The Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies (FSI) at Stanford University is pleased to announce that Shanjun Li has been appointed to the position of FSI senior fellow, effective July 1. Li will also be a professor in the Environmental Social Sciences department of the Stanford Doerr School of Sustainability and hold the Denning Global Sustainability Professorship.

At FSI, Li will work closely within the Stanford Center on China’s Economy and Institutions (SCCEI), where he will lead a research program on sustainability and energy transition. He will also collaborate with the faculty, students and staff at the Stanford Center at Peking University and FSI’s Ford Dorsey Master’s in International Policy program.

“Shanjun’s groundbreaking work as an economist, particularly on China, will enrich our research and expand our global impact,” said Michael McFaul, director of the Freeman Spogli Institute. “I am equally excited for the contributions he will make as a teacher and mentor to our students. I look forward to the many ways he will strengthen our community and advance FSI’s mission."

Prior to joining FSI, Li was a professor of applied economics and policy, and held the Kenneth L. Robinson Chair in the Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management at Cornell University.

His research focuses on environmental and energy economics, urban and transportation economics, empirical industrial organization, and Chinese economy. His recent work examines pressing sustainability issues and the rapid rise of clean energy industries in China, as well as their global implications in order to inform evidence-based policymaking.

“We are thrilled to welcome Shanjun to Stanford and SCCEI,” said Scott Rozelle, co-director of the Center on China’s Economy and Institutions. “His research on environmental policy, sustainability, and China’s economy is not only rigorous and innovative, but also deeply relevant to the global challenges we face today. His presence will undoubtedly elevate our scholarship and collaborative potential across Stanford disciplines.”

At Cornell, Li also served as the Director of the Cornell Institute for China Economic Research. He is a co-editor for the Journal of Public Economics and the International Journal of Industrial Organization, and a research associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) and a university fellow at Resources for the Future.

Li has authored numerous scholarly papers and articles. Among his recent publications are “Efficiency and Equity Impacts of Urban Transportation Policies with Equilibrium Sorting,” and “From Fog to Smog: The Value of Pollution Information,” both published in the American Economic Review, as well as “How to Spend One Trillion Dollars: the US Decarbonization Conundrum,” published in Nature.

Li earned an M.S. in Agricultural Economics from Michigan State University in 2002, and his Ph.D. in Economics from Duke University in 2007.

“I am truly honored and excited to join exceptional colleagues and students at FSI and the Doerr School of Sustainability in examining the economic causes and consequences of global sustainability challenges, and contributing to the development of effective, efficient, and evidence-based solutions,” said Li.