Qiaochu Zhang

I am a researcher at the Institute for Peace Research and Security Policy at the University of Hamburg and a Max Weber Fellow at the School of Transnational Governance at the European University Institute. I am also an Associate Editor of the Journal of Global Security Studies and an Honorary Researcher on the European Research Council-funded AutoNorms project at the Centre for War Studies, University of Southern Denmark. I received my PhD in Politics from the University of Manchester in 2024. Before that, I obtained an LLB in International Politics from Fudan University and an MA in International Relations from King’s College London.

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My research focuses on global governance of emerging technologies, with a particular focus on AI governance and policy. I am currently leading two research projects. The first examines how non-Chinese actors, particularly those in the Global South, perceive China’s approach to AI governance and what these perceptions and interactions mean for the evolution of international order. The second investigates the strategies and positions of middle powers in global AI governance and their broader implications for world order. My research has been published in Cooperation and Conflict, Contemporary Security Policy, Critical Studies on Security, Ethics and Information Technology, Global Policy, Global Studies Quarterly, International Affairs, and International Peacekeeping.