Huan Wang

Huan Wang is a Senior Research Scholar at the Stanford Center on China's Economy and Institutions (SCCEI), and a long-standing member of the Rural Education Action Program (REAP). Huan's research portfolio is grounded in empirical methods and a commitment to addressing real-world development challenges. Her connection to Stanford began in 2010, when she first collaborated with FSI faculty. She formally joined FSI as a postdoctoral scholar in 2017 and has been a full-time research scholar since 2019.

Her research investigates the determinants and constraints of human capital development across the life course in China — from early childhood through old age. She leads large-scale randomized controlled trials and field experiments to evaluate programs targeting the physical, cognitive, and emotional drivers of educational attainment, productivity, and healthy aging. Her interdisciplinary projects are integrated with the Stanford School of Medicine and the School of Education.

Her publication has appeared in Nature Human Behavior, Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, Economics of Education Review, and The China Quarterly. Her research contributes to a body of evidence that has informed China's national school lunch programs and the inclusion of vision care in the UN's Sustainable Development Goals framework.

Huan is part of the SCCEI Seminar Committee, helping to identify emerging China scholars and bring them to Stanford to engage with our community.

Beyond academia, Huan currently runs a social enterprise that works with local communities to establish sustainable, high-quality vision care services for children in rural China.