Task Team Leaders
Danny Cowser
IPD Project Team Leader and Instructor, IPD Research Practicum
PhD Candidate, Department of Government
The University of Texas at Austin
dannycowser@utexas.edu
Danny Cowser is a PhD Candidate in the UT Department of Government and holds an MA in Political Science from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Danny current leads a number of IPD project teams, including Government Responsiveness, Governance -Trade Wars, and Refugee Housing. Danny also co-leads the Peacebuilding Team with Jiseon Change and serves as instructor of the GOVT/IPD Research Practicum.
Zhizhen Lu
IPD Project Team Leader and Instructor, IPD Research Practicum
PhD Candidate, Department of Government
The University of Texas at Austin
zhizhen_lu@utexas.edu
https://www.zhizhenlu.com/
Zhizhen Lu is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Government and is the Project Team leader for Sweetheart Tax Deals. Zhizhen studies the regulatory politics of strategic interactions between states and multinational corporations in the context of business compliance with economic sanction. Prior to his academic career, he worked at China Policy in Beijing as the lead macroeconomic analyst. He also has professional experiences at the European Union Delegation to China, the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China, and the World Resource Institute. Zhizhen holds an M.A. in International Trade and Investment Policy from the Elliott School of International Affairs at the George Washington University.
Eoin Power
IPD Project Team Leader
PhD Candidate, Department of Government
The University of Texas at Austin
elpower17@gmail.com
Eoin Power is a PhD Candidate in the Department of Government and currently serves as team lead for Banking Bad, Boating Bad, and Data4Defense. His research interests include defense-industrial policy, maritime security, and international financial regulation. Before coming to Texas, he worked as a strategy consultant in the United States, Canada, the UK, Greece, and Serbia, serving public and private-sector clients in aerospace and defense, energy, transportation, and other industrial sectors. Eoin will be working remotely as he conducts fieldwork in Romania on a Fulbright Exchange Program. Eoin earned his BA, Political Science & Philosophy, Middlebury College; MA, Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
Rachel (Ji Yeon) Jeon
IPD Project Team Leader
PhD Candidate, Department of Government
The University of Texas at Austin
jjeon2@utexas.edu
Rachel Jeon is a PhD student in the Department of Government and leads the Exiting Russia team at IPD. Her research interests broadly concern topics in international political economy and international institutions. Most recently over the summer of 2023, she conducted her first fieldwork in Vietnam. Prior to coming to UT, Rachel earned her BA in International Studies at Ewha Womans University in Seoul, South Korea. She also briefly worked for a NGO providing for North Korean defectors. For the 2023-2024 academic year, Rachel will continue to lead the Exiting Russia team. When she’s not hanging around in the many caves of the IPD labs, she’s probably learning how to jump on horseback or working on her foodie Instagram account.
Erica (Yunyi) Huang
IPD Project Team Leader
PhD Student, Department of Government
The University of Texas at Austin
yunyi.huang@utexas.edu
Erica (Yunyi) Huang leads the Renewable Energy team at IPD. Her research interests lie at the intersection of international political economy (trade, investment, and development finance) and environmental politics in the context of emerging markets. She is particularly interested in the domestic determinants of China’s outward economic activities, and the underlying political mechanisms. Prior to UT Austin, Yunyi earned her Bachelor of Laws from Peking University and Master of Arts from Johns Hopkins SAIS. She worked as a Policy Analyst for NGOs in international environmental negotiations. In her spare time, she enjoys swimming and musical plays.