Mariah Thornton is a MPhil/PhD student at the Department of International Relations and a researcher at LSE IDEAS. Her research focuses on China’s foreign policy and strategy toward Taiwan, cross-Strait relations, as well as Taiwan in digital IR.
Before joining LSE, Mariah worked as a press and communications officer at the Taipei Representative Office for over two years under Taiwan’s then representative to the UK and former foreign minister David Lin. Mariah also worked in business development at an international education consultancy with a focus on China and East Asia.
Mariah completed a BA in Chinese Studies at the University of Oxford (2011-2015) and an MSc in Chinese Politics at the School of Oriental and African Studies (2016-2017). Mariah was awarded the Huayu scholarship to study Chinese at National Taiwan Normal University (2015-2016) as well as the Fung scholarship to fund her Mandarin studies at Peking University (2012-2013).
Research topic
China’s foreign policy and strategy toward Taiwan, cross-Strait relations, as well as Taiwan in digital IR
Academic supervisor
Professor William A Callahan
Research Centre affliation
LSE IDEAS
Research Cluster affiliation
Security and Statecraft Research Cluster
Theory/Area/History Research Cluster