Her research interests include Chinese foreign policy, public opinion, and international political communication. Her ongoing work focuses on public diplomacy as performed by China and the United States and the role of race in public opinion about foreign policy. Her research has been supported by the Wilson Center China Fellowship, the Morris Abrams Award in International Relations, the USC Center on Public Diplomacy, the Smith Richardson Foundation, and the Ford Foundation.
Coverage of her expertise and research has appeared in the Monkey Cage blog at the Washington Post, The Root, and a series at the National Bureau of Asian Research; furthermore, she has made public appearances at the Aspen Security Forum and the CSIS Future Strategy Forum. She has a PhD in political science from Harvard University, an MPP from Harvard Kennedy School, and a BA in International Relations with honours from Stanford University. Prior to pursuing a PhD, she was a Foreign Service Officer at the US Department of State.