Megan Cansfield, Research Intern, The Millennium Project; Yenching Scholar (2018-2020), The Yenching Academy of Peking University

Megan Cansfield is a 2018 Yenching Scholar and recent graduate of the Yenching Academy of Peking University, where she earned her Master of Law in China Studies with a Politics and International Relations concentration. Her professional interests center around evolving Chinese regional and global roles within the Sino-US context in particular, which she most recently explored in her thesis analyzing China’s growing UN participation and changing normative perceptions of international law.

Megan previously received her BA in Political Science, International Studies, and Asian Studies from the University of Michigan and was a Fulbright Fellow in Yanji, China, where her research investigated strategic linkages between the North Korean nuclear crisis and US-China geopolitical dynamics in Northeast Asia. She has engaged broadly in the US-China sphere through six public, private, and NGO sector internships and five dialogue-based international student conferences focused on China. She has also regularly published her analyses of East Asian politics and foreign policy with various journal and media outlets.

In addition, Megan has developed secondary interest and experience in strategic foresight and futures studies, particularly in the context of governance and policymaking, which she aims to integrate into future public service roles. She has most recently engaged with the field in her present role as a research intern with The Millennium Project, a global collaborative futures think tank.