The globally minded team at CAPRI’s main office are working to make Taipei a nexus of innovative ideas from all over the world.
Caroline Fried develops and leads CAPRI’s interdisciplinary, comparative research agenda. Her policy work spans the economics, politics, development, foreign policy, and political history of the Asia Pacific. She has published research and commentary on Taiwan’s electoral politics, Asia-Pacific health systems, cross-Taiwan Strait relations and economic linkages, educational exchange, US foreign policy toward Asia, and the internationalization of higher education in East Asia. Before joining CAPRI as one of its founding members, Caroline was a researcher and professional academic editor. As a Fulbright fellow in Taiwan, Caroline earned a master’s degree in Asia-Pacific studies at National Chengchi University. She holds bachelor’s degrees in international affairs and history from Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, where she graduated summa cum laude. Caroline hails from North Carolina, and she has called Taipei home since 2017, cultivating a deep personal and professional connection to the region.
Siwei Huang leads engagement initiatives with diverse stakeholders worldwide based on CAPRI’s interdisciplinary policy research. He also conducts interdisciplinary research on public policy and international affairs in the Asia-Pacific region. His research and commentary, published in English and Chinese, focus on energy policy, trade relationships, and supply chain management in East Asia; internationalization and health system policy in Taiwan; Taiwanese electoral politics, and the evolution of identity in Taiwan and Hong Kong. Previously, Siwei was a research assistant in the Department of Social Sciences, Education University of Hong Kong. Siwei received his master’s degree in global political economy from the Chinese University of Hong Kong and his bachelor’s degree in applied economics with First Honors from Hong Kong Baptist University. A native of Hunan, Siwei moved to Taipei in 2021 to found CAPRI with a commitment to advancing good governance across the region.
David Liu joined CAPRI after a 14-year career in Sweden. He has held marketing roles at several multinational tech companies, including Amazon Web Services. He also served as acting general manager at the Stockholm Incubation Hub of Norrsken Foundation, a Swedish impact investing organization. Before joining CAPRI, he worked at UNICEF’s Office of Innovation, coordinating its participation in the United Nations General Assembly and international conferences. His expertise spans event planning, project management, and stakeholder engagement. As an active member of overseas Taiwanese communities, he was recognized in 2023 by then-President Tsai Ing-wen as one of “Ten Outstanding Overseas Taiwanese under 45.” He twice served as chair of the junior chapter of the Taiwanese Chamber of Commerce in Sweden and as an overseas affairs promotion commissioner for Taiwan’s Overseas Community Affairs Council. David holds a master’s degree in global media studies from Stockholm University.
Evelyn brings over 15 years of experience in financial management and general ledger operations to CAPRI, supporting the organization’s governance, decision-making, and long-term growth. She has worked in multiple sectors, such as manufacturing, aviation, education, and pharmaceutical biotechnology, including in multinational companies where she worked closely with overseas headquarters. Her expertise includes financial analysis, internal controls, and systems management, with experience in cross-cultural and cross-functional collaboration.
Tsai Chao-Hsun (Macany) joined CAPRI after working at the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) for many years, where he focused on the Middle East and Africa. He organized trade missions and exhibitions in multiple countries and worked as a project manager in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He successfully executed international trade delegations led by TAITRA’s chairman. He also served in TAITRA’s Innovation Hub, where he was responsible for video planning, hosting, and cross-departmental collaboration, with content focusing on interviews with SMEs on business operations and international market research. He holds three master’s degrees: a master’s degree in national development from National Taiwan University and a dual master’s degree in journalism and communication & international relations from the University of New South Wales. He was also awarded the Ministry of Education Scholarship to complete the Asia-Pacific Security Studies coursework at The Australian National University.
Dr. Christine L. “Chrissy” Cook is an assistant professor at National Chengchi University (NCCU). Her work at CAPRI brings Asian perspectives to work focused traditionally on the West by enhancing methodological rigor and innovation in cross-cultural research. Chrissy is active in the world’s largest communication research association, the International Communication Association (ICA). She serves as the international liaison of ICA’s largest division, Communication and Technology, and as the appointed chair of its Transformational Professional Growth committee, responsible for shaping global professional development within the field. She also sits on the editorial boards of the Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, Global Perspectives in Communication, and the Journal of Media Psychology. Her research focuses on communication science and media psychology, with a broad goal to increase online civility. She earned her Ph.D. in Communication Science at Tilburg University and completed postdocs at NCCU and the New Jersey Institute of Technology.
Rachel Bernstein contributes to several of CAPRI’s research initiatives focused on societal resilience in addition to assisting with the development and design of new research projects. Before joining CAPRI, she worked as an assistant director in the National Bureau of Asian Research (NBR)’s Political and Security Affairs group, where she managed NBR’s Taiwan portfolio and projects relating to China’s grand strategy and US engagement with allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific. She has published research and commentary on US-Taiwan relations, Chinese foreign policy, and US foreign policy towards the Asia-Pacific. Rachel earned a master’s degree in Asia-Pacific studies as a Fulbright fellow at National Chengchi University. She holds a bachelor’s degree with honors in Asian and Middle Eastern cultures from Barnard College of Columbia University.
Sunny Peng advances CAPRI’s engagement with cross-sector stakeholders worldwide, contributing to its innovative public policy agenda in the Asia-Pacific region. Her professional background spans the private sector, think tanks, and the public sector. Before joining CAPRI, she worked in business development in the technology sector, especially in Southeast Asia. She has also worked in the Council for Security Cooperation in the Asia Pacific within the Institute of International Relations, the Taiwan Council for U.S. Affairs under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Asia-Pacific Bureau of Reporters Without Borders. Sunny holds a master’s degree in diplomacy and international relations from National Chengchi University, where she focused on geopolitical dynamics and transatlantic engagement in the Indo-Pacific, and a bachelor’s degree in international affairs from Wenzao Ursuline University of Languages.
Prior to joining CAPRI, Sudeep Agarwal worked as a medical writer and editor of academic papers, abstracts, and medical articles for nearly 10 years. After obtaining his medical degree in 2011, he decided to pursue a field that combined his interests in medicine and languages - academic editing. He has extensive experience in editing research papers, books, and conference proceedings and was certified by the Board of Editors in the Life Sciences (BELS) in 2016. He has also worked on developing a grammar-checking software tool for academic documents and participated in seminars on linguistics and natural language processing. Sudeep moved to Taipei from Mumbai in 2020. He loves reading, languages, hiking, and board games.
Sylvia Chen created CAPRI’s visual presence as the think tank’s first designer. She set CAPRI’s brand identity guidelines and endeavors to translate CAPRI’s core values into the visual presence of CAPRI’s website, events, research output, and communications materials. Before her role at CAPRI, Sylvia contributed to the global rebranding efforts of Fulbright Taiwan, where she created both digital and physical brand assets. She is experienced in creating cohesive visual identity systems, utilizing her skills in graphic design, photography, and illustration. Sylvia earned her bachelor’s degree in advertising from National Chengchi University, with a focus on graphic design and marketing. Sylvia moved to Taipei from her hometown of Taichung in 2016. She is fluent in English and Japanese and enjoys connecting with people from diverse cultural backgrounds.
Caleb joined CAPRI as part of the Luce Scholars Program. A graduate of New York University, Caleb majored in public policy and focused on housing and economic inequality. His interests in social and economic mobility are shaped by his internship experiences throughout the New York City government, including at the Department of Social Services, the Mayor’s Office, and the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office, and his extensive volunteer experience as an income tax preparer and civil court mediator. His postgraduate work as a housing navigator and HUD Continuum of Care compliance associate at the nonprofit Housing Solutions Tulsa further exposed him to the complexities of developing and administering social programs. At CAPRI, he is excited to be immersed in public policy research and gain a comparative understanding of Asia-Pacific social and economic resilience.
Our team spans the globe, bringing together diverse experiences, ideas, and perspectives.
Jacob Libby graduated from a 2-year master’s program at the Yenching Academy of Peking University, where his research focused on the geopolitics of the US–China–Taiwan semiconductor trade and the broader challenges associated with export controls, foreign direct investment, and industrial policy in the region. Previously, Jacob completed his undergraduate degree in foreign affairs and Spanish at the University of Virginia (UVA). He has worked at the US Department of State, the Carnegie-Tsinghua Center, SupChina, and the Miller Center at UVA, conducting research on contemporary US–China relations and East Asian politics and economics. He is currently pursuing a law degree at Harvard Law School in furtherance of that goal.
Joshua McCray is a combination master’s degree in public policy and public health candidate at the University of Virginia (UVA). Before starting graduate school, he worked as a clinical research coordinator and served as a student representative to the Virginia Rural Health Association Board of Directors. Joshua holds bachelor’s degrees in Biochemistry and History from UVA’s College at Wise (UVA Wise). In addition, he was recently awarded a Tadler fellowship at the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy. Driven by his passion for addressing public health disparities and improving rural resilience, he has completed research on drinking water contamination in rural Appalachia and worked with the Virginia Department of Health to advertise, coordinate, and distribute COVID-19 vaccinations in Southwest Virginia. Joshua’s research interests lie in global rural health and healthcare insurance markets.
Ben Makarechian is a current Master of Arts in International Relations Candidate at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). Ben spent his first year at SAIS living and studying at the Hopkins-Nanjing Center in China, where he took Chinese-language courses on international relations topics and was elected class president. Ben graduated from the University of Virginia in 2025 with majors in Public Policy and Economics and a minor in Chinese language. At UVA, Ben was president of the Men’s Rugby Club and served as a representative on the University’s historic Honor Committee. Ben’s writing has been published in the Virginia Journal of International Affairs and the Pacific Council Magazine. He is a Tai Hong Economics Fellow at SAIS and was a Monaghan Scholar at UVA.
Anda Armond is a second-year undergraduate student at the University of Virginia (UVA), majoring in Kinesiology and African American Studies. Before attending UVA, she served as a student representative for 15 county schools in the surrounding Albemarle County area. Recently, she was recognized with the Women of the Year award through programs aligned with UVA’s Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, highlighting her commitment to leadership and advocacy. Driven by a passion for medicine, Anda is particularly interested in researching the sociocultural disparities embedded within the medical system. After completing her undergraduate studies, Anda plans to pursue a Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies to gain further experience in medicine and continue her research on healthcare disparities. In her free time, she actively participates in UVA’s Contracted Independent Organizations (CIOs) that focus on community wellness and development.
