Hello! I am an Assistant Professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen (CUHK-SZ). Previously, I was a postdoctoral research associate at the University of Arizona, where I also earned my PhD in Government and Public Policy. 

​

I study political violence and democratic institutions with a regional interest in Sub-Saharan Africa. My current book project examines the roles of African chiefs and chieftaincy institutions in the local dynamics of pre-election violence.

​​

Through my postdoctoral work, I have also developed expertise in international security in Asia, particularly foreign policies of aspiring powers like China and Russia, as well as the multilateral organizations they dominate, such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

​​

I employ a range of methods in my research, including field and archival research, process tracing, causal inference, GIS analysis, item response theory (IRT), and quantitative text analysis (QTA).

​​​​​

My work has been published at International Interactions and Africa Spectrum. My research has been supported by various institutions, including American Political Science Association.

​​

I teach courses in international relations, comparative politics, and research methods, covering topics like conflict management, African politics, and qualitative research methods. 

​

You can reach me via email at: chenxiran [at] cuhk [dot] edu [dot] cn.