Representing the United States in the Schwarzman Scholar Class of 2023, I'm honored to have been selected for a fully-funded one-year Master of Management Science in Global Affairs at Tsinghua University, Beijing, China. With an acceptance rate comparable to and modeled after the Rhodes Scholarship at Oxford, the Schwarzman Scholarship—founded in response to growing tensions between the U.S. and China—is "one of the most competitive and prestigious scholarships in the world." The President of Harvard Lawrence Bacow wrote of the eight Harvard affiliates to receive the award, “In honoring you, the selection committee honors all of Harvard.”
Completing my Tsinghua graduate capstone on SpaceX-China corporate diplomacy around how Starlink interfaces with Beijing's LEO satellite internet megaconstellation policy/ambitions to mitigate the risks of Kessler Syndrome.
Harvard 2018-2022
I was admitted to Harvard College early at age 16 during junior year of high school, graduating in 2022 with my BA (Government) and MA (Regional Studies—East Asia) in 4 years as part of the inaugural group of concurrent master's students.
Harvard undergraduate thesis advised by Graham Allison: The Three-Body Problem: U.S.-China Technology Relations in the Age of Mitigating Climate Change, Making Life Multiplanetary, and Managing Artificial Intelligence.
Harvard undergraduate thesis advised by Graham Allison: The Three-Body Problem: U.S.-China Technology Relations in the Age of Mitigating Climate Change, Making Life Multiplanetary, and Managing Artificial Intelligence.
Harvard graduate capstone—exploring complementary Western (Tesla) and Chinese (State Grid) approaches to intermittency—recognized as the top thesis in Regional Studies—East Asia. In his written evaluation, thesis advisor and incumbent U.S. Ambassador to the People's Republic of China Nicholas Burns commented: "John is the most impressive student I have taught in his understanding of China."
Currently exploring ways of expanding the scope and scale of U.S.-China dialogue on geoengineering and AI governance
Attended the inaugural meeting of the Climate Overshoot Commission in northern Italy in support of the Commissioner from China focusing on carbon dioxide removal (CDR) direct air capture and carbon storage (DACCS) and solar radiation management (SRM) stratospheric aerosol injection (SAI). Gigaton-scale CDR-DACCS reverses climate change via negative emissions while SRM-SAI recreates the global cooling effects of stratovolcanic eruptions like Krakatoa using high-altitude aircraft.
Involved in finding ways to mitigate the risks of an AGI arms race between the U.S. and China as both a technical problem (control/alignment) and diplomatic problem (responsible use). Particularly concerned with the potential effects of asymmetric information on race dynamics.
Recognized by Henry Kissinger and Mike Pompeo for my contributions to the geovisualization of American diplomacy
Former U.S. Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger: “... You are the very first to use technology to render me a great kindness. My staff has walked me through the remarkable interface you have assembled on my travels as Secretary of State. It is a delightful resource for students and scholars of American foreign policy. I am amazed and grateful.”
Then-U.S. Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo: "Your unique and informative world map is an invaluable contribution to the creation of a museum that will tell the story of American diplomacy like never before. Thank you for your remarkable work."
My work is being turned into a permanent exhibit at The National Museum of American Diplomacy in Washington, D.C.
My work is being turned into a permanent exhibit at The National Museum of American Diplomacy in Washington, D.C.
I'm the co-founder and former chief of the Harvard Undergraduate Foreign Policy Initiative where I built and led an amazing team to do the following:
Established the inaugural Harvard Undergraduate International Relations Scholars Program with Henry Kissinger (U.S. Secretary of State), Eric Schmidt (Google CEO), Steve Schwarzman (Blackstone CEO), John Brennan (CIA Director), Robert O’Brien (U.S. National Security Advisor), Leon Panetta (CIA Director, U.S. Secretary of Defense), and Tamir Pardo (Mossad Director) among 150 total guests mentoring 615 young leaders from 62 countries.
Hosted conversations/interviews with: Kent Walker (Alphabet President of Global Affairs), David Petraeus (CIA Director), John Bolton (U.S. National Security Advisor), Robert Gates (CIA Director, U.S. Secretary of Defense), Wendy Sherman (Deputy U.S. Secretary of State), H. R. McMaster (U.S. National Security Advisor), Nicholas Burns (U.S. Ambassador to China), Steve Hadley (U.S. National Security Advisor), William McRaven (Commander, U.S. Special Operations Command), Jared Cohen (Goldman Sachs Global Affairs President), Ben Rhodes (Deputy U.S. National Security Advisor), Amos Yadlin (Chief of Israeli Military Intelligence), Chad Wolf (Acting DHS Secretary), and Erik Prince (Founder of Blackwater).
Led hundreds of Harvard undergraduates in policy research for (and funded teams to travel and present at) entities that include: U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs, Office of the Secretary of Defense, U.S. Space Force, U.S. Cyber Command, White House National Security Council, Facebook Misinformation & Content Policy, and foreign governments on all continents.
Research experiences with The Carnegie Endowment, The Brookings Institution, and Harvard University
I interned for the Director of Carnegie China Paul Haenle helping to draft the joint communiqué of a U.S.-China Track II Dialogue led by Stephen Hadley and Fu Ying. Also published on Yang Jiechi & Wang Yi's visits to Europe and Sino-E3 relations.
Co-authored a State Department-commissioned Brookings report on Chinese tech policy with Rush Doshi (Biden's incumbent White House National Security Council Director for China). Sponsored by the Harvard Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies.
Researched elite Chinese political and diplomatic networks under the guidance of now-U.S. Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns through the Harvard College Research Program supported by the Worley-Drankowski Fund.
Co-Host of the Ivy League Chinese Spring Festival Gala
Regularly serve as a Master of Ceremonies (主持人) for Chinese-language events including the Ivy League Chinese Spring Festival Gala.
Beijing No. 80 High School
Graduated from Beijing No. 80 (北京第八十中学) on a full scholarship from the U.S. Department of State.