HIAS Bridges NEXT

Wenjiao Hu

Research field:International economics, monetary economics

●What are your current research interests?

exchange rate linkage with economic variables in developing countries

●What do you enjoy most about research?

I often enjoy the feeling of attention-focusing during research.

● What does research mean to you?(In a nutshell)

I treat academic research as a way to improve my personal integrity.

●What inspired you to become a researcher?

To save the world.

●What are your future goals as a researcher?

I want to make more contribution to financial stability in international community

David Uriel SOCOL DE LA OSA

Research field:Law

●What are your current research interests?

Law & Technology; Corporate Law; International Economic Law; AI Governance; Geopolitics; Infrastructure

●What do you enjoy most about research?

What I enjoy most about research is the ability to engage directly with the world’s most pressing questions – to ask what is happening, and how can I help. Research gives me the space to think systematically about the structural forces shaping society and to contribute ideas that may improve them. I value the combination of intellectual independence and practical relevance: the opportunity to step back, understand complexity, and then re-enter public debates with work that is rigorous, constructive, and oriented toward real-world impact.

● What does research mean to you?(In a nutshell)

To me, research is the convergence point between expertise, societal need, and principled intention. It is a disciplined way of thinking about problems that matter, grounded in evidence but animated by a sense of responsibility to the broader public. Research is not simply producing knowledge; it is designing frameworks through which institutions, technologies, and societies can navigate uncertainty – ideally with fairness, foresight, and humility.

●What inspired you to become a researcher?

I became a researcher because, across diplomacy, legal practice, and now academia, I find myself drawn to the underlying structures that shape law and how law creates societal structures – the systems of governance, incentives, and coordination that determine whether societies respond to challenges effectively. Research offered a way to engage those questions at their foundations. I wanted to understand how institutions succeed or fail, how technology reshapes governance, and how global systems can be made more equitable and resilient. Some of my key inspirations are the strength of true intellectual curiosity, combined with a desire to contribute meaningfully to public problem-solving.

●What are your future goals as a researcher?

My future goals revolve around building frameworks that help society govern transformative technologies responsibly, sustainably, and at a global scale. Substantively, I aim to deepen work on AI governance, critical mineral supply chains, and the geopolitical architecture of technological development. Institutionally, I hope to contribute to collaborative research communities across law, social science, and technical fields, that can translate scholarship into practical guidance for policymakers, industry, and international institutions. Ultimately, my goal is to shape research that not only advances academic understanding but also strengthens the capacity of societies to manage technological change with fairness, foresight, and institutional integrity.