Internships

China Matters previously offered a 24-day internship to young Australians who were learning Mandarin and had an interest in Australia-China relations. Our internship program provided the opportunity to gain first-hand experience in a fast-paced, dynamic team focused on challenging and emerging issues in Australia-China relations. For two days per week, our interns experienced what it was like to be in a professional environment, building a range of skills in administration, event management and research, and received mentorship from leading China expert, China Matters Founding Director Linda Jakobson.

Unfortunately due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the internship program has been suspended. The bios below were last updated in early 2021.

Past Junior Fellows

Brian Xu (April 2019 - January 2021)

Brian graduated with a Bachelor of Engineering and a Bachelor of Commerce at the University of Sydney, majoring in Aeronautical Engineering and Economics. He is a fluent Mandarin speaker, having studied in Tianjin and Beijing for six years, and has previously worked as a translator for the Chinese science and technology publication Guokr, as a GRE tutor for Chinese students, and as a consulting engineer. Brian developed his interest in international and China affairs through Model United Nations, and his main areas of interest are China’s military development and defence policy.

Liam Hartley (January - March 2020)

Liam is working toward the completion of UNSW’s double degree program with a B. International Studies & B. Media, Public Relations and Advertising minoring in International Business. Liam is the Founder and Head Personal Trainer at The Camp Fitness. He is also a Marketing and Public Relations Assistant at Fox & Hare Financial Advice.

Baopu He (September 2019 - February 2021)

Baopu He is a fifth year student at the University of Sydney studying a Bachelor of Arts, where he majored in Japanese, and a Bachelor of Laws. Besides being fluent in English and Mandarin, Baopu also has full professional proficiency in Japanese, having spent a year studying Japanese literature, language and politics at Waseda University before joining China Matters. He edited Honi Soit, the University of Sydney’s student newspaper, in 2019, and has previously worked for Sydney Speaks, an ARC research project conducted by ANU which explores multiculturalism and diversity in Australian English.

Flora Wu (January - March 2020)

Flora is studying a Bachelor of Laws/Arts and Business, majoring in Development Studies at UNSW. Previously, she had interned at Human Rights Watch and assisted with research and publications on Australian and South East Asian human rights issues. She also has a range of volunteering experience, including her role as a legal administrative assistant at the Welfare Rights Centre, youth ambassador for World Vision, and was president of the UNSW Vision Generation club. Flora was awarded with an undergraduate bursary in 2019 to attend the Women in Asia conference and Australian Social Policy conference where she discovered her interests in Chinese social policy and development.

James Dunn (September - November 2019)

James is currently finishing his study towards a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Commerce at the University of New South Wales, majoring in International Business and is a Dean’s List awardee. He is a recipient of several scholarships, including the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s New Colombo Plan Scholarship in 2018, where he studied at the University of Hong Kong and interned in Mainland China. Hailing from Albury-Wodonga, James can speak Mandarin, play the oboe and bagpipes, and has a particular interest in economic diplomacy and trade.

Monica Jones (November 2018 - May 2019)

Monica has a Bachelor of Arts/Laws from the University of Sydney, with majors in Chinese Studies and Political Economy. She speaks and reads Chinese fluently and has undertaken in-country study at Fudan University and a Suzhou-Shanghai field school. In 2018, Monica served as the treasurer of the Australia-China Youth Association. She also volunteers at Toongabbie Legal Centre. Monica’s areas of interest include Chinese linguistics, inequality in modern China and the political economy of China’s development. Monica has worked as a Paralegal and as a Performance and Compliance Intern with the NSW State Insurance Regulatory Authority. She is currently a Summer Clerk at the Australian Department of Health.

Charmaine Xu (April - September 2019)

Charmaine is studying a Bachelor of International and Global Studies and Bachelor of Laws at the University of Sydney, majoring in International and Government relations. She is undertaking an additional Diploma of Chinese Language and can speak and write Chinese fluently. Charmaine is currently the President of the Australia-China Youth Association’s University of Sydney chapter. She has completed overseas studies at Fudan University, Peking University, King’s College London and Yale. Since 2017, Charmaine has acted as a volunteer language tutor to both adult migrants under the AMEP program and King’s College students in the Modern Language Centre. She also previously worked as a legal assistant at a boutique criminal law firm. Charmaine’s interests include China’s position within the international order and the CCP as a political entity.

Luke Gallen (September 2018 - July 2019)

Luke has a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of International Studies from Macquarie University, with a major in China studies. He has also studied at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. In 2018, Luke was competitively chosen to partake in the Global Leadership Program’s China symposium. He spent a month travelling across the country engaging with officials from AIIB, BRICS New Development Bank, AustCham Shanghai, Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs, UNDP and the Australian Embassy. Luke was a Social Justice Executive within the Macquarie University Law Society. In this role he organised and coordinated events, such as trivia nights, speaker forums and fundraiser BBQs, to raise money and awareness for local charities.

Jessie Ding (September 2018 - April 2019)

Jessie is currently studying a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Laws at the University of Sydney, majoring in Asian Studies. In 2017, she was awarded a New Colombo Plan Mobility Grant to complete a Chinese Politics, Business and International Diplomacy course at Shanghai Jiaotong University, and an intensive language program at the University of Sydney’s Suzhou campus. She also competed in the 2017 Atlantic Council Cyber 9/12 Student Challenge, providing policy recommendations for potential cybersecurity threats within the Asia-Pacific region. Previously, she worked as a paralegal in a boutique Sydney law firm. Jessie also has a keen interest in the evolving Australia-China discourse and global Sinophone literature.

Past Interns

Nicholas Burkett(April - October 2018)

Nicholas completed a Master of International Relations at the University of Sydney after completing a Bachelor of Security Studies at Macquarie University. In 2017, he undertook short-term study in India at the University of Delhi, St Xavier’s Kolkata and TISS Mumbai as part of the Australian Government’s New Colombo Plan. In 2018, he completed an international school summer at Beijing’s Tsinghua University.

Joanna Chen(January - March 2021)

Joanna is in her fifth year studying a Bachelor of Law/Arts at the Australian National University. Having grown up in Hong Kong and interned in Guangzhou, she had the opportunity to explore the Australia-China relations in great depth. She is a recipient of the Westpac Asian Exchange Scholarship in 2019, where she studied Chinese Philosophy at Fudan University. After undertaking an internship at the Australia China Business Council, she became passionate about utilising her knowledge and experience to strengthen the bonds between Australia and China.

Julie Zhu(April - October 2018)

Julie has a Bachelor of Commerce and Law, with a major in Finance from the University of New South Wales. She has studied China International Business and Economic Law at Tsinghua University. Previously, Julie has interned at the Bank of China Head Office in Beijing, conducting market research, assisting with publications and completing translations. She was president of the UNSW branch of Australia-China Youth Association in 2017-2018 and Marketing Director of UNSW Law Society in 2016-2017. Julie has worked as a paralegal and is currently a Norton Rose Fulbright Graduate.

Jane Zhang - Intern(March - June 2021)

Jane is in her fourth year of study at the University of Sydney majoring in International and Global Studies and Finance. Having grown up across both China and Australia, Jane’s bilingual background and cross-cultural experience living, studying, and working in both countries mean she has developed strong cultural intelligence and insights into Australia-China relations. Jane has also interned at Sino-foreign corporations operating in Shanghai and worked on an Industry and Community project with EY on leveraging Australian winery brands in emerging Chinese markets. Besides her bilingual skills in Chinese and English, she is also studying Japanese as a language minor and has been on exchange to the University of Korea in 2020.

Victor Ruifeng Liang - Intern(February - May 2021)

Victor is a third-year student at the University of Sydney, majoring in Politics and International Relations. As a native speaker of both English and Chinese born and raised in Australia, he has a deep understanding of the cultural backgrounds, and their reflection within the contemporary world and society. He is a member of the University of Sydney’s 2021 Student Representative Council, and has completed an internship at the Journal of Chinese Tax and Policy and work experience at the Royal Australian Historical Society.

Susan Chen - Intern(May - August 2021)

Susan is studying a Bachelor of Commerce and Bachelor of Laws with a major in finance at the University of Sydney. She speaks and reads Chinese and English fluently, and is currently a Careers and Sponsorships Officer at the Australia-China Youth Association. In 2019, Susan undertook a political science study exchange with the United States Studies Centre at the University of California in Washington D.C. which helped her form a deep interest in international relations and public policy. Simultaneously she also interned on Thinktank Row at the Asia Foundation sparking her interest in trans-national foreign relations, particularly in the China sphere. She has also interned at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius in Hong Kong.

Julia Bergin(December 2017 - May 2018)

Julia has a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Melbourne, with a double major in Politics/International Relations and Criminology. During her studies, she was named on the Dean’s Honours list and received a Melbourne Global Scholars award. Her research interests include transnational issues, specifically unregulated people movement, and serious and organised crime. Julia previously worked as the Communications & Content Officer at Asia Society Australia. She is currently a Freelance Contributor to the Japan Times and a Researcher and Writer for the Little Red Podcast at the ANU College of Asia & the Pacific.

Edward Ongay(August 2017 - January 2018)

Edward has completed a Bachelor of Commerce/Arts at the University of New South Wales, with a triple major in International Business, Economics and Chinese Studies, and a minor in Asian Studies. He is fluent in Spanish, as he is originally from Argentina and moved to Australia in 2012. He previously worked as a Project Intern at Export Connect and developed a market-specific presentation on the Hong Kong and Singapore organic food markets for Australian exporters. He is currently a Consultant with Protiviti.

Noah Vaz(August - December 2017)

Noah has a Bachelor of Arts (Media & Communications) and Bachelor of Laws from the University of Sydney, majoring in Chinese Studies. He completed intensive language programmes at Beijing Language and Culture University and Fudan University as well as studied international politics abroad at Cambridge University and King’s College, London. In 2017, Noah was awarded an international media fellowship by the Australia-Korea Foundation within the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. He has a keen interest in foreign languages and has studied Mandarin, French, Spanish and German. Previously, Noah worked in corporate communications and change management at the Westpac Group. He is currently a Graduate of Corporate Affairs at the Commonwealth Bank.

Louisa Bochner(May - August 2017)

In 2018, Louisa completed a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) at the University of Sydney, majoring in Chinese Studies and Philosophy. She completed two study abroad programmes at Fudan University in Shanghai, 2014 and 2015, and has also studied Middle Eastern Politics in Milan. In 2016, she was elected member to the University of Sydney’s Student Representative Council. After her internship, Louisa worked as a Project Officer at China Matters and coordinated the Young Professionals Program. She is currently a Program Coordinator & Researcher at the International Cyber Policy Centre at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute.

David Bovey Wang(February - August 2017)

David was completing a Bachelor of Arts (Media and Communications) at the University of Sydney, with a double major in Chinese Studies and Philosophy. He also studied at King’s College London, Peking University in Beijing, and Purdue University in the United States.

Zoe Neill(January - June 2017)

Zoe has completed a Bachelor of International and Global Studies at the University of Sydney, with a double major in Government and International Relations and International Business. She also completed a Diploma of Language studies majoring in Spanish and Latin American Studies. Zoe has studied Mandarin at Peking University and Spanish at the University of Alicante, Spain. In 2018, Zoe represented Australia at the OECD Forum in Paris and completed an internship at AustCham Shanghai. She has worked previously as a Human Rights and Refugee Researcher and Caseworker with Amnesty International Australia. She is currently a Program Officer with Cufa.

Sunny Cao(January - April 2017)

Sunny completed a Bachelor of International Studies with Distinction at the University of New South Wales in 2015, majoring in Asian Studies. He was completing a Masters in International Relations, also at UNSW, and has also studied at Korea University, where he represented Australia in the International Student Festival committee for two consecutive semesters. His interest in East Asia has led him to participate in many university clubs and societies, including the Australia-China Youth Association (ACYA). Sunny also served as Secretary for two university clubs and has also volunteered at UNSW Global.

Oliver Young(November 2016 - February 2017)

Oliver completed a Bachelor of International Studies from the University of NSW with a major in International Relations and obtained a Graduate Diploma of Economics at ANU. His interest in China led him to undertake a year studying Chinese at Fudan University, Shanghai. He previously interned at AustCham Shanghai and the NSW Health China Desk, volunteered for ACYA and participated in the Australia Week in China and Harvard Project for Asian and International Relations delegations. He is currently a Policy Analyst at Commonwealth Treasury.

Sophia Sun Zou(September 2016 - March 2017)

Sophia completed a Bachelor of Arts (Languages) at the University of Sydney, with a triple major in Government & International Relations, Chinese Studies, and French Studies. She also studied political science at the University of Geneva, Switzerland. She was additionally a Research Intern with the Department of Premier and Cabinet NSW. Previously, she had served as Junior Policy Associate at the China Studies Centre, and as a university representative for the School of Social and Political Sciences. Sophia was an Associate with the Boston Consulting Group for two years. She is currently an Investor and Partner in Breyer Capital. Sophia also speaks fluent Mandarin, Cantonese, and French.

Jacinta Keast(May - August 2016)

Jacinta holds a Bachelor of Commerce/Bachelor of Arts from the University of Sydney, majoring in International Business, Chinese Studies and Asian Studies. She also holds a Master of Global Affairs from the Schwarzman Scholars Program at Tsinghua University, Beijing. She has been honoured one of 25 Young Women to Watch in International Affairs. She has studied on exchange at Peking University, the University of Hong Kong and Fudan University. She also worked as a Research Intern at Peking University’s Australian Studies Centre, as a Political Division Intern at the Australian Embassy in Indonesia and as an Analyst with AustCham ASEAN. She is currently the Deputy Editor on the Global Editorial Team of the Young China Watchers. She speaks Mandarin.

Michael Chi(June - September 2016)

Michael holds a Bachelor of International Studies with Honours in a major of Asian Studies from the University of New South Wales. He studied on exchange at the American University, Washington D.C., and has worked as a Political Risk Analyst as part of the start-up Horizon Intelligence, which provides security and risk alerts on an online global dashboard. His research interests include East Asian security, Australia’s Asia-Pacific policy, and the policy implications of emerging technology.

Stella Jakobson(March - April 2016)

In 2016 Stella was in her second year of a three-year Bachelor of Humanities in Civic Activities and Youth Work degree at Humak University of Applied Sciences. She completed a Bachelor’s degree in Chinese Language at Beijing Language and Culture University. She speaks fluent Finnish, English and Mandarin.

Louise Mao(January - April 2016)

Louise holds a Bachelor of International Studies (Hons) from the University of New South Wales. She was a Confucius Institute Scholar at Lanzhou University and an exchange student at Peking University. In 2016, she conducted research for her Honours thesis on China’s ability to exercise influence in Southeast Asia through its economic resources and capabilities. Louise was previously an Assistant Project Officer of International Engagement (China and East Asia) at the NSW Department of Industry.

Amy Russell(October - December 2015)

Amy has a Combined Bachelor of Laws & International Global Studies from the University of Sydney. In 2016, she went to Fudan University in Shanghai to study Chinese political history and contemporary Chinese politics. Her  research interest is China’s environmental policy. She has worked previously as a Student Legal Volunteer and is currently a Solicitor at Anne E Clarke Solicitor.