Wenjia Zhong is from China and recently completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Toronto, where he studied Economics and the History and Philosophy of Science and Technology. His academic interests span both the humanities and the social sciences, and he enjoys approaching historical questions from interdisciplinary perspectives.
During his undergraduate studies, he worked on projects ranging from colonial medicine and public health to cannabis policy, economic analysis, and the semiconductor industry. Although these topics were shaped in part by the opportunities available to him rather than by a predetermined research plan, they gradually revealed a common set of questions that continue to motivate his work. He has become increasingly interested in how scientific knowledge, technological innovation, and public institutions interact to shape economic development, state capacity, and broader patterns of social change.
His current research interests center on the historical relationship between technology, the state, and economic development, particularly how industrial policy and technological change have influenced global power and international economic transformation. At Columbia and LSE, he looks forward to exploring these questions through the lens of transnational and global history while learning from classmates with diverse research interests and backgrounds.
