I am a Systems Scientist at the Human-Computer Interaction Institute at Carnegie Mellon University. I received my PhD in Media and Communications from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in May 2017.

My research primarily focuses on internet industry and policy (with an emphasis on China), and social and policy implications of emerging technologies.

Internet Industry and Policy

Book project: Across the Great (Fire) Wall: China and the Global Internet

Currently, I am working on a book project on the policy and political economy of China's outward expansion in global cyberspace. Based on my PhD dissertation, it examines the multifaceted interactions between China and the global internet in the past three decades, especially China's outward cyber expansion, or the "going out" program that has gained momentum since the mid-2000s, and explores the changing social class relations that accompany and shape this new movement.

Often perceived only as a repressive authoritarian regime that aims at building an inward-looking national "intranet" or a "giant cage," China in fact is now increasingly projecting power outward in this sphere. China-based internet giants, from Huawei, China Mobile, to more recent players like Alibaba, Tencent and Baidu, have all started to expand their reach in the international digital market. The state has also aggressively extended its influence in global internet governance. Meanwhile, Chinese tech leaders like Jack Ma have increasingly joined the global IT elite club. This book breaks down the "giant cage" metaphor, remaps the boundaries of the Chinese internet, and foregrounds its external dimension.

Social and Policy Implications of Emerging Technologies

I am also interested in exploring the social, ethical and policy implications of emerging digital technologies, such as Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, and genomics. One recent book chapter explores the policy challenges related with genomic big data, which is published in a multi-disciplinary volume published by Springer.

Book Manuscript

• Shen, H. Across the Great (Fire) Wall: China and the Global Internet [under contract with the MIT Press].

Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles

• Shen, H. (2018). Building a digital Silk Road? Situating the internet in China's Belt and Road Initiative. International Journal of Communication, 12, 2683-2701. [PDF]

• Shen, H. (2016). China and global Internet governance: Toward an alternative analytical framework. Chinese Journal of Communication, 9 (3), 304-324. [PDF]

Book Chapters

• Shen, H. & Ma, J. (2017). Privacy challenges of genomic big data. In B. Shen, H. Tang, and X. Jiang (Eds.), Healthcare and Big Data Management, Springer.

Book Reviews & Other Writings

• Shen, H. (2017). Review of The Internet Age by China’s Central Television (CCTV), Global Media and Communication, 13 (2), 208-209.

• Shen, H. (2016). Is China buying the world again? Is Alibaba the poster child for global expansion? Digital Asia Hub, November.

• Shen, H. (May 2019). "State Capitalism" or "China Inc."?: The "Going Out" of China's Internet Industry. Annual Conference of the International Communication Association (ICA) , Washington, D.C.

• Shen, H. (June, 2018). The rise of Ant Financial: The Double Articulation of "platformization" and "infrastructuralization" in China. Annual Conference of the International Association of Media and Communication Research (IAMCR) , Eugene, Oregon.

• Shen, H. (May 2018). "The Communist just beat us at Capitalism?": The "internationalization" of Alibaba. Annual Conference of the International Communication Association (ICA) , Prague, Czech Republic.

• Shen. H. (May 2017). Decoding the "Wuzhen Summit": China and global Internet governance in a post-Snowden cyberspace. Annual Conference of the International Communication Association (ICA) , San Diego, CA.

• Shen, H. (November 2016). Beyond the "Giant Cage" metaphor: China and the global Internet, 1987-2015. Annual Conference of the National Communication Association (NCA) , Philadelphia, PA. [Top Paper award]

• Shen, H. (July 2015). The "going out" of China’s Internet industry: The case of Alibaba. Annual Conference of the International Association of Media and Communication Research (IAMCR) , Montreal, Canada.

• Shen, H. (November 2014). From WSIS to WCIT-12: A "Chinese model" of global Internet governance? Annual Conference of the National Communication Association (NCA) , Chicago, IL.

• Shen, H. & Diesner, J. (November 2014). Semantic network analysis of the public discourse on censorship in China. Annual Conference of the National Communication Association (NCA) , Chicago, IL.

• Shen, H. (June 2014). The political economy of global Internet governance: A China centric study. The 12th Chinese Internet Research Conference (CIRC12), Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong.

• Shen, H. (May 2014). Beyond Cyber-sovereignty? China’s policies toward global Internet governance (1987-2012). Annual Conference of the International Communication Association (ICA) , Seattle, WA.

Carnegie Mellon Univeristy (Instructor)

• Fall 2018: AI for Public Policy (90-769), School of Public Policy and Management, Heinz College.

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (Graduate Teaching Assistant)

• Fall 2013/Spring 2014/Fall 2014/Spring 2015: Social Aspects of the Media (MACS 351)
• Fall 2012/Spring 2013: Contemporary Media Literacy (MACS 320)