Research

Publications:

The Importance of Position: Agency Discretionary Budgets and PAS Appointees, with Lawrence Rothenberg, 2022, Presidential Studies Quarterly
Reward of Legislating: Member's Legislative Performance and Lobbyists' Personal Contributions, 2023, Interest Groups & Advocacy
When Staff Identity Matters: Black Legislative Staff and Civil Rights Legislation in the U.S. House, Online First, Political Research Quarterly
Shaping Appropriations : Legislative Ability and Budgetary Success, with Lawrence Rothenberg, Online First, Political Research Quarterly
You Can’t Always Get What You Want . . . or Need: Personnel Allocation in Federal Disaster Policy, with Lawrence Rothenberg and Junlong Zhou, Conditionally Accepted at Political Science Research and Methods

Legislative Politics

Getting Support from your Colleagues: Bill Reintroduction in the U.S. House (with Yu Ouyang Catherine Chen and Lawerence Rothernberg, Under Review)
Beyond the Sponsor: Legislative Capacity and Bill Persistence in the U.S. House (presented at SPSA 2026, ready for submission)
Who Gets Policy Power? Racial Inequality in Congressional Staff Positions
Committee-level Legislative Effectiveness Score (93rd-116th Congress) (joint work with Craig Volden and Alan Wiseman, dataset project)

Bureaucratic Politics

Capacity in Time of Inconsistency (with Junlong Zhou, and Lawrence Rothenberg, presented at SoWEPs-8)
Women's Representation in the Federal Bureaucracy (with Nichole Bauer, presented at MPSA 2026, ready for submission)
Feasibility and Feedback: Presidential Oversight, Public Comments, and Procedural Choice in U.S. Rulemaking (with Muzhi Liu, prestend at MPSA 2026)
Presidential Particularism in the Face of Disaster: The Evolution of FEMA (with Lawrence Rothenberg, and Junlong zhou, presented at the 1st annaul Presidency and Executive Politics Conference)

Federalism (Intergovernmental Lobbying, State and Local Politics)

City Representation in Washington: Determinants and Responses (with Lawrence Rothenberg, R&R at Political Science Research and Methods)
City Lobbying and MC's Legislative Performance (JMP, presented at LPEC 2022)
Closer, Calmer, More Trusted: Explaining the Trust Gap Between Federal and Subnational Government in the United States (with Rongbo Jin, presented at SPPC 2026)

Other Publications and Useful Resources:

CFIUS Reform May Escalate the Targeting of Chinese Companies (China-U.S. Focus)
Extended Deterrence and the U.S.-Japan Alliance (2019 U.S.-Japan Yearbook, the Edwin O. Reischauer Center)
How to Choose Topics of Interests in Political Science (in Chinese, interviewed by Shengqiao Lin, UT-Austin)
How to Prepare for the Job Market (in Chinese, serving as the moderator)
How to Write Paper in English: Three Tips (especially for non-native speakers from China)
How to Make English Presentation: Three Tips (especially for non-native speakers from China)
How to Get Job in the Tech Industry as a Political Scientist (written by Junlong Zhou, NYU)
Advice for Grad Students: Getting Started, Productivity... (written by Benjamin Noble, UCSD)