Her research focusses on internal conflict process and resolution, foreign policy analysis and ethnic politics in China, and she applies quantitative analysis, spatial statistics and formal modeling to her work. She has presented her research at the annual meetings of the American Political Science Association, the International Studies Association, and the Peace Science Society. She holds a PhD from Rice University, where she wrote her dissertation on the relationship between territorial autonomy and ethnic violence. She holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in international politics from Nankai University and is a recipient of numerous scholarships and awards.