He holds a Ph.D. in Political Science (George Washington University 2008) and an M.A. in East Asia Area Studies (University of Washington 1999). He was a post-doctoral research fellow at the University of Oxford (2008-09) and a Jean Monnet Fellow at the European University Institute in Florence, Italy (2015-16). He served as the East Asia Representative of the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) in Dalian, China from 2001-2008. He is the author of Strong Society, Smart State: The Rise of Public Opinion in China's Japan Policy (Columbia University Press 2012), and the co-editor of Australia and China at 40 (UNSW Press 2012). His articles have appeared in numerous edited volumes and academic journals.