I am an Associate Professor with tenure in the Department of Political Science at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. In 2024, I received the NSHE Regents’ Rising Researcher Award, the first assistant professor in political science to receive this award since 1993. I also serve as an associate political science at RAND Corporation. My research and teaching interests focus on public opinion, political psychology, social media, cognitive warfare, data visualization, US-China-Taiwan relationship, and East Asian politics.
My current research projects include:
(1) The Long-term effect of political violence and its impact on democratization
(2) Economic patronage and power asymmetry
(3) The psychological foundation and theory of Strategic Ambiguity
(4) Disinformation and cognitive warfare between China and Taiwan
(5) The psychology of blame attribution in the polarized world.
These projects are supported by: The Wilson Center 2021 China Fellowship, Chiang Ching-Kao Foundation 2020 Scholarship, Global Taiwan Institute 2019 Scholarship, and the American Psychological Association small research grant.
My research articles can be found in the Journal of Peace Research, International Interactions, Social Media + Society, HKS Misinformation Review, Political Research Quarterly, Journal of Computational Social Science, Electoral Studies, Evolution and Human Behavior, Social Science Research, Political Studies Review, Journal of East Asian Studies, Scientific Report, Asian Survey, European Political Science, International Political Science Review, Social Science Journal, to name a few.
I serve as the consultant for the U.S. Department of State in June and September 2022, and also for the Human Rights Watch and V-Dem. My research is also quoted by the US Congress. In addition, I currently serve as the coordinator (2022-2024) of the Conference Group on Taiwan Studies (CGOTS), the largest affiliate group under American Political Science Association.
My op-ed about international politics in East Asia can be found in The National Interest, The Diplomat, Washington Post, E-International Relations, East Asian Forum, etc. My interview can be found in New York Times, Huffington Post, Vox, Aljazeera, DW News, South China Morning Post, etc.
I received my Ph.D. in Political Science from Duke University (2018), B. S. in Electrical Engineering (2009), and M. A. in Public Administration (2012) from National Taiwan University.
Father of 10yo son Rong and 7yo daughter Elaina.
Curriculum Vitae (Lastest update: July 14, 2024)
