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21st Century China Center Fellows

The center's fellows program brings global professionals and experts on China from various sectors to UC San Diego to engage in dialogue with students, alumni, faculty and the San Diego community. The program is funded by a generous endowment from the So Family.

Fellows Activities

While in residence, each fellow engages in one or more of the activities below.

  • Collaborate with center faculty on a project or initiative related to China or U.S.-China relations
  • Mentor students informally or in a classroom setting
  • Speak at a public program or guest lecture at community events
  • Engage with other relevant UC San Diego and San Diego regional stakeholders

Current Fellows

  • Loren Brandt

    Loren Brandt

    Loren Brandt is the Noranda Chair Professor of Economics at the University of Toronto specializing in the Chinese economy. He is also a research fellow at The Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA) in Bonn, Germany. He has published widely on the Chinese economy in leading economic journals and been involved in extensive household and enterprise survey work in both China and Vietnam. With Thomas Rawski, he co-edited "Policy, Regulation, and Innovation in China’s Electricity and Telecom Industries" (Cambridge University Press, 2019), an interdisciplinary effort analyzing the effect of government policy on the power and telecom sectors in China. He was also co-editor and major contributor to "China’s Great Economic Transformation" (Cambridge University Press, 2008), which provides an integrated analysis of China’s unexpected economic boom during the first three decades of economic reform. His current research focuses on issues of industrial upgrading and innovation, economic growth and structural change, and inequality dynamics.
  • Jia Chen

    Jia Chen

    Jia Chen is a legal expert specializing in Chinese law and U.S.-China legal affairs. She has played a pivotal role in promoting legal cooperation between the United States and China. During her tenure as a senior professional analyst and rule of law advisor in the U.S. Department of Justice’s Representative Office in China, Chen made significant contributions to strengthening the legal frameworks and fostering collaboration between the two nations. Prior to her role in the U.S. Department of Justice office, Chen served as the inaugural legal specialist in the Political Section of the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, focusing on China’s legal reform, human rights, and anti-corruption systems. Chen’s legal education spans both China and the United States. Earlier in her career, Chen worked as a lawyer in the private sector, where she excelled at assisting clients in navigating complex commercial regulations and successfully resolving disputes in Beijing.