About me
I grew up in the foothills of western North Carolina, later attending the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics and earning a B.A. in international studies at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. I studied Mandarin at UNC, at Xiamen University, and independently over years spent working across southern China. After returning to the United States, I earned a Ph.D. at Duke University.
Outside of my research and teaching, my habits hinge upon my location. When in China, I spend most of my free time reading, either to myself or to my boys, and picking my guitar. When in NC, I often hike the Triangle's many trails with my wife and kids, lounge in the front yard with my neighbors, and drive country backroads. I'm also an irrepressible bibliophile, co-steward of Little Free Library #151753, and the proud winner of the 2017 Andrew T. Nadell Prize for Book Collecting at Duke. Finally, and to the chagrin of some colleagues, I'm a lifelong Tarheel. Go Heels!
My Erdös number is 5:
Paul Erdös → Craig A. Tovey → Norman J. Schofield → Andrew D. Martin → Georg Vanberg → me.
Paul Erdös → Peter C. Fishburn → John A. Ferejohn → Barry E. Friedman → Georg Vanberg → me.
