Jie (Jason) Lian

LIAN, Jie/Jason is a PhD Candidate from the Department of International Affairs at the University of Georgia (UGA). Jason’s core research focuses on civil resistance, protests, and human security. Utilizing various statistical and computational methods, he investigates the micro-foundations of civil resistance movements. Jason is particularly interested in how protests can reach broader audiences for greater impact, as well as the factors driving both violent and nonviolent protests, including the dynamics of their transformation. His other projects cover a broad array of interesting topics in the field of international relations (IR), encompassing topics such as gender, police violence, and transnational human rights advocacy.

Jason’s research is heavily grounded in methodological innovation. He firmly believes that advancing various methodological tools tailored for political science and IR study is essential for the progress of the scholarship. Jason’s toolkit includes the application and development of  Machine Learning/Deep Learning algorithms, Symbolic AI, Computer Vision, Natural Language Processing (NLP) (including large language models), Geospatial AI, and Network Analysis. While employing cutting-edge computational methods in his substantive research, Jason is dedicated to developing open-source AI algorithms specifically designed for political science and IR research. His experience with AI tools also extends to several ongoing projects focused on AI ethics.

Jason has experience teaching both methodology and substantive courses. While completing his Doctorate at the UGA, he also earns a Master of Science (MS) in Statistics and a Master of Science (MS) in Artificial intelligence at UGA.