PhD Spotlight: Rong Bao

Blending geography, environmental policy, and international relations

I was born and raised in Beijing, China, but my journey has taken me far beyond one city. Over the several years, I have lived in London, Paris, Richmond (Virginia), New Haven (Connecticut), and now Boston. Each move shaped the way I see the world and deepened my curiosity about how societies govern themselves and protect what they value.

My doctoral research grew out of all the inspirations I’ve gathered along the way. I study the effectiveness of multilateral environmental agreements, focusing on the relationship between countries’ implementation of international agreements and the outcome of ecological protection. Instead of assuming that signing and implementing agreements automatically leads to better outcomes, I ask what conditions—political, institutional, and sometimes, cultural—make implementation truly effective.

My work has been inspired both by my academic training in geography, environmental policy, and international relations, and by my professional experience within the United Nations, policy think tanks, and international environmental NGOs, where I witnessed firsthand the power and the challenges of translating scientific consensus into environmental policy action.

“Ultimately, I aspire to be both a scholar and a bridge-builder: someone who carries forward my family’s legacy by connecting cultures, disciplines, and policy communities in pursuit of more effective and humane global environmental governance.”

Extending generational Impact

My intellectual interests are also personal. I come from a family with generations devoted to cultural exchange and intellectual growth, people who served as bridges between my country and the wider world. Growing up in that environment, I learned to value dialogue across differences and to look for shared human concerns. Living in different countries reinforced that instinct. I became fascinated by why similar international commitments can produce very different results on the ground. My professional experiences working on climate-related policy processes, especially at the science–policy interface and international environmental law, showed me how difficult—and how important—it is to translate global consensus into meaningful national and local actions.

Designing better institutions

Looking ahead, I hope to contribute to scholarship that not only advances theory but also helps practitioners design better institutions. I want my research to identify practical leverage points that make international environmental agreements more than symbolic commitments. Ultimately, I aspire to be both a scholar and a bridge-builder: someone who carries forward my family’s legacy by connecting cultures, disciplines, and policy communities in pursuit of more effective and humane global environmental governance.