Representing the United States in the Schwarzman Scholar Class of 2023, I was selected for a fully-funded one-year master’s degree in Global Affairs at Tsinghua University, Beijing, China. The President of Harvard wrote of the five graduating Harvard seniors to receive the award, “In honoring you, the selection committee honors all of Harvard.” 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."

Researching Sino-Western artificial intelligence diplomacy between DeepMind/OpenAI and China to avoid a race to the precipice.

Exploring ways of expanding the scope and scale of U.S.-China governance dialogue 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. SRM-SAI recreates the global cooling effects of stratovolcanic eruptions like Krakatoa using high-altitude aircraft.

Involved with the Climate Overshoot Commission; attended the inaugural meeting in northern Italy in support of the Commissioner from the People's Republic of China.

SRM-SAI is required to avoid 2°C. Looking into sharing high-altitude U.S. aircraft globally for SAI-SRM outdoor tests.

Researching ways to develop SpaceX-China relations to (a) expedite the goal of becoming a two-planet species via Mars, and (b) avoid the Kessler Syndrome. Ad Astra.

I was offered admission to Harvard early at age 16 during junior year. I earned my BA (diplomacy/statecraft) and MA (China studies) in 4 years as a member of the first group of concurrent master's students.

Harvard graduate thesis U.S.-China-led Global Energy Diplomacy awarded the Fletcher Prize: the top thesis in Regional Studies—East Asia. Advised by incumbent U.S. Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns: "John is the most impressive student I have taught in his understanding of China."

Harvard undergraduate thesis The Three-Body Problem: U.S.-China Technology Relations in the Age of Mitigating Climate Change, Making Life Multiplanetary, and Managing Artificial Intelligence advised by Graham Allison.

Researched elite Chinese political-diplomatic networks under the guidance of U.S. Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns through the Harvard College Research Program supported by the Worley-Drankowski Fund.

Master of ceremonies (主持人) of the annual Ivy League Chinese Spring Festival Gala

Recognized 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.”

Former 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.


I'm the co-founder and former chief of the Harvard Undergraduate Foreign Policy Initiative where I led an amazing team to do the following.


Established the inaugural Harvard Undergraduate International Relations Scholars Program—the largest and most prestigious program of its kind 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. Grew funding from near-zero to ~quarter million USD. Former CEO and Chairman of Google Eric Schmidt on the Harvard Undergraduate International Relations Scholars Program: "I really admire what you are trying to do here. This is exactly the kind of effort that I think is going to make the world a better place, and I could not say more supportive things about, collectively, the audience and the people you have assembled."

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;

Led 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), and Erik Prince (Blackwater Founder);

Initiated a U.S.-China Young Leaders Dialogue between Harvard and a counterpart Chinese university.

I worked for the Director of Carnegie China 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 report on Chinese tech policy with Rush Doshi (Biden White House National Security Council Director for China). Sponsored by the Harvard Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies.

Graduated from Beijing No. 80 (北京第八十中学) on scholarship from the U.S. Department of State.