Shuxian Luo is an assistant professor of Maritime Security and Governance in the International Programs Department at the U.S. Naval War College. Her research interests include maritime security in the Indo-Pacific, Chinese foreign and security policies, and U.S-China relations, especially crisis management. Her current book project develops an analytical framework to explain when, why and how China escalates or deescalates incidents at sea arising from its maritime territorial and boundary disputes. She received her Ph.D. in international relations from Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS).