ambitions take them, whether in China, the USA, Europe, Africa, or elsewhere in the world.