I study transnational governance, environmental politics, and sustainable consumption, with a geographical focus on emerging economies and developing countries. My research explains the changing role of China in global environmental governance, including sustainability transitions within China as well as sustainability impacts of China's overseas engagement. My current projects focus on sustainability governance of China's Belt and Road Initiative. My work has been published in Ecological Economics, Global Environmental Change, Global Environmental Politics, Global Food Security, Nature Food, Nature Sustainability, Review of International Political Economy and other international scientific journals (see my Google Scholar page). My first book Certifying China investigates China's engagement in transnational sustainability certification and was published by the MIT Press in February 2022 (Earth System Governance Series). I am an associate editor of Global Environmental Politics.

I am a UKRI Future Leaders Fellow (round 7) and lead a £1.7 million research project on 'Sustainability Governance of China's Global Infrastructure Investments' (SGAIN). My international and interdisciplinary team use cutting-edge social science methods to advance knowledge on China's multifaceted influence on global sustainable development. Our research will support policy practitioners to identify pathways to align international investments with local sustainability needs. More details on the project can be found on our SGAIN website.

Besides my research, I am also a member of the Expert Peer Review Group of the Race to Zero, a UN-backed global campaign rallying non-state actors – to take rigorous and immediate action to halve global emissions by 2030 and deliver a healthier, fairer zero carbon world in time. I was a writer for the Earth Negotiations Bulletin and have attended various meetings of multilateral environmental treaties. I am also an Adjunct Senior Research Fellow of the Institute for Environment and Sustainability (IES) at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy of the National University of Singapore, a member of the Scientific Steering Committee and Senior Research Fellow of the Earth System Governance (ESG) Project, and co-convenor of the ESG Taskforce on the Sustainable Development Goals.

I am wiling to supervise PhD students who want to work on global environmental governance, corporate sustainability strategies, sustainable development in China, and the impact of China's foreign investment in the Global South. For those who are interested in these areas, please contact me by email.