I am a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Institutions and Political Inequality unit at the WZB Berlin Social Science Center. I study collective action and state repression in autocracies. My research examines 1) how ordinary people engage in collective action under authoritarian rule and 2) what makes authoritarian states more responsive and less repressive. My theoretical work suggests that ordinary people can coordinate and sustain collective action even in repressive contexts, compelling authorities to address popular demands. Empirically, I analyze labor strikes and migration in contemporary China as arenas of political contestation. I approach these topics using a multi-method strategy centered on network analysis and large language models (LLMs) applications.

I completed my Ph.D. in Political Science at the University of Michigan in August 2023. I was a Ph.D. student in Economics at the University of Southern California from 2014 to 2015. Previously, I worked as a project coordinator at Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA) in Liberia for two years. I also earned an M.S. in Public Policy and Management from Carnegie Mellon University and a B.A. in Public Administration from Xi’an Jiaotong University.