Hao is a graduate student at USC Dornsife pursuing an MS in Applied Economics and Econometrics. He transitioned into his master’s program in fall 2020 via the Progressive Degree Program after completing his undergraduate degree with a double major in Communication and Economics at USC.

Combining his qualitative research knowledge from Communication and quantitative problem-solving skills from Economics, Hao has working experience in both research and editorial tasks. Hao’s research interest in foreign policy and public diplomacy stems from his own experiences. In 2019, He was selected as a part of the Annenberg International Communication Studies (ICS) program, which gave him the opportunity to travel across Europe to learn from and network with professionals from esteemed media companies such as Disney, CNN, HBO, and Olympic Channel, etc. Following that summer, Hao spent a semester exchanging at the University of Melbourne in Australia, where he worked as a student ambassador for the program.

At CPD, Hao works as a research intern for CPD Fellow Elisabeth King on the project, “Symbolic Politics for Peace.”